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Discrimination after getting FMLA

I need to know if I'm being crazy or not, please call me out if I am. I genuinely love my job. Not the company, but what I do and who I do it with. I work on a small team of six with one manager. We are a clinic for people with both mental health and substance abuse diagnosis. I enjoy being able to help people every day. The pay is low, but I'd rather that than being depressed by doing something I don't enjoy. The past couple months my own mental health has been rearing its ugly head. I was missing days, I was coming in later than I'd like, etc. This was never an issue with my boss though. She was very understanding. Since she took over as manager there was a standing rule for me and a coworker in my same role that so long as…


I need to know if I'm being crazy or not, please call me out if I am.

I genuinely love my job. Not the company, but what I do and who I do it with. I work on a small team of six with one manager. We are a clinic for people with both mental health and substance abuse diagnosis. I enjoy being able to help people every day. The pay is low, but I'd rather that than being depressed by doing something I don't enjoy.

The past couple months my own mental health has been rearing its ugly head. I was missing days, I was coming in later than I'd like, etc. This was never an issue with my boss though. She was very understanding. Since she took over as manager there was a standing rule for me and a coworker in my same role that so long as your morning work got done on time, you just had to be in by 9:15. I had been in a bit later than that and I had a few missed days, so I applied for FMLA to cover my ass.

My doctor sends in the paperwork, all that I requested was approved, no issues. I got in at 8:50ish that day, got my work done, no worries. She calls me into her office and tells me I was late. Uhm? Since when? She said that for FMLA she had to get a definite start time to HR for tracking hours. Okay, sure. I had to be in by 8:30 and I was late. I ask since when is that start time, and she says always. That her boss wanted it to be 8, but she made it later for me. Thanks?

That same day my coworker rolls in at 9:10. I had already gotten our work done, no worries, she doesn't get talked to. The next day I get in at 9:03. My boss pulls me in again (away from my work) and makes me do an “attendance plan” to help me “get to work on time.” My coworker had gotten in at 8:50 and was never pulled aside. Because of my mental illness and already being on a different schedule, I could not get in with the sudden start time change.

Today, I had another morning with bad mental health, but had already used my tardy for the week. I got in at 9:45, immediately started my work. We had a half day, so we were promised 8 hours regardless of time worked. I got all of my stuff done, all of us were leaving, no issues. As everyone is saying bye my boss tells me to stay behind. Great.

To make a 45 minute conversation short, she asks me if I even want this job, asks if I wanted to work somewhere else, that I needed to be reliable. Reliable, sure, I get that, it's fair. She proceeds to say that if I am late at all the next week she will have to do something more dire. I've been here for almost 3 years, I've had so many different awards from different parts of the company, so many letters from clients saying I'm the only reason they got sober, I've gotten straight recognition from the CEO. Now because you decided to change the start time, you'll have to do something more dire?

She then asked me to stay late (different story, I said yes). While I'm hanging out she tells me that she rescheduled some work. My coworker is the only one who's supposed to bring new clients in. She's off Monday and Tuesday. She scheduled a new client for Thursday for when she'd get back. My boss knew this. It was documented in three different places. She talked to the new client and rescheduled him while I'm alone on Monday so I have to do work I shouldn't be doing. She then told me to cancel his Thursday transport (proving she knew about the original date) and change it to Monday.

AITA? I really want to be. I've been messing up a lot lately and puting stress on my coworker. I'd rather be the asshole than a victim. If I'm not the asshole, what can I do?

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