Advice on possible disability discrimination

OutdoorQueen

Are you receiving regular supervisions / 1 to 1s with your manager?  If so, raise it and ensure the lack of action re your reasonable adjustments are documented.  I would also go back to the person who did your OT assessment and tell them nothing has progressed.  

Some Local Authorities have an online ordering system / catalogue  for IT equipment on their intranet.  Have you considered seeing if you can find how to order it? Then send an email to your manager with the links , costs and details, referring back to your OT assessment and asking if they can order it for you or give you the cost code / budget code so that you can order it.  Keep any email replies so that you have back up in case it is claimed you placed the order without permission.   

If you work from a council office, sometimes you can find spare, no longer needed monitors and equipment in dusty cupboard and rooms that are no longer used.  I would make enquiries as to who they belong to and then “acquire”!  Worked for me on several occasions 🙄.  Admin and business support staff generally who owns what!

Hopefully OT have specified what chair you need so that you can find the price and send it to your manager.  Most local authorities will have approved suppliers for chairs so you probably won’t be able to just pick one from the internet.  

Did the OT assessment mention Access to Work as an option?  I appreciate it’s not always the best route.  

If you are using your car for work use, make sure you have the right insurance, even if you choose not to claim.  Just to be safe.  

lcc86

OutdoorQueen said:

Are you receiving regular supervisions / 1 to 1s with your manager?  If so, raise it and ensure the lack of action re your reasonable adjustments are documented.  I would also go back to the person who did your OT assessment and tell them nothing has progressed.  

Some Local Authorities have an online ordering system / catalogue  for IT equipment on their intranet.  Have you considered seeing if you can find how to order it? Then send an email to your manager with the links , costs and details, referring back to your OT assessment and asking if they can order it for you or give you the cost code / budget code so that you can order it.  Keep any email replies so that you have back up in case it is claimed you placed the order without permission.   

If you work from a council office, sometimes you can find spare, no longer needed monitors and equipment in dusty cupboard and rooms that are no longer used.  I would make enquiries as to who they belong to and then “acquire”!  Worked for me on several occasions 🙄.  Admin and business support staff generally who owns what!

Hopefully OT have specified what chair you need so that you can find the price and send it to your manager.  Most local authorities will have approved suppliers for chairs so you probably won’t be able to just pick one from the internet.  

Did the OT assessment mention Access to Work as an option?  I appreciate it’s not always the best route.  

If you are using your car for work use, make sure you have the right insurance, even if you choose not to claim.  Just to be safe.  

Meant to have monthly but haven't had it since May, I have to request it all the time (I'm a manager myself and book in my staff supervisions right after we finish one to make sure it stays in timescale).

Access to Work was mentioned and I said I'm happy to do that if the council won't accommodate, but need the answer from them. From looking into A2W, they come in where your employer refuses - mine hasn't refused as such, they're just not responding to me. I have also asked to be re-referred back to OH in light of everything outlined here but it has to be done by my manager and they haven't done it. I'm really at the mercy of senior management here, and they're not doing their jobs which is why I feel it needs escalation.

Edit - just to add I'm not trying to be difficult at work, I really do enjoy my job, but just never encountered an employer who has made things so difficult. 

UnsureAboutthis

lcc86 said:

OutdoorQueen said:

Are you receiving regular supervisions / 1 to 1s with your manager?  If so, raise it and ensure the lack of action re your reasonable adjustments are documented.  I would also go back to the person who did your OT assessment and tell them nothing has progressed.  

Some Local Authorities have an online ordering system / catalogue  for IT equipment on their intranet.  Have you considered seeing if you can find how to order it? Then send an email to your manager with the links , costs and details, referring back to your OT assessment and asking if they can order it for you or give you the cost code / budget code so that you can order it.  Keep any email replies so that you have back up in case it is claimed you placed the order without permission.   

If you work from a council office, sometimes you can find spare, no longer needed monitors and equipment in dusty cupboard and rooms that are no longer used.  I would make enquiries as to who they belong to and then “acquire”!  Worked for me on several occasions 🙄.  Admin and business support staff generally who owns what!

