I don’t know what to do, I just got served three write ups at work today all from my boss, who owns the companies. Not from my direct office manager. One of them was detailing all the days I’ve missed since August(which he included my approved leave of absence which I don’t think is fair) they say I’ve missed 15 work days, if you don’t include my leave that brings it down to 7 days missed. The next one was for a panic attack I had at work they detailed in it that I “started crying and refused to see a patient” when in all reality I had a full blown panic attack it had nothing to do with the patient. And the final one I get that I deserve but it was for falling asleep during our staff meeting because I had taken too much medication the night before.
Okay I get that I deserve these but also it’s all directly related to my medication and my ■■■■■■■ mental illness. I don’t want to lose another job due to my mental illness. I already lost my dream job back in July of 2018. I’ve managed to hold down a couple jobs since then but every job I get I find I can barely preform even if it’s the lowest responsibility job like working in the food industry. My job I have now has the most responsibility out of any that I’ve had before. I’d hate to waste this opportunity. I don’t know what I’m going to do, I want to be a great hard worker who is reliable but I find with this stupid illness and all the medication that it’s even harder to do than I even imagined. Does anyone have any advice? I feel as though I should give up on my dreams of becoming a dental hygienist and settle for a mediocre job like housekeeping or something. I don’t know what else to do at this point.
i think they should be alot more understanding, im so sorry youre in this position. i just had to quit my only job for that same reason, so ive lost my chances for my dream career and im stuck with at-home services. if you cant get accommodations for your needs, you should settle for a job that you feel like you can handle, if that makes sense? something you can still enjoy, but maintain a comfortable state. i hope this week treats you well!
Problem is I don’t know what sort of Accommodations I need. I feel as though I need a lower stress job but a lower stress job won’t pay as well I’m sure.
Ok, so you got write-ups. That’s basically to tell you that you need to improve. So do that. Try your best to not miss any more work unless it’s absolutely necessary. Learn from the mistakes you’ve made with your meds so you don’t fall asleep at work again. And try to keep your anxiety under control so you don’t have another panic attack. All you can do is try to take the advice that they are giving you and try to improve. You can do it. You can keep this job. I believe in you.
Do they know you have a mental illness? Maybe a less stressful job is an option but I would do what @Leaf said and listen to what they say and try to improve. IDK, I’ve felt like quitting many jobs but I ended up staying and lasting for awhile. My jobs are mostly unskilled though. But at least two jobs that I can remember, a co-worker tipped me off that the managers were thinking of firing me so I made a conscious effort to work faster and harder and I improved and they didn’t fire me. So if you think you can take their complaints and work on showing up regularly and improving on the other things you did wrong maybe you have a fighting chance of staying there.
Hello @Hanna_Foxx, if you live in the US or Canada or the UK or some other country that has accomodation laws for persons living with mental illness then your employer is required by law to accomodate your illness which includes work absences. Also getting a letter from your psychiatrist explaining the situation could help. Don’t just wait to be fired. Be proactive and educate your employer about your rights and their responsibilities under the law. And continue to do your best and show up for work if you can. Hope this helps.
The catch is “reasonable accommodations”. Is there a case worker or social worker that you can talk to about what this means for you? If so, make a list and send it in to your work with a letter from your social/case worker (or even pdoc) letting the office know of your needs. That way ,you have something documented that you gave them, and they can better work with you. You can’t do much to handle a panic attack other than breathe through it, so for things like that, I think a brief break would be reasonable. Falling asleep, not so much, but you already know that.
Hi. According to the FMLA you are entitled to 90 days of unpaid leave for medical reasons within a rolling year. And reasonable accomodations does mean that they are required to provide you with, for example, the ability to take your 15 minute break as needed if you need time to get your panic attack under control. Please save WRITTEN copies of these write-ups and contact your local employment office or office of disabilities. Go to your doctor and get a note saying you require the ability to take your fifteen minute break as needed due to a medical condition. Look up your state to find out if you are an “at will” state. If you are not, you can easily sue them for discrimination if they fire you. If you are, it will be a bit harder to prove, which is why you NEED written copies of your write-ups.
They can’t fire you for any reason. They can fire you for NO reason. But you are holding proof that if they fire you, it will be because of your illness. That is still illegal.
I feel for you. I’m in a right to work state and disclosed my disability, asked for accommodations, and was put on work leave and fired shortly after it. Part if it was how I was potentially how I was relating interpersonally. But the civil rights office did nothing about it.
Something you can do is contact the JAN network about accommodations (https://askjan.org/). They were really helpful to me when I was going through the process.
Hi, Sorry to hear you are having trouble at work , try to remember that these issues affect us all, I too have had so many disasters it would make you laugh,
Have you ever thought of working part time, and take up some sort of talk therapy for trauma, Also some Mindfullness techniques are good foe calming yourself down when your overwhelmed. Or there are lots of good self help books out there.
Could I ask if it is Voices or Anxiety you are suffering with ?
The ADA has the assumption that a person is qualified for a job, so an employer can refuse to hire, or can fire, an applicant/employee if they believe the person cannot fulfill a Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ). Examples are a school refusing to hire a blind person who applies to be a bus driver, a Catholic school refusing to hire a non-Catholic teacher, or Hooter’s restaurant refusing to hire a man to be a food server.
However, if you believe you do fulfill all BFOQs for the job of dental hygienist, the ADA requires an employer to make meaningful accommodations (specialized training, flexible schedule, reassignment, etc.) unless these accommodations constitute an undue hardship on the employer.
These are simply my thoughts after doing a little research. I’m not a disability lawyer.
I’m sorry you’re going through this. You may want to contact a disability lawyer.
