problems at work

[cookiecookuk]

i have a big problem at work.at the moment i work 7 hours a day for only 2 days a week. as i have ME amongst other health problems but i can just about cope with my very busy day as it is very hard work but while i am working i feel that i am working i feel i am controlling the ME not the ME controlling me .

BUT this is the problem my boss and the kitchen manager who does the other 5 days a week(and a wa~ker )sorry but he is have decided between them to change the way we deliver breakfasts to all our residents and this means over another hours work fitted into my normal 7 hours i have tried this for the last two days and having to slog my guts out trying to catch up some time has absolutely killed me and i am in so much pain.

i am going into work tomorrow to speak to my manager (not kitchen manager) and tell him that i have tried his system but it is very detrimental to my health and i am going to refuse to do the extra.

question and opinion please can he sack me for refusing to do this on health grounds

i feel slightly better having got that of my chest

[*pixachu*]

I hope that they will actually look into this for you. They have probably thought they were making good changes, yet in effect that means you have too much workload, for your capabilities.
Hopefully they will take note of your thoughts on this.
Can't be slogging your guts out to catch up every day, that is just not on. xx

[cookiecookuk]

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@*pixachu* wrote:
I hope that they will actually look into this for you. They have probably thought they were making good changes, yet in effect that means you have too much workload, for your capabilities.
Hopefully they will take note of your thoughts on this.
Can't be slogging your guts out to catch up every day, that is just not on. xx

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if i was healthy i think i would still struggle but with ME i will find it impossible

[saasher2012]

Surely they can't change your hours without first consulting you Or have I missed something along the way?
Either way you have to speak up if it's making you Ill & or unhappy, so I agree with what everyone else says, I do hope you get it sorted out to your satisfaction. I don't know, what is this country is coming too when it can make people so unhappy in their work, it's so unfair. Have they not the foresight to realise happy workers make for a better work force.

[cookiecookuk]

thanks for all you support.will have to wait now til next week

[stroppy*cow]

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@cookiecookuk wrote:

stroppy where would i get a copy of the greivance policy and procedure from

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You should have been supplied with these when you started work - check if they are with your contract of employment.  If you have a staff handbook they should be in there. You can simply ask your manager for these if you do not have them, or you can ask the HR department for them.

[cookiecookuk]

thanks stroppy

[stroppy*cow]

Hope you can get it sorted.

It is a tricky one as they aren't actually changing your hours, and what you are being asked to do probably falls within the scope of your duties in your job description, it is just the volume of work, especially as you have to work to tight time deadlines.

Could you have a chat with the person who works on the days that you don't - if they are also struggling then a joint approach to management might be effective.

[m25jet]

One thing that may well work for you would be if you arranged to see a doctor so as to get a medical assessment of your condition as it is at present and ask the doctor who saw you if they could write a letter to your employers stating what they feel is and is not reasonable for your employers to ask you to do in your current position.  A letter coming from a qualified Consultant will have far more clout than if you just tried to convince the company you work for that you cannot do that level of work.  The company would have to be very stupid to ignore an official report from a Consultant clearly stating what you can and cannot do due to your condition, as it would leave them exposed to the risk of legal action being taken against them should they try to force you to do the work anyway and it resulted in your condition becoming worse, or making you ill in other ways that affected your ability to work.  Just make sure that you ask the Consultant to copy you in on any correspondence sent to your employers - that way if you do need to take legal action at some point in the future you'll have all the paperwork to back up what they were told, which would help to strenghen your case against them.  Hopefully they'll realise that they need to make some adjustments for you in your job so as to enable to continue working for them, and it won't be necessary to take legal action against them.

Good luck with getting it all sorted - I hope it all works out well for you.

[guardpig]

Look at it the other way - they are trying to make the resident's life more sociable.  Do the residents want this?  

Suggest they limit your workload - the evening after dinner clear up crew can do all the cerals, bread, toaster, crockery etc into the dining room and prepare the coffee/teapots in the kitchen.  Then all you would have to do would be the tea/coffee/milk and any cooking. Do these residents require breakfast before the carers arrive at 8.15.  If not then the carers could carry through the tea coffee milk breakfasts etc.  Either way this limits the interference with your routine(whilst mucking somebody elses routine up so it's not just you complaining).

.

[cookiecookuk]

right update....i spoke to my manager last week and told him politely that as it was detrimental to my health i was saying that i would not do the extra work..his reply was to say that he would contact HR after Easter.so this Monday and Tuesday i refused to do the extra work and i coped well with my normal job...

he came to me as i was leaving on Tuesday and told me HR was coming to see me for a meeting on....wait for it

an hour before lunch has to be ready on Tuesday....what the  f####????? how am i supposed to get lunch all finished while i am in a meeting with her.apparently its the only time she has available

i think they have all lost the plot.

will update on Tuesday evening

[saasher2012]

Good luck! & I hope it all works out for you.

[rose2008-2008]

Words fail me,,,,,fill us in when you hear more this is interesting. Do not take any C**P.

[stroppy*cow]

Cookie - I hope that all goes well for you. Your employer's sound very similar to mine. I work in a tiny dark box (we all call it the broom cupboard), no natural light, no ventilation, and a floor that slopes. Barely room to turn my wheelchair when there are two of us working in there.

Now there is a larger room across the corridoor, currently unused and just full of junk. It is an odd triangular shape, but it has windows. My colleague and I asked if we could swap rooms, and were told NO WAY, the finance department are going to put their filing cabinets in there. So filing cabinets need light and ventilation, but people don't?

[**towery**]

so who's gonna cover for you while you are in the meeting?

wouldnt it have been better for the HR to arrange a day  you were off?

[bitsnknots]

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@**towery** wrote:

so who's gonna cover for you while you are in the meeting?

wouldnt it have been better for the HR to arrange a day  you were off?

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Wouldn't that involve a modicum of common sense? Then I think that common sense doesn't enter into the equation does it?

[**towery**]

maybe HR can explain to the residents  why there day's  **bleep**ed up

[cookiecookuk]

nobody will cover  me.

what i will have to do is on monday i will have to change all the menus to stuff that i can prep in advance and cold sweets like fruit flan and icecream instead of spotted dick and custard .and then to save my own sanity i will try and start 30 minutes early.just to take the pressure of me.

they will not come any other time as she has no more appointments free.so they say

but i wonder if it is there plan to come during work to say if i can spare the time to talk to her i will have time to do the extra work?????

[**towery**]

i'd make sure i wrote down what you have done

and make sure you sign in early so its recorded

lets hope shes on time for the meeting too

[bitsnknots]

I hope that they get it sorted for you Cookie.  The thing is, these people don't live in the real world and don't appreciate what you do.  Also, they have no idea of time and common sense should tell them that going at that time, is the worst possible time that they could go.