I’ve been debating posting this for a while, but have decided I want to get it off my chest. (Also, apologies but this is a long rant!)
A couple of months ago, I worked for a call centre type business, which allowed remote working after 3 months of employment. Prior to starting work with them I informed them of my chronic health condition, which means that I sometimes struggle to drive or even leave the flat if not handled in time. The manager I spoke to empathised and was really nice, reassuring me that should my sickness become an issue, we would have a conversation about how to manage it and continue my employment. (How naive was I to believe this!)
Two months into my employment with said company, I had two weeks of rubbishness. The first week I experience one of my worst flare ups in a while, meaning I couldn’t get out of bed I was in that much pain. The second week my adoptive mum passed suddenly and completely unexpectedly, and since I had moved away from home, I went back for a week to help my family.
I relayed this to management, making them aware that it was a long journey and I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at my home with my siblings and adoptive dad. I told them that I would likely need 5 days, as travelling makes my condition worse. They agreed and wished me well.
Of course, I returned to an email asking me to attend a formal meeting. I went into work that day, having to get a lift from my partner because I was still in too much pain to drive, to be told I shouldn’t be there because I didn’t look well enough. After 15 minutes of platitudes and niceties they fired me. I questioned it, trying to find some arrangement (part-time, remote work) as living is not cheap, especially when you’re chronically ill, but they stood firm.
By the end of the week I thought that it was over and perhaps there was something better waiting for me. Of course it wasn’t. I sent an email requesting confirmation I would be paid in full, with my holiday accrued, as well as a weeks pay in lieu (as is law here). They argued with me that because my contract said they only had to give me one days notice, they only had to give me one days pay in lieu. After several emails, luckily, they checked and realised I was correct. Thankfully they paid me what I was owed.
Since then, I sadly have had a bad experience with another company with another job offer being retracted due to “undisclosed reasons”. I don’t require pity, or even advice as I’ve been to the relevant organisations and realised I don’t have the capacity to follow up, I just want to share my story, have a rant and get it off my chest. If you’ve made it this far- thank you for sticking with me longer than those bastards did!