Yesterday was not the greatest day thusfar, considering it has only been 8 months into taking my new meds for the Lupus and being diagnosed just last September 2009. My boss is ready to put me on my death bed. He and his human resource employee he hired to help make sure he doesn't do the wrong thing with employment laws. They both had me in the worst category of worst case employee scenarios. If there's one thing I've hated the most in all my life in working is being put in the same category as others, the flakes that call in sick to work when really they're just hung over,anyway, my point is my wonderful boss and his accomplice feel I'm putting up a "facade" that I'm not that sick, and that I really am and don't want to tell him for fear of losing my job. That he knows two other people with Lupus, one that already died from it and other not in the best situation, and that's why I'm missing so many days at work being out sick lately.
Well thank God, by my friend's advice at work, I had just tallied up all my days out being sick since January 1st and to date it has only been 3 1/2 days...I'm paid 5 days sick pay. Which I clearly stated to them both.."am I not allowed to take my sick pay benefit?" Other workerbees I have been around in my last umpteen years got paid even when they were out going to Disneyland, as one came into the office the next day wearing a souvenir which gave it away. But nope, I'm the bad seed now. I've never had a history of being out sick a lot or being a flake not even for this employer in the last three years to date, now I'm becoming "expendable" and being told I really need to look at Disability. Talk about putting me out to pasture now, I still have a functioning body at my nice age of 42, but let's not bring in the fact that I've missed 3 1/2 days of worktime all because I have Lupus.
In defending myself, I stated my body has just been getting adjusted to the new meds I just started this first of the year, I go see my doctors to make sure I'm doing well and nothing is wrong, that's why I pay my own health insurance so I can get good healthcare, I myself, am getting used to the new way of living, avoiding the sun, living like a hermit, fitting very little social events on my upcoming weekends so as not to tire myself out..isn't this enough for a compassionate person to say, I'm sorry your life has had to change because of Lupus, and it hasn't even been a year yet, but instead I get from my boss " You need to think about getting on Disability".
Oh, and because this is the second time my boss has brought this subject up so bluntly, last time he found me crying in the office because of him telling me I should start looking into Disability because it took his friend years to get the benefit, well reading and finding out SLE is on the Social Security Disabilities list of acceptable conditions is not something you get a sense of Wow that's great, I'm so happy and relieved to know I'm on that wonderful list! It is in fact, depressing to know you are one of the many poor bodies being dragged into that category..which again I'm telling you, I don't like being put in a category! so my being caught crying was another big cause for concern...my response to that was a very heartfelt, "because I am a human being, I was sad so I cried" and in turn looking directly eye to eye with my boss asked him "are you not a human being, don't you ever cry?"
Well all my defenses were up and I'm sure they realized that and seemed to back down. Normally a situation like this would cause my neck to spasm and my nerves all over my body to pulse with exploding poundings but I guess because I am not ready to throw in the towel on my own behalf, as I told them both, right now my body is still working perfectly just fine thank you but when it's starts to give out on me, you will be the first to know.
Is this even legal?? to be so harrassed by my boss when my work performance has not even affected his business?? From the beginning the whole reason for this so called meeting with me was to tell me that they were concerned that my Lupus is affecting my job now and that Lupus makes me feel tired and that makes me not want to sell and do my job. In the end, I was just being advised, they were then concerned, and that I know about the Family Medical Leave Act and what disability is if ever needed through the State Disability..again, why are we here already??
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