Feeling forced back to work

Hi everyone. I was diagnosed with ms & crohns some years ago. Fortunately I’ve been able to work 26 hrs a week. I became very unwell with Crohns 5 weeks ago & was in hospital for 6 days on a trolley, while being administered steroids. I didn’t bounce back as quickly this time as MS also kicked in. I agreed with my employer that I would return to work on a phased return of 15.5 hours over 2 days. I was happy with this. I returned this morning to be immediately called into my boss’s office for her to say, we really need u back 23 hours almost immediately. I felt totally blindsided by this & said I would likely try to do this. I’ve come home from work after 1 day stressed & exhausted. As a person with 2 disabilities, can my employer do this & cause me more health issues or prolong the ones I already are. I have worked for same company for 10 years & rarely be off sick, maybe 2-3 days per year. Also I only get SSP.

This site offers free legal advice and should help clarify your position.
I hope you get the support you need.

MS legal advice service | Multiple Sclerosis Society UK

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Hello @Dumbo
I had long term illnesses too when I used to work f/t, the multiple sclerosis along with itp blood disorder and graves’ disease, I did my very best to straggle on until eventually I had no choice but to exhaust my ssp due to also having various recurring respiratory infections the last 2 years.

These days I’m happier as I can now just concentrate on my health and I volunteer some of my time to charity when I can, I’m due to have elective surgery for my graves’ disease next month, the way I see it is you can have many jobs/careers in life but you only get one life.

I wish you all the best for finding a resolution with your employer.
Kind regards,
JP

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Thank you, I will certainly look at this tomorrow.

Thank you, I will certainly look at this tomorrow.

I know what you mean, but aside from needing the money, I also enjoy the job & the people I work with. I’m just shocked & annoyed the way I have been treated. Thanks for ur reply. I hope all goes well with your health.

Of course they want you back to your normal hours: it is a nuisance for them that one of their machines (you) isn’t working at full pelt. Your boss wishes you weren’t sick. He/she is failing to face the facts like an adult and is slipping into childish ‘wishing it were different’. A poor effort on your boss’s part. No wonder you’re feeling jarred and upset - it is your boss failure, not yours.

I think you should be the grownup in the room and just stay very calm and factual and explain clearly that the facts are as they are. With a bit of luck your boss was just having a bad day and will pull him/herself together… I really hope so.

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If it were me I would follow the useful advice above first and then if needed to I would try and arrange a meeting with the most senior person you can do in your organisation and explain what you have done to us but also explain how valuable you are to them and the problems they would face if you left all together. They will have leverage over your boss and also be concerned about bad publicity/reputation if they treated you as described. Ask nicely if you could thus remain 15 hours till improved.

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Thank you Alison100, I calmly sent the person that I have been in contact with an email calmly saying that I was exhausted after 1 days work & that I would not be in the next day as arranged. I also reminded them that as a person with 2 disabilities that it was unlikely that I would be returning until I am completely better this time. I reminded her that my MS nurse had suggested a phased return to work, which they had agreed to until they had me in work on Monday morning & changed the goalposts. I also said that I would be taking the advice from my MS Nurse, Crohns nurse & GP & having rest & relaxation until I was fully fit for my return to work, however long that would take. As it turns out I went to my GP yesterday with a high resting heart rate & I was sent to A&E for more tests, they have since come back today & said that I now have an over active thyroid gland along with extremely low iron, which they have given to me by I’ve steroid. This is likely to take 4-6 weeks to improve, they have given me blood pressure tablets to take lower the high heart rate & it’s only reducing it very slightly. When she replied on Monday evening, the only thing she said was “can you come in at 11am or noon tomorrow to complete wages” it’s ridiculous.
It’s a family business, with 3 brothers & 2 sisters at the helm. 1 female is verging on being a bully but she makes the snowballs & make the other one throw them. I know what really happened when the 2nd sister agreed to the 2 days phased return. The bully/controlling one has told her to just go back & tell her it’s - 3 day job not t 2. It really is pathetic that these people are running a business at all. I can’t go to the other 3 brothers as they would not be allowed to go against the 1st Sister. It really is a control thing.

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They’re just not taking this seriously are they? I am really sorry.

I think it was Jilly Cooper who advised: ‘Never work for a family business; there’ll be seven deadly sons between you and advancement.’

I do wonder whether they think that because it’s family business the law of the land (on fair employment) doesn’t apply to them. But it does. As do the common laws of decent behaviour.

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Dumbo, I am sure that you are doing this already, but you need to be keeping careful notes of all this. Who said what and when etc. Best to do this when things are fresh in your mind. You might need to take legal advice, and a good record of events could be useful.