[lenjan]

Hey you guys, the HR chick where I work is trying to screw me out of coming back to work Friday (I had arm surgery a couple of weeks ago) because everything isn't documented PRECISELY the way she would like it, and she's trying to cover her *** so hard it's quilted and everything.

My dr. wrote that I could return on limited duty. Well! Is that 5 hours? 30? We need to know. He didn't even sign it, only stamped it. Well! I need a signature. (I have never seen the man physically sign his name -- he had the stamp made for a reason). Are you still on medication? Well! We can't have you coming back if you are. Roger (editor in chief) says you're not feeling safe. (I mentioned to my boss that I fell a couple of times because my balance hasn't been great since the surgery. Amy must have told Roger.) If you're not feeling safe, then we really can't have you working from home, either.

This is all coming from a lovely married woman with a husband who works. I'm a po' single girl with no other income. I CANNOT live without a paycheck for 6 more weeks, not to mention that I would go frigging stir crazy having to spend that much more time in my house.

My question for any HR person out there is, is this really necessary? She keeps telling me "we need to be protected as a company." Blah. She did add this time that "we want to make sure you're safe, first of all" (yeah right) but that they can't have this turning into a workmen's comp situation.

RARGH.

Help.

Candy

[dottie]

Candybear...I don't have much advice for ya. Just know that I have read your post...and think it's a durn shame...you have to go thru this.

TGC

[Peanuts]

I'm not an HR person but I say play her silly game and ask your doctor to please write out the limited hours that he has in mind and then ask for a signature not a stamp. Usually, MDs will take your suggestion as to limited hours. If you think 5 hrs per day would be fine you can suggest that to your Dr. and if he/she agrees then all the better. Get the fax number of Ms. helpful's office so that the doctor can fax directly to her - cuts down on time delays of snail mail. Ask the doctor's office to pop a copy of what they fax to you in the mail for your records.

I wouldn't say a thing about "feeling safe". If the doctor says your cleared for partial work... then your cleared for partial work. End of story. You can say "I feel fine right now and I'm excited about getting back to work".. blah blah blah. Play her game.

What you have here is a burocratic person who doesn't realize that the H in HR means HUMAN. Now you know exactly where she is coming from. She is protecting and serving the company and not the employees - which I'm sorry to say is very common during recent years.

Good luck

[kimmydawn]

(((((((((((((((Candy))))))))))))))))))) I don't know much there either. Could you call your doctor and ask what they can and can't do as far as the restrictions and complying and also the meds?

I know that hubby was just injured and the dr's wouldn't let him go back until he was off the narcotics...these were worker's comp dr's though.

I do wish you the best. Please keep us updated.

KD

[(JD)]

I'm not HR either ... but know when I was erroneously sent back to LIGHT duty it was a full12 hour shift, but not the job I had been doing.. more of just being around they thought. I don't know if there's a difference between limited and light... guess you have to check with your doctor's idea? TC

[dexter]

Candy I agree 100% with Peanuts.

Ask the doc for a specific workload and to sign it and fax it to them. I also think it is most likely he will ask you how many hours you want to put down... that's what mine did.

I'm not sure they have any right to know what meds you are on... if they do it is only because it is the HR department and it should remain private info. But saying "You can't come back while you are on medication" sounds like something they pulled out of thin air. I mean, it is not just for mental illness, would they say the someone on leave getting treated for diabetes can't come back to work while they are still taking insulin? They either do not understand mental illness, medications in general, or they are looking for an excuse out of fear of mental illness. I can't imagine that it says somewhere in a manual "employees can't work while on medication" as that would just be stupid.

I'd say first, see if they have a right to even know... if they do, ask why there is that rule. If it applies to you but not to a person with diabetes or high blood pressure, then that is discrimination... see how effective she is at protecting the company from that bit of business.

Not saying you should stir up trouble but also don't let them push you... if it becomes an issue check with the ADA or someone who would know if I am right about this.

