I had to take a 2 week medical leave. The actual cause is burnout from this job: I’ve been kindly but firmly asking for a new hire. I am the marketing manager but also manage the ecommerce/website, project management for the complex and difficult nature of product release (40+ skus a year and finding all info I need from the owners can be pulling teeth till launch day). They’ve dragged their feet on this. Thus, burnout.
I tell “hr” (using quotes. she took an online course but I don’t think she’s totally qualified) and immediately she tells me I won’t be extended FMLA and that I need to use PTO and give a doctors note with a request form I had to sign. fine. I do all of that and she approves and the form is closed. The doctors note affirmed the leave and nothing more.
I get back after leave and call a meeting with my manager, who is also the owner, to regroup. HR, last minute, decides to sit in. She takes notes as I reiterate certain aspects about my job that are difficult (my coworkers who work closely with me could absolutely vouch and have). She asks “things aren’t going to change… Is this something you can handle?” Frustrated, I said “No. I don’t think the workload would be sustainable for anyone.”
I could go on about the nature of how they release products and how I hear a lot of the latter-end work but I’ll save you. Believe me when I say it’s a LOT and my manager/owner is really all over the place in giving me info I can’t find anywhere on the Internet that are necessary to launch and we release 6-10 skus 5x a year.
HR then says “I’m afraid this (leave) is going to happen again so I want to have your medical on file”.
Please note: my boss finally hired two people! Late but I’ll take it. They started a little before leave and my workload has been better and my boss is aware of this. So I’m not sure why this is necessary. She later goes on to say I request accommodations; those words have never left my mouth.
Days pass and I don’t hear from her. Then, I get a message from the doc office saying they received a form and can’t fill it out without my being there. I schedule an appt and my doctor is weirded out by the form.
The questions are bizarre:
“What is (redacted) current diagnoses that are preventing employee from performing job essentials” (this is so not true Om just constantly overworked and it’s documented. I have stellar performance reviews)
“Please describe medications and corrective measures”
“Would Employee’s. condition pose a direct threat while working as Marketing Lead to tiger Employee’s own safety. The assessment should include
a duration of risk
b nature and severity of potential harm
c likelihood of potential harm
d imminence of potential harm”
“Can employee perform essential function of job as Marketing Lead? See attached job description. **if you would like to have an on-site meeting to personally observe job functions that could be promptly arranged”
Wtf?!?
She wants a list of my doctors visits and future scheduled appointments. There are numerous questions in which she wants me doctor to confirm “accommodations” (remember I have never asked for them. this form was her idea).
I have “15 days” and then something is supposed to happen. I replied back in length to document all of the above, reinstate my stance on not filling this out AND the fact I asked for no such accommodations.
She’s not talking to me in the office and is throwing weird gaslighting microaggresaions at me. She has a history of weird mean behavior towards vocal people and has even barked at me over our company MESSAGING SERVICE. Everything is in writing here! Funny how she made us take a disability discrimination and harassment course. She was super buddy buddy and considered me a work bestie and recently became super mean and calculated