Hopefully OT have specified what chair you need so that you can find the price and send it to your manager.  Most local authorities will have approved suppliers for chairs so you probably won’t be able to just pick one from the internet.  

Did the OT assessment mention Access to Work as an option?  I appreciate it’s not always the best route.  

If you are using your car for work use, make sure you have the right insurance, even if you choose not to claim.  Just to be safe.  

Meant to have monthly but haven't had it since May, I have to request it all the time (I'm a manager myself and book in my staff supervisions right after we finish one to make sure it stays in timescale).

Access to Work was mentioned and I said I'm happy to do that if the council won't accommodate, but need the answer from them. From looking into A2W, they come in where your employer refuses - mine hasn't refused as such, they're just not responding to me. I have also asked to be re-referred back to OH in light of everything outlined here but it has to be done by my manager and they haven't done it. I'm really at the mercy of senior management here, and they're not doing their jobs which is why I feel it needs escalation.

I was going to post this earlier, but left it out.
Having read your latest posts, I'm convinced you have a lazy manager/supervisor or one who is too scared to push things. IIt t  could be that they don't like you for a reason only they know.

Forget "supervision" as suggested by another here; seek a one-to-one meeting with either your supervisor or manager.
Then tell them again the impact this is having on you as a member of staff and the delay causing you unnecessary stress/distress/anxiety, whichever of these is befitting your circumstances. I'm quite certain that after this meeting, you will have a better understanding of when this will happen and what is causing the delay in the recommendations being implemented. Then take it from there.

As its public sector, I'm very confident that all recommendations will be met and you will feel a lot better after the one to one meeting I've suggested as above.  (Some may say taken in a "union rep" but in my opinion, one is not required at this stage as it may wind up the manager and atm there is no need, unless you feel you can't speak up for yourself/etc, which you have not indicated

As I said before, making things formal/complaint should be the last resort

UnsureAboutthis

OutdoorQueen said:

Are you receiving regular supervisions / 1 to 1s with your manager?  If so, raise it and ensure the lack of action re your reasonable adjustments are documented.  I would also go back to the person who did your OT assessment and tell them nothing has progressed.  

Some Local Authorities have an online ordering system / catalogue  for IT equipment on their intranet.  Have you considered seeing if you can find how to order it? Then send an email to your manager with the links , costs and details, referring back to your OT assessment and asking if they can order it for you or give you the cost code / budget code so that you can order it.  Keep any email replies so that you have back up in case it is claimed you placed the order without permission.   

If you work from a council office, sometimes you can find spare, no longer needed monitors and equipment in dusty cupboard and rooms that are no longer used.  I would make enquiries as to who they belong to and then “acquire”!  Worked for me on several occasions 🙄.  Admin and business support staff generally who owns what!

Hopefully OT have specified what chair you need so that you can find the price and send it to your manager.  Most local authorities will have approved suppliers for chairs so you probably won’t be able to just pick one from the internet.  

Did the OT assessment mention Access to Work as an option?  I appreciate it’s not always the best route.  

If you are using your car for work use, make sure you have the right insurance, even if you choose not to claim.  Just to be safe.  

Any OT worth their salt would have recommended the exact spec of the chair, and if it is a complex chair, they would come back and set it up, or the supplier has trained technicians to do this. This also applies to the workstation.
The whole set-up/work station can then be reviewed if the member of staff feels that the new equipment/etc is not meeting their needs.

Depending on the complexity of the chair, etc, the council will go to other suppliers to meet the recommendations within reason.

It is very important to have a good workstation set up for everyone and anyone, as long-term use can result in long-term injury/difficulties etc.

lcc86

UnsureAboutthis said:

lcc86 said:

OutdoorQueen said:

Are you receiving regular supervisions / 1 to 1s with your manager?  If so, raise it and ensure the lack of action re your reasonable adjustments are documented.  I would also go back to the person who did your OT assessment and tell them nothing has progressed.  

Some Local Authorities have an online ordering system / catalogue  for IT equipment on their intranet.  Have you considered seeing if you can find how to order it? Then send an email to your manager with the links , costs and details, referring back to your OT assessment and asking if they can order it for you or give you the cost code / budget code so that you can order it.  Keep any email replies so that you have back up in case it is claimed you placed the order without permission.   

