My DMP Journey...

Monkeyballs

Monday 03/11/14;

So I went to see the Occupational Therapist today, a requirement by my employer to see if I qualify for the discretionary benefit they offer.

The advice was that I go back to work and do part time hours for as long as it takes and take as many breaks as I need to when I start to feel discomfort and pain... They also need to look at spending several thousands of £'s in buying work place adaptions to enable me to do as much as I can.

I feel sick.

While I'm signed off by my GP* I may be eligible for my employers discretionary benefit BUT with the Occupational Health guy telling me to go back I now have 8 weeks to "get better" to the point where I can go full time before they can (as per my contract) dismiss me as being unable to fulfill my roll!

*My GP does not believe I am currently fit for work.

It feels like a ploy to get rid of me right now, I have been told that even if I am in constant pain then I need to just "get on with it"! I have a very bad feeling about all of this and feel incredibly stressed about the whole ordeal. I want to work but if I physically can't but might be able to in the future I am having the opportunity to return to work and do my old job taken away from me! Am I really destined to work in whatever I am able to find constantly restricted in my abilities by pain? If I am, then SH*T!!! What's the point?

MB

in_need_of_direction

Calm down. You can't go back until the adaptations are in place and they aren't going to commit to major spends if they want to bin you.

Monkeyballs

Morning INoD,

I woke up this morning thinking just that! A little time to sleep on it and calm down does the world of good

I realise that just because the Occ Health guy says I can do some work it doesn't mean that what he is suggesting will be acceptable to my employer and then they may (hopefully) pay more regard to my GP especially if the money they spend on adaptions might be no use in 6 months time...

I would happily go in and do what I can if I felt secure that it wasn't a 2 month long sentence before being given the chop! But honestly, the work requires me to understand and analyse a lot of technical data and coordinate conferences between up to 16 people from across the globe who are professionals in their area I can't currently focus for long enough to speak to 5 people (my own family) in the same room... It doesn't mean I won't be able to do it ever again but I don't think I can now and I doubt my manager would believe I would be able to either.

MB

in_need_of_direction

But, if your family is anything like mine, it'd be easier to deal with three times as many professionals than with them

Monkeyballs

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

But, if your family is anything like mine, it'd be easier to deal with three times as many professionals than with them

LOL, that's very true...

MB

Monkeyballs

Bit more of an update as I have been able to speak to HR this morning.

There are several options;

1. My manager accepts that I can't work full hours and puts me forward for the discretionary benefit regardless but if this happens it is the equivalent of a redundancy but is paid over a period of time to provide an income. This can be up to 100% of my pay for a maximum of 5 years but is at the discretion of my manager.

2. I go back and do 8 weeks part time, after which if I can't return the I'm as good as gone... Pay for these 8 weeks/2 months will be full pay.

3. I stay on unpaid leave until I feel I can attempt the 8 week return.

4. I go on therapeutic return to work in which I can work a maximum of 10 hours per week but only get paid for the hours I work and will not be considered for the discretionary benefit in future. Also, they get to choose what I do while I choose the hours - I literally can show up when I feel able and they have to accommodate me. There is no time limit for how long I can do this but if I get made redundant then it would be based on the 10 hours per week quota of my salary. This also means I cannot return to my old role

I feel better for knowing what could happen and knowing that the OH report isn't the be all and end all right now, I'm swaying between no pay and keeping my contract and taking the discretionary benefit depending on the offer made.

What else can I try to get my back sorted? Does anyone out there have any "family therapies" that I could perhaps try? I'll give anything a go, especially if it's free!!!

MB

Monkeyballs

The plot thickens...

I spoke to my manager and the time it takes for OH to report to HR and for them to process the report and start to take action is a couple of weeks, the expected time for a DSE assessment to be made and recommended changes be implemented will be 2 weeks minimum (due to sourcing special non standard kit, testing it and delivering to site) so there is another month in the offing thereabouts in which I won't be paid.

I'm not worried about the money at this point (ok, it's not an insignificant consideration) but I just wanted to get my thoughts noted down on my diary for me to review later and see how I feel RIGHT NOW.

And right now, I don't know how much of me is worrying about losing a job which pays well as opposed to a job which I enjoy* and have had for a long time.

*I say enjoy, not love as the job is very stressful and it's the people I like but hardly anyone has been in touch...

MB

Monkeyballs

05/11/14;

Bonfire night!!!

And, like Guy Fawkes I have a plan of action... But it's not to blow up the houses of parliament LOL

So I have taken stock of what is going on and what is happening, I'm sick of feeling like a victim and refuse to stand around waiting to be put out of my misery and set myself an achievable target! Or at least narrowed down my options

1. I need to wait for HR to make an assessment based on the OH report, this is likely to take a month to complete (apparently) and if they make me a reasonable/acceptable offer of discretionary benefit (and assuming I'm not pulling handstands by the time they make it) I think I will take it. This draws a line in the sand and I have no employer to consider and my focus can be doing everything in my power and affordability to fix myself without feeling bad about not being at work...

2. If they make me a rubbish offer I go back at reduced hours in the new year and see exactly what I can do using the OH suggested adaptions I can start on anything up to 15 hours (not 10 as I was first told) but then after a month I should know if I am capable of doing the phased return (16 hours per week for two months) or if I should give the discretionary benefit (which will still be on the table) more consideration - this is me going for broke at this point

Even if I can't return to full time hours, HR have agreed to try to find me part time work at hours to suit me but I accept it is unlikely to be in my current role/dept.

So there is still a possibility that a spanner may land in the works and throw me out of kilter but I now have a plan with a relatively short timescale to achieve my return to work in some capacity!

So I get back to work, get some money, pay my debts, save for a deposit on a house, boom! Then I find a wife and have kids and a dog BOOM! All this before I turn 40 in [STRIKE]18 months[/STRIKE] 7 years *ahem*...

MB

Mara_uk7

Oooh elastic birthdays , bagsy me 29 !

Monkeyballs

Mara_uk7 wrote: »

Oooh elastic birthdays , bagsy me 29 !

Mara, from where I'm standing you don't look a day over 21

MB x