Anxiety and noise and work

theshoefairy

I apologise if this is in the wrong place, please feel free to move it if it is.

Background - Started working where I am in 2015. There was a group of us who started together.

In May 2016, I had a turn in work and was signed off with depression and anxiety. I returned after 6 months thinking I had recovered. In the time I was off, one of the people I started with had gotten a promotion and was now a team leader, but on a different team to mine. We used to get on very well as friends. She then went off for a year on maternity leave.

After about a month, I was signed of again, and was off roughly for another 6 months. I returned in July 2017 awaiting a specialist appointment. I had the appointment about 2 months after returning to work and I am still awaiting the results. This is all a result of my severe anxiety which I have been hospitalised over as my heart rate was so high. Since then the lady I spoke about in the beginning has returned from maternity leave and was place on my team as team leader.

The first incident was that there was a promotion going which I wanted to apply for. I was told that I was not allowed to apply as I was on an attendance improvement plan. I protested a little to say that I thought this was unfair as I was off under doctors orders, it was something I had no control over and it wasn't as if I was taking time off sick willy nilly with colds, headaches and the like. She looked into it and the outcome was that I couldn't apply until I completed the three months plan which comes to an end beginning of December. I then brought up the fact that I had already been back at work for 2 months before I was even put on this plan, so those two months should be deducted from the plan, leaving one month so I would be free to apply for the job. Their explanation was that they held off putting me on the plan when I first returned as they wanted me to have the meeting with the consultant first, saying that they did this for my benefit incase I had any more time off sick.

The second issue came when I asked to book off my birthday as my partner had booked a weekened away for me. I was told no as we are only allowed 2 people off at a time, which was fine as I thought we could leave a little later, it turned out that we needed to leave early that day to catch a ferry. I asked my team manager and she said that she would check with her team manager. She came back to me and said that the manager was going to look into it and let me know. I had to ask twice more for it to be chased up. In the end I got the answer that I cojuld after three days of waiting. But then I had a curt email from the manager who agreed it (not my manager), saying that in future I should adhere to the policy bla bla bla. This is fair enough, but I would only expect an email like that if I was doing this all the time, it's the first time I asked and I believe the circumstances were special. I replied and thanked her and told her that we were misinformed regarding ferry times. I had no reply.

Out of interest I checked the calendar going back a year, there has been numerous times where there has been three people off at a time. One time even four people were off.

The final straw came today. We were advised last week that there would be a new seating plan by said team manager and to let her know of our preferences of where to sit. I emailed her and said that I would like to take her seat as she was moving, as it was in the corner, or the one opposite that if that person is moving. The reason for this is that at the moment I am sat right next to the kitchen and it is very noisy to the point sometimes where I just feel I can't cope with it. I cannot concenrate and cannot hear people on the phone, sometimes I have to put my finger in my other ear. She replied saying that she would take it into consideration. Since then I have said that the noice by the kitchen is very difficult to deal with and it' driving me nuts.

Today we had the new seating plan emailed to us. I have been placed directly behind where I am currently stitting which is equally as noisy if not more. The person who's seat I am taking is being moved to the seat I requested when they didn't even ask to be moved there.

I emailed her and said that I appreciate the seating plan has been done but is there anyway I can be moved from the kitchen as I find the noise unbearable. She took a while to come back to me and said that unfortunately she has already requested the pc moves, the seat she has put me in is further from the kitchen so it should be better for me, (it isn't, it's about a metre to the side).

I feel like I am just up against one thing after another and I don't know but it feels like things are being made difficult for me. This has made me feel panicky as I just cannot cope with th noise, it makes me anxious and I can't concentrate to the point that I don't even know what I am doing at times. And also the lady who's seat I am taking said that the noise is worse as you have th noise from the kitchen and also the other teams.

I just wondered of other people's opinions on this and whether I am overreacting. Would it be worth going to my doctor for a note re the noise? It sounds silly I know but I just can't deal with it.

Diamandis

You sound a bit like you're overreacting to things. You weren't allowed to apply for a promotion due to being on an attendance plan -seems fair, managers need to have good attendance.

You got a.holiday outside of the rules - I'd be pretty pleased with that. Other people also being allowed holidays for whatever reasons isn't really my business.

