I work in a small office as a receptionist. I have Family Medical Leave that I take intermittently as my dad is dying. It has been a Rollercoaster. My employer has agreed to let me take days as needed.
My manager is very nice, but she is also the HR rep. When I brought her my signed medical certificate, she didn't know anything about the leave, did not make a formal documentation, nothing. That made me feel unreassured for some reason.
But for real- the way it is there is making it so hard to work the days I am there. I field calls in regards to my dad all day. I have to ask someone to watch the phones, I have had numerous calls where I had to leave urgently (bleeding, crisis level pain and most recently, delirium) and we are waiting for a hospice bed. My work is such a shit place to be when I am anxious. If I could actually just work, I think some days would be okay but it's the constant managing of peoples emotions. It's so hard to listen to what someone made for dinner when in your head, your world is ending. My manager and other coworkers need CONSTANT validation and acknowledgement. They need my acknowledgement everytime they walk by. On Friday, I was stressed and texting with my dad's Nurse Practitioner. A coworker kept badgering and asking me what was wrong. I said nothing (I didn't want to just say MY DADS DYING OF CANCER ASSHOLE) and then they act all weird all day and whisper around me. I would seriously do so much better working from home. When my anxiety is bad I'm extremely irritable and get overwhelmed and I honestly think it would be so resolvable if people gave me fucking space.