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#1
Has anybody had problems requesting reasonable accommodations or a few days annually of intermittent FMLA due to a health issue?
I have many years with this company and a long record as a reliable employee. I am nervous to request to telework just one day a week for a couple of months. A coworker of mine did this recently but she is one of the boss’s favorites and they are friends. I will have no difficulty keeping up with my duties because much of my work is on the computer and I’m very organized... But a brief google search brought up all kinds of sad stories about people getting fired for requesting reasonable accommodations or intermittent FMLA and now I am worried. While I am worried about my job, I am also worried about my health. My friends and husband tell me all the time time to stop pushing myself so hard. Last edited by LilyMop; Jul 25, 2020 at 12:40 PM.. |
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Human
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#2
LilyMop, I have had to do this numerous times and as long as I am clear in the request and do it by the book, there hasn't been much of an issue. It's always a challenge because you need to disclose. You also have to remember that you're requesting a reasonable accommodation and in such, it's a negotiation and your employer will want to know what the accommodation for, and if the accommodation you propose to address the disability doesn't work for them, they may suggest something else. Go into it with the desire to solve the problem. So what is the health issue and how will working one day from home help with it, and how will it not be a problem for the employer? They want to make sure it doesn't disrupt business. So what checks and balances will you use to make sure the 1 day remotely working is productive and useful to them?
If you lay out very clearly how you will keep in touch during the day, when you will take breaks when working from home, and are very clear about the expectations on both sides of it, this can be a reasonable process. __________________ What if I fall? Oh, my dear, but what if you fly? Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia. Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less... |
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LilyMop
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#3
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This is exactly the approach I intended. I want to ensure I complete my job responsibilities and also address my health needs. I keep thinking... I don’t take care of me, who will? Thank you. |
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Human
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#4
You're welcome. I just helped another friend through this, and the first thing I advised her (and you) to do, is simply ask what is their process for requesting a reasonable accommodation before making any request. Then you can understand what their process will be before disclosing anything.
__________________ What if I fall? Oh, my dear, but what if you fly? Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia. Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less... |
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LilyMop
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#5
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Good advice. I have the paperwork and I already set up an appointment with my provider. That’s scheduled this coming Tuesday by telephone. I’m having a lot of personal stress which has caused a flare up with my health issues. Stress is usually the root cause for any health issue. I guess so long as the health issues are documented by my health care provider then they can’t say it was “just stress.” |
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#6
It sounds like a perfectly reasonable accommodation. It sounds like you will be able to complete work tasks and stay on top of things with working remotely one day a week and it sounds like you have a proper diagnosis with all necessary paperwork. I see no reason for them to deny it.
Now people often don’t want to ask for accommodation because it means they have to disclose their disability to an employer and not everyone wants to do it. So you have to consider what’s important for you. And there are people who believe that having a disability or a health concern means they have rights to receive absolutely any accommodation. That’s very far from the truth. Accommodation has to be reasonable for your position and job description etc and it has to meet bunch of other criteria. Yours is completely reasonable! Good luck. If you don’t mind posting how the meeting goes. Fingers crossed. I have a good feeling about this one |
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LilyMop
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#7
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Thank you so very much. I really appreciate it. I’ve had a lot of anxiety about this. I don’t know why because I know the request is reasonable. I guess because I’ve seen perfectly responsible employees get mistreated. I am hopeful that with this little bit of flexibility I can recover from this current flare that just keeps getting worse. I will keep you posted. |
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#8
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How do you suggest answering this question: Am I currently able to perform my job with or without accommodation? |
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Human
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#9
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JAN - Job Accommodation Network __________________ What if I fall? Oh, my dear, but what if you fly? Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia. Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less... |
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LilyMop
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#10
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Thank you |
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seesaw
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