Advice needed please about meeting about being off sick

goldenrose

Hi, hoping someone can pass on some advice.

I have been working in my current job since October (25 hours a week) but not long after that a personal health problem I have been suffering from for the past 4 years started to become worse, it became so bad in mid April that I was signed off sick and have been since.

As well as the original problem I am now suffering from depression and taking antidepressants and having councelling. I am on the waiting list for another test and a procedure and was hoping if these went well I would feel well enough to go back soon after.

I had a call last Monday from my branch manager informing me that in the next week or so he would have to do a home visit to catch up because of the time I have been off which I was fine with but he phoned again later in the day to say I have to go to meeting tomorrow with the Area Manager, he didnt say much but did say it was to do with the amount of time I've been off and because I have not been with the company long, he said I would have to tell AM what is going on and not to worry he is not trying to catch me out. He then asked if I would like him to be there and I said yes. He then went on to say that he didn't want me to go in there blind and that I could lose my job but he would fight my corner for me.

I am totally confused by all of this, I don't understand why the AM would need a meeting with me I would have just expected that to be the Branch Managers job.

I am also not happy with having to go into a meeting with two men and tell them in detail about my personal problems, I actually will refuse to do that. Surely if they needed medical information they could send me to a Occupational Health Doctor or ask for more information from my GP/hospital?

My family and friends are saying they can't just sack me for being off less than 3 months with doctors notes backing me up.

I have never been off sick from a job before and I am finding all this really stressful and worrying.

SarEl

Well for a start off your friends and family are entirely wrong. They can "just sack you" for being off a day if they want, and doctors notes are not relevant - the amount of time you have had off sick is, and few employers are going to be "nice" about this amount of time off in the first year. You can certainly say that you are uncomfortable talking about your condition to men - but I would suggest that you don't couch it in terms of you refuse to do so. Did you declare your "personal problems" to the employer when you started? And it is hard to advise you without knowing what the peronal problems are. I might (but also might not) be able to tell you more if I knew. You may PM me the details if you wish to say what it is but not in a public forum - I think most regulars here will confirm that I am female and not always scary!!!