As for "Do you feel safe?" that is surely none of their business. Nor is "Roger overheard Arthur in the bathroom stall yadda yadda yadda." They are not to diagnose or access you... that is the job of the DOCTOR and that is WHY YOU HAVE THE NOTE FROM HIM. The doctor's letter should fulfill their "cover their ***" quotient and if there is genuine concern there, then they should trust your doctor, and if they ask you about it, it should be "personal" i.e. "off the record" and just their personal concern for you, not having any bearing on your employment status.

[lenjan]

dex, this isabout some arm surgery i had a couple weeks ago -- i'm a reporter, so i kinda need both hands to discharge my duties!

BUT. although i found it only fair to tell my two immediate supervisors, in extreme generalities, about my mental health, i would NEVER spill it to thr HR Witch for fear of exactly what she's doing to me now.

i just opened the window, and we have our first measurable snow of the season. just what i need, a highway drive in SNOW the day i go to get my stitches out! wish me luck.

candy

ps everybody, thank you for the really useful advice and support on this one.

[lenjan]

I have had it. I have simply f'ing had it.

Today my surgeon's secretary and I sat down and thought of everything anyone could possibly want to know about my return to work. My doctor signed it fresh (he almost never personally signs anything, and one thing the HR ***** had objected to was use of his stamp) and we covered every damn base there was to cover.

F'ing ***** says "This is not acceptable. She has to use OUR form or it's not acceptable." (This is the first time, after 6 forms, that I've heard this.) If I don't have it in hand, I can't go back to work.

Naturally, my doctor's office is closed Thursday and Friday. So the earliest I can go back to work is Monday. I expect the mf'ing ***** to give up some of her vacation time to pay me back for the income she's f'ing me out of.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH I'm steamed!!!!!!!!!

Candy

[(JD)]

breathe. I am so sorry you are on the receiving end of what seems to go on in a day to day basis (IMO) I live with this kind of garbage...only from attorneys who are supposed to be representing me... I get nowhere either. You can't do anything about it now... try to put it out of your conscious mind... and go easy on yourself. sigh. bummer.

[SS8282]

Candy,

1) I agree with Dex - nobody has the right to know what meds you're on unless YOU give permission for someone to tell to a specific person/department. If HR has, in fact, told Roger you're on meds, then she was breach of confidentiality, trust (can be sued, if you push it and play it right.). If she has a HR designation (meaning she can sign passports, etc.) then you can go to the HR organization and have them investigate her. The HR designation, like professional engineer, has a code of ethics. The designation (license) can be taken away. I would research the main HR Organization first though.

2) Call the insurance company. Ask *them* what they need in terms of doctor's return-to-work note. Also, have your doc define what 'limited' means - hours, type of work, etc. Also, ask him if he has any advice. I'm sure you're not the first one to go back to work from surgery/injury, etc. See what he says.

3) Do you know of anyone else in the company who had returned to work after surgery/illness/injury? If you do, talk to him or her or them.

4) Have the HR person to write down what they find is 'acceptable' and work with that. This way, she can't find something else wrong. You went by what was written.

5) Is there anyone else in HR whom you can talk to?

6) Do you have Employee Assistant Program? That would be a resource where you can go to and ask various questions.

7) All else fails - seek legal advice. I don't know how it works in the U.S., but where I am, most lawyers gives a half hour (or in some cases 1 hour) free consultation. Look into the government's employment law or labour law (or whatever it's called in the U.S.)

If I can think of something else, I'll let you know.

Good luck.

[lenjan]

Well, the HR witch and I kissed and made up today. (It seems we both get snippy when we're frustrated. ;-)) What I had failed to understand, after submitting 6 dr.'s forms to her with more and more and more information that she asked for, is that she only accepts ONE form -- that would be hers. Why she couldn't have told me that before she drove my dr., his secretary and me apesh*t I don't know.

So, I didn't get to go back to work today because I didn't have the form. I'm sneaking in over the weekend (when she won't be there to see that I'm on company property when I'm not supposed to be), faxing the freaking form to the secretary at the office my doc is at on Mondays, asking the secretary also to fax a copy to my boss, and then I'm doing my regular Monday morning assignment, and Monday afternoon I AM FRICKING GOING TO WORK. And all that's going to stop me might be a trip to the hospital for a systemic infection, but that's another thread somewhere. :-)

Ugh. I just wanted to ask her, "Do you remember what the 'H' in HR stands for? And why aren't you treating me like one?" Very frustrating, but supposedly all is well now.