You asked if you could have a seat then didn't get it. Had you raised the issue of noise at any other time? They need to take lots of things into consideration when seating people. You could ask for a doctor to write a letter but it can't say "the patient wants to sit in that specific seat" and the management will have to consider if it's possible to accommodate.

Do you think your anxiety is causing you to read more into things than you really should?

Fireflyaway

I don't mean to make your condition seem trivial but I don't see what a doctors note for anxiety caused by noise would do? You would be signed off only to have to return to the same problem.
Would you be better off finding another job where you don't feel anxious and stressed?
As for promotion. Sure nobody should discriminate because of illness / disability but you need to be at work. Would you want to employ someone who is off more than they are at work? Also as a team leader you need to manage other people. How could you do that if you are so stressed?
I'd suggest having a think about what you really want. If your workplace makes you unhappy then move. You have choices and deserve to be happy.

theshoefairy

Thanks for the replies. It isn't a team leader job I was applying for, it was a job in a different department and a completely different role. I wasn't suggesting I be signed off work again, that is the last thing but the noise level I feel is really affecting my work I feel. You're right, I am very dissatisfied there at the moment and that's probably not helping. Just wanted other opinions to guage if I was overreacting.

elsien

If I've read your post correctly you were off work for 6 months, back for a month then off for another 6 months with depression and anxiety, returning in July?
I don't think your line manager is being at all unreasonable in wanting you to wait before applying for a promotion. From their perspective they need to check you are well enough; they're not going to want the extra pressure from a promotion to trigger you going off sick again. Whether the doctor signed you off or not isn't relevant. You've still been off for a hefty chunk of time and some companies would have considered your capacity to do the role at this point.
The holiday rules are reasonable, as is the email to remind you of the proper procedure to follow in future.
I do think you need to try to take a step back, focus on settling back in properly then decide your next steps. Because from what you've posted, I don't think your manager is being unreasonable or trying to make things difficult.

theshoefairy

Ok thank you all for the opinions. I'll just wait it out until I can get out of the department.

Masomnia

Were you referred to occupational health? Speak to them about the noise triggering your anxiety, request your manager look into it with them if necessary. If not your doctor may be of help. They should take this into consideration.

theshoefairy

Thanks Masomnia.

I was referrered to Occ Health twice, the first time Occupational Health advised that I do not return to work. The second time was when I was feeling better and getting to the stage where I felt I could be able to work again. My workplace didn't even follow what was set out in the report. with regards to the amount of hours worked when returning to work. They advised that I return on 4 hours for two weeks, then five hours for a further two weeks then sex then fill time and so on. By the end of week two I was back to full time. The first week I worked 5 hours, 2nd week 6 and then back to full hours the third week.

sangie595

It is extremely unusual for any employer to have not dismissed an employee with 12 months sickness leave. It may not feel like this, but they have been a good employer, and you may be on borrowed time. This is the time to relax what you want and expect in favour of what sustains your employment. It may not be ideal. What suggestions did you have to make it more sustainable? Be positive, and you may get further.

Mupette

I swear to god we work for the same company.

Ask for holiday and it takes longer than it should to be checked, you chase your team leader several times and they say they will deal with it and they foget, team leaders tend to be bogged down with reports than actual team leading work.

It's not you, but I do think it's your anxiety making things feel worse for you.

I was bullied for a few years by my team leader, cut the story short i had to see a neuro psychiatrist because she made me feel i was thick and stupid. Turns out apart from the obvious problems MS causes me psychologically i am absolutely fine, when i felt more courageous i grew a pair and complained (the team leader had left our department by then and the stress was gone), told the manager that it had to start with him to filter down to team leaders and others that it is not ok to bully a disabled person.
Life is a lill better

sangie595

Mupette wrote: »

I swear to god we work for the same company.

Ask for holiday and it takes longer than it should to be checked, you chase your team leader several times and they say they will deal with it and they foget, team leaders tend to be bogged down with reports than actual team leading work.

It's not you, but I do think it's your anxiety making things feel worse for you.

I was bullied for a few years by my team leader, cut the story short i had to see a neuro psychiatrist because she made me feel i was thick and stupid. Turns out apart from the obvious problems MS causes me psychologically i am absolutely fine, when i felt more courageous i grew a pair and complained (the team leader had left our department by then and the stress was gone), told the manager that it had to start with him to filter down to team leaders and others that it is not ok to bully a disabled person.
Life is a lill better

So you have two years employment and have been absent on sick leave for half of that?