'woman in work' rant!!!

plane_boy2000

Our sickness policy is 12 months on full pay - I know I am luckier than most ( its a multi-national firm).

We had a guy who kept having time off but always had a doctors note. HR launched our procedure for repeted sickness and discovered that the sicknotes were all sequential from the same pad!! Turns out some relative was a doc and just gave him the whole book and he was writing them out himself as and when! Got away with it for several years.

azjh77

My Mum went back to work yesterday and IW was there. She is apparently 'fully disabled' now - walking with a stick, which is interesting as she went off with a bad wrist - which turned into stress. (But then you can't claim full disability and get a blue badge with a bad hand can you!)

Yet still managed to wear high heels - and now has an electric bike as she can't pedal. Well she can't pedal when anyone is looking (one of the girls sneaked out for a crafty fag and she saw he pedalling, only to stop when she saw she had been spotted)

No-one is talking to her - No doubt she is already writing it all down in preparation of her 'discrimination' case!

On Friday I go back to work and have to sit opposite her. I have a real problem being rude to people and dread having to sit there listening to her woes. After my operation I won't be able to walk either (having part of my toe taken off:eek: ) If I have to sit and listen to her 'oh my leg' rubbish while I'm in REAL pain - i'm not going to be happy...

Ah well, know doubt Mother will be phoning with the next instalment later.......

Storm

Our sickness policy is quite tough - you get 4 weeks on full pay, then SSP only within each calendar year.

There's a woman I work with too who we've barely seen since Christmas - she's had all kinds of things apparently happen, and if it's true then poor woman has had a hellish year, but no-one really believes her as they've been at 'convenient' times (i.e. she couldn't take a couple of particular days off as leave as already quite a few people had booked some at that time, then her brother was in a car accident - in the place where she wanted to go anyway!) It can be difficult to prove stuff like this though, and as she been classed as disabled it does make it more difficult for your employers - perhaps they could call her in for a meeting along the lines of "to make sure we're doing all we can to support you, can you please details exactly what your condition is and what we can do to help" - it will mean that everything gets recorded, they're covering themselves in case she does try to bring a discrimination case, and if she doesn't disclose something then she has no comeback.

When you have to go back, if it's not going to interfere with your work how about you develop the habit to listening to music while you work? That way you can just ignore her quite easily!

However, I would recommend you & your colleagues start keeping notes with dates & times about stuff she says and if she contradicts herself. Stuff like pedalling when apparently she can't - if you can get any pictures (even on a phone) you can report her to the benefits office.

Errata

How about if you speak when you're spoken to and stick to the facts and don't respond in any way, shape or form to any conversation that's not work related?

melancholly

i'm going to suggest the same as storm - not really a solution, but are you in an office where you could get headphones and put them on then pretend not to hear her?! i do that when i'm really busy and pretend i have music playing, but it just makes people not bother me unless it's urgent!!

CFC

When she starts moaning, give her your most charming smile and say sadly, 'I'm having a really difficult time at the moment with my own troubles, I'm sure you'll understand when I tell you that I come to work to escape troubles, and it just makes me feel stressed to focus on negative things. Can we just talk about cheerful things, please?'
Then tell your manager that her negative chit chat is bringing you down and making you feel a bit depressed and stressed....
Yes, it's cunning and evil and that's why I like it as a plan, but your manager will probably feel the need to move you to make sure you don't go off with 'work induced stress'

azjh77

That would work CFC! I'm a know 'depressive' since having the baby and all the office knows I'm either in a good mood or depressed as sin...she could actually make me ill !!! Set my chronic asthma off...hell this woman is threat to my mental & physical well being!! I shall see what happens on Friday!

CFC

azjh77 wrote: »

That would work CFC! I'm a know 'depressive' since having the baby and all the office knows I'm either in a good mood or depressed as sin...she could actually make me ill !!! Set my chronic asthma off...hell this woman is threat to my mental & physical well being!! I shall see what happens on Friday!

Keep us posted on how it goes!!!

SeaBreeze

How are things going?

impy78

SnowyOwl wrote: »

BTW these "return to work" interviews really really annoy me too.

They are so pointless.

The one (that got me in to BIG trouble), was after I had a pretty nasty stomach bug, which resulted in my being signed off, as I quite literally had to sit on the toilet all day.

My dim and ineffectual boss said: "So how are you going to ensure that you don't have any more sickness leave."

To which I replied: "Not be ill."

Obviously annoyed at this point she asked: "Seriously, how will you manage it?" (meaning the reduction in sickness leave after my three days off in two years, which was obviously a heinous crime against all things holy)


"Oh, well I thought I might construct a sterile tent environment based on the life of Howard Hughes"

I got a disciplinary hearing after that.