If you work from a council office, sometimes you can find spare, no longer needed monitors and equipment in dusty cupboard and rooms that are no longer used.  I would make enquiries as to who they belong to and then “acquire”!  Worked for me on several occasions 🙄.  Admin and business support staff generally who owns what!

Hopefully OT have specified what chair you need so that you can find the price and send it to your manager.  Most local authorities will have approved suppliers for chairs so you probably won’t be able to just pick one from the internet.  

Did the OT assessment mention Access to Work as an option?  I appreciate it’s not always the best route.  

If you are using your car for work use, make sure you have the right insurance, even if you choose not to claim.  Just to be safe.  

Meant to have monthly but haven't had it since May, I have to request it all the time (I'm a manager myself and book in my staff supervisions right after we finish one to make sure it stays in timescale).

Access to Work was mentioned and I said I'm happy to do that if the council won't accommodate, but need the answer from them. From looking into A2W, they come in where your employer refuses - mine hasn't refused as such, they're just not responding to me. I have also asked to be re-referred back to OH in light of everything outlined here but it has to be done by my manager and they haven't done it. I'm really at the mercy of senior management here, and they're not doing their jobs which is why I feel it needs escalation.

I was going to post this earlier, but left it out.
Having read your latest posts, I'm convinced you have a lazy manager/supervisor or one who is too scared to push things. IIt t  could be that they don't like you for a reason only they know.

Forget "supervision" as suggested by another here; seek a one-to-one meeting with either your supervisor or manager.
Then tell them again the impact this is having on you as a member of staff and the delay causing you unnecessary stress/distress/anxiety, whichever of these is befitting your circumstances. I'm quite certain that after this meeting, you will have a better understanding of when this will happen and what is causing the delay in the recommendations being implemented. Then take it from there.

As its public sector, I'm very confident that all recommendations will be met and you will feel a lot better after the one to one meeting I've suggested as above.  (Some may say taken in a "union rep" but in my opinion, one is not required at this stage as it may wind up the manager and atm there is no need, unless you feel you can't speak up for yourself/etc, which you have not indicated

As I said before, making things formal/complaint should be the last resort

Thanks I will try this next week, it is just frustrating that I have escalated to my grandparent manager and still nothing being done. I'll take everyone's advice on board, request a meeting and take things from there.

TELLIT01

From the request for a 'fixed desk' I assume you don't normally attend the office every day, and the 'fixed desk' means the same desk every time you are in the office.  As you have also requested an additional monitor that part of the request would seem to be a 'no-brainer' unless they want somebody to set the extra monitor on whichever desk happens to be free each time.  I had an orthopaedic chair and there was a big sign on it saying it was not to be adjusted.  That didn't make a blind bit of difference as I had to reset it virtually every time I went back to the office.  I was working 4 days a week!

lcc86

TELLIT01 said:

From the request for a 'fixed desk' I assume you don't normally attend the office every day, and the 'fixed desk' means the same desk every time you are in the office.  As you have also requested an additional monitor that part of the request would seem to be a 'no-brainer' unless they want somebody to set the extra monitor on whichever desk happens to be free each time.  I had an orthopaedic chair and there was a big sign on it saying it was not to be adjusted.  That didn't make a blind bit of difference as I had to reset it virtually every time I went back to the office.  I was working 4 days a week!

I said to them that I don't mind re the fixed desk but the chair is more important,  I'll just have to move it around to wherever I'm sitting but that's not the end of the world! Ironically some of the standard chairs are absolutely sufficient but with 500 odd people in the building I can't guarantee to get one, but if I could just nab one of those or similar on a permanent basis that would be fine, so it's not a huge ask IMO.

ohreallƳ

What union is it?

molerat

As for car use will they provide a car ?  My daughter's LA employer will no longer pay mileage, they have a fleet of cars so the choice is one of them or pay yourself and in her case the mileage and inconvenience of the location of the fleet cars makes it easier to use her own at her cost.  It was a big deal a few years back when the question was why are you paying £x,000 pa in car mileage when you have an underused fleet of pool vehicles.

lcc86

ohreallƳ said:

What union is it?

It's GMB..