Ongoing Health Conditions at Work

David.973

So I work in a call centre and have done for over two years now. Although the place hasn’t made a good name for itself, I’m happy there and love my colleagues, the managers (in the vast majority anyway), and most of my customers (thankfully I’m inbound customer service rather than a cold caller!)

Anyway, since the age of 14, way back in 2006, I’ve had a few conditions (stemming from the removal out brain tumour), and one of them causes me excess thirst and makes it harder for me to store the “liquid” for long.

I made the interviewer aware of this and that, bar needing regular toilet breaks, I was managing it with my meds (all 16 pills a day!)
Anyway, a couple months ago, while on my old team, my manager advise do me the time HR needed a doctors note that advised of my conditions and the ramifications. The note did say it was chronic but I’ve been asked by my new manager for a new note.

Surely when they’ve been advised I have a chronic condition recently, they shouldn’t need another letter yet, right?

For those of you wanting to know my conditions, they are as below and are encompassed under the condition hypopituitarism.
Diabetes Insipidus - body finds it hard to store water.
Polyuria - needing the toilet a heck of a lot.
Polydipsia - Excessive thirst caused by DI.
Hypothyroidism- thyroid doesn’t work without tablets to replicate pituitary hormones.
Addison’s disease - no natural cortisol, causing a lack of adrenaline and no natural immune system.

Thanks!

ohreally

Do you have access to an occupational health department as this is where the next steps should go.

worried_jim

They should have no problem accommodating your needs David. For your own records keep a diary of everyone you speak to about this and a brief note of what was discussed.

I’m really glad to hear that you are enjoying your job and the people you work with and I wish you every success!

Diamandis

Has your manager seen the old note or has this been lost somehow? Did you ask why they required a new note? I'd just have a chat with the manager and see if there was something missing from the old note that they require to stop you having to do this every few months.

sangie595

I think it's irrelevant why they want it. It's not an unreasonable request, and if you wish to have access to reasonable adjustments in a job that you like, then why make a fuss about providing a doctor's confirmation of your condition? How often they want it updating is really up to them. And does you no harm at all.

TBagpuss

I don't think that there is any reason why you can't clarify, wither with your manager or with HR, why they need a new note.

If it's that the orignal has been misplaced, then you (or your doctor) may simply be able to provide a duplicate

It may be that they have a policy which requires any accommodations to be periodically reviewed or details confirmed, which could be in place to ensure that any changes to the accommodations needed or the reason for them are noted,bearing in mind that hings can change.
Or the policy could have changed so they need slightly more/ different information than before.

However, as Sangie says, it doesn't seem inherently unreasonable as a request.