Candy

[(JD)]

Whew! Why are so many simple things made so difficult!!!! Maybe the "h" is to denote [i]them!

[dexter]

A "Human Resources" department is supposed to both protect the company and help the employee. IMO when something relevant to their department comes up, the VERY FIRST THING they should do is give you the proper forms to fill out. When I suffered my relapse, within just a few days I got in the mail a letter from our HR company (outsourced) that contained the state forms I needed for disability, the forms I needed for the company, instructions to fill out my part, have my doc fill out his part, and a return envelope to send the forms all back to them so they could finish the employer information and forward it to the state.

As I said in another post, I got my disability checks today.

IMO the fact that she didn't present the proper form to you before you even needed it shows a shurking of their responsibility. But to not correct that after getting the first "incorrect" paperwork from you is just incredibly dropping the ball. Maybe part of her snippiness was that she realized she made that error, was mad at herself, but didn't want to just admit it to you and apologize.

In any case, I'm glad you are back on track now.

[SS8282]

What dex said is true. She could've been upset with herself and not at you. HR people are 'humans' too. I also know that being as such, not all HR people follow what they were taught in school - the 'ideal' HR person, nor do they always do the what they're suppose to do and when.

Wondering - when you two 'kissed and made up', did that leave you with a bitter taste?

[lenjan]

ROFL -- no it didn't --- we did it the 21st century way, via email. I've been known to smooch my computer on occasion, but never for an HR wench,

[Azalysa]

{{{{{{Candy}}}}}} Whew!! I'm so sorry you had to go through all this, but soooo glad it is worked out now.

Do you work for a smaller company? I work for a large organization and my experience with paperwork (from my company's HR side) has been excellent. (My issue is my pdoc getting the paperwork submitted in time...always something, eh?)

That thought just hit me because when I've worked for smaller companies and there is basically one HR-honcho, if they're not up-to-snuff so to speak, it's really hard to get stuff like this done.

Sidenote: The comment of "can't coming back to work while on medications" - HOPEFULLY your work meant medications that would make you dizzy/sleepy/or unable to function in some way - like narcotics. If they meant "any medication" there's a whole community of us here who would never be able to work. *grins*

[dexter]

>>If they meant "any medication" there's a whole community of us here who would never be able to work. *grins*

True and not just "us"... no diabetics or people with high blood pressure would be able to ever work either.

I hadn't thought of your idea that maybe they mean meds that make you dizzy, sleepy, etc. which is certainly reasonable. If that is the case either the HR worker is really way off base for suggesting that to you without being clear, or she has misunderstood the requirement, or you misunderstood what she said. From the way you described it, it sounds like she is going by a book without putting any thought process into it, but only reading every other sentence in the book.

[lenjan]

She meant narcotics, I came to find out, but she didn't mention that to me. I like your imagery of her only reading every other sentence in the book, Dex -- that about sums it up.

It's a relatively large company, actually, but the HQ is in another city way to hell and gone from where we are, so the HR Witch is the only HR person on our site.

Oh well -- hopefully it's all over now.

Candy

[Myzen]

Hi Candy,

I'm with you on this. I have run into human resources quite a few times, and I always found that, whatever position I was in, or whatever I was trying to achieve - they were against me.

They must get special training in how to make employees lives miserable.

Cheers, M

[SS8282]

Lol, Myzen. How to treat people was Intro to HR 101. What I find is that 'if you're not *with* them, then you're *against* them'. However, there are a lot of decent HR people. Unfortunately, not all HR people are that 'decent'.

[JuneB]

Hi Folks

I agree that HR people are generally anti anything helpful. The only nice one I ever knew was squeezed out, and the person who very cleverly did the squeezing was promoted! Just terrible.

I think they must be trained in how to be obstructive and objectionable.

Cheers, JuneB