Uneasy about "questioning" over my absence

Savvy_Sue

Noozan wrote:

I don't know about the legal side of it, but I once sent home from work when I returned before my sick note had expired. They told me it was because I wouldn't be covered by the Employers Liability Insurance if anything happened whilst I was supposed to be off sick. (It was an office job btw, nothing dangerous!)

Yup, that is correct. In one job I had a team member signed off who wanted to come in once a week to see if there was anything we wanted to ask her, but she was told she could not do so. (and no I did NOT ask her to do so, was dead against it!) And I have just negotiated a 'phased return' for myself following surgery, and was told that I needed a note from my GP to confirm I was OK to come in on a part-time basis.

johanne

well plot thickens today as ive got a message on my 1571 from a personnel manager asking me to call her.

I really have this horrible sick gut feeling that im about to lose my job.

I would be happy to go back there on the day shift but they wont allow it. Ive asked for day/evening shifts even part time, ive asked for part time on the nights (told our store doesnt do it) i even asked them was there ANYTHING they could consider giving me other than the night shifts OR on the night shift but a bit more flexible as it was affecting my health and i was told no. ive told my manager in the past i was ill and thought i was suffering mild depression and asked for some unpaid leave or to move my holidays forward so i could go see the doctor and sort it out.. and i was told no to just get on with it because at my age there was no way i could be depressed (he was 21 and "mr perfect") :rolleyes:

Ah well nothing i can do now... just have to see what happens.

Thanks for all the messages anyway.

zincoxide

Hey,

I'm gonna cut straight to the chase:

Your employer has no right to discuss this with you in the manner they did. They are entitled to know why you are off sick and how long it is expected to last, but they are not entitled to make you feel uncomfortable about it.

Be careful using your union, working within retail I know how the union's are viewed and I spend many occasions sitting on the opposite side of them at employment tribunals, and I've never lost. Most union rep's are too lazy to do a good job, they are simply anarchists that could never grow up (sorry to the good union reps but you truly are few and far between)

Speak to the HR department at Tesco, if they really are not willing to help then look for other jobs. You are only 20 and jobs are easy to come by at the age providing you are willing to work hard.

As for the anti-depressants, I've been on them now, on and off for the past 10 years (I'm only 26), most recent course has lasted 2 years so far. Read up on what the Doctor has given you, some of them don't really work. An improved diet & exercise are a great help.

I was given Efexor at first which sent me into a dream world for about 3 months, I was away with the fairies, so then I got changed onto Citalopram and they have been working wonders. As well as using these, I have a light box to help me through the winter months, started eating a lot more fresh fruit & veg from a farmers market (cheaper than most supermarkets!) and have started to walk a lot more. The gym didn't help too much, but a walk in the fresh air always brightens my mood.

Let us know which town you work in and someone on here may be able to point you in the direction of a job that offers exactly what you want with good propositions for the future.

Let us know and the good people on here will help you out!

johanne

thanks so much for that post.

I am looking all the time lately for a new job..sent speculative letters with my cv and applied for any i can find that i am remotely interested in. I have a friend who works at the jobcentre who checks daily for me too as he knows what im after and what experiance etc i have. I just keep getting rejections stating they have no vacancies or just nothing back at all. Its quite disheartening as i have a pretty good cv I think??

Ok i only have 5 GCSES cos i had to do them in one year at college due to medical problems making me leave school couple of months into my first year of them. But i got 2 A's 2 B's and a C. May look bad ive have had 4 jobs since i was 17 but 1 i was made redundant from (firm bankrupted overnight), was one 4 month stint as a concession manager (left due to ridiculous working conditons) and the other two have been 15 months at matalan and now 8 months at tesco. Ive got supervisory experiance (unofficially though ) and have got nearly 2 years experiance in fashion retail... but the problem i have is when i go into shops to hand in my cv etc i dont fit the "image" of a typical liverpool girl (think hollyoaks meets footballers wives!!) im more.... dowdy sensible geek?! So i dont have the "look" i even got told id overdressed by an interviewer for a supervisors positon by wearing a black trouser suit and white vest top. I just dont know!

I wanna apply for an open university course in accontancy but it doesnt start till next septemeber so i need to find something that i can sorta "manage" with for the next 2 yearsish. Doesnt have to be my dream job!

scroogey

Does Tesco have an Occupational Health Dept? I've found the one in my company really helpful especially in my last big bout of depression.
If they do it might be worth asking to be refered to them.

Musique

I've read this thread with interest and notice the number of people who feel depressed or are on anti-depressents. Be careful when you visit a doctor about these issues as they are often too keen just to provide a tablet based solution. Often justy feeling over-whelmed (which we can all feel sometimes)can be mistaken for feeling depressed.

I note one person who has depression finds that improving their diet and taking regular exercise helps. Research has shown that this dramatically improves peoples feelings. As they say "motion leads to emotion" therefore if you sit around all day you are bound to feel worse than leading an active a varied life. Diet impacts so much on your mental outlook that it can be the cause of what you are feeling. Check out a good book ont he subject by Patrick Holford - Optimum Nutrition for the Mind also try the Optimum Nutrition Bible.

You should think carefully about what it is you want to do and what you want to achieve rather than moving from job to job. This might be the perfect opportunity for you to take a short break and put things into perspective. Rather than make excuses for why things are working out and blaming someone else for current situations the best course of action is to take responsibility - no one got you into the position you are in at the moment except yourself. Stop making excuses and move on with your life. When you take responsibility you can then take control - rather than letting events overwhelm you, make sure you overwhelm them!

This is just part of a change in your lifestyle which you could take to help you change your circumstances. I have seen it benefit so many people in similar and worse situations and it is bar far a better approach than waiting to be diagnosed with depresssion or CFS.

I really do hope you can improve your situation and find a job you deserve.