My apologies if I have the wrong thread, this just seemed like something that would really rustle the anti-work jimmies.
Some back story, I (31M) have suffered with type 2 diabetes since I was 13, and have been through nearly everything that comes with it (i.e, hypoglycemia, fainting spells etc.). My current work place is aware of this, as I have worked for them for the last 11 years.
2 years ago the company got bought out by a larger entity who took things a little more seriously than previous ownership, which for the most part has been a good thing – job security was never perfect for a lot of workers besides a few, and new management came with more pay increases etc. An area that has changed however is the attitude towards sickness; as someone who goes through it a lot due to weakened immune system etc, it has become a witch hunt to find out if I am lying about any sickness and there have been aggressive attempts to source a doctor's note for any sickness despite UK law dictating that you need to be ill for 7 days or more before one can be provided.
This takes us to recently: I had been off for 3 days due to chronic pain linked to pancreatitis (this is common for diabetics) and was advised to take the week off by a doctor who would sign off on a doctor's note when 7 days had passed. My workplace suffered in my absence however, and asked me to come in on Thursday, which I did so that nobody else in my department has to work (unpaid) overtime.
When I got in Thursday however, I was pulled into a meeting with a couple of managers who demanded a doctor's note, despite me not being able to produce one due to only being sick for 3 days. When I explained this, they instead demanded I write an apology note for being sick and leaving my department behind, and have placed me on a warning for it.
Is this common? Have any of you ever experienced this? I have never been treated like this before in 11 years so I'm not sure if this is a standard work thing or if I'm just in a toxic environment.
Would love some advice or just general opinions!