I recently quit my job managing several groups homes for adults with disabilities due to the fact that my company did not support my health and wellness. While working there as a manager for 14 months I contracted Covid 4 times from the residents and other staff. I had to work sick with Covid, caring for other people sick with Covid, four times, as the staff fell ill one by one. When I had to take two sick days bc of the Covid symptoms and to see a doctor, I had to use my own PTO and pay all of my own healthcare expenses for seeing a doctor and still have unpaid bills now affecting my credit. One of the staff died. Two residents died.
The company did not acknowledge this or even ask how we were doing afterwards. After contracting Omicron in September and getting sick ON THE JOB ONCE AGAIN, I requested a change of position within the company so that I could do something else that was less risky to my health for a while to recover as I'm now experiencing some long term Covid symptoms such as headaches, breathing problems, lethargy, confusion and now a menstrual cycle disorder. The company ignored my plea to change positions and encouraged me to apply, online, for other jobs within.
The only thing available that I was experienced to apply for at the time was an entry level HR position, so I did. I bombed the interview on Zoom bc I'd pulled a third shift the night before and hadn't slept (I'm a manager who covers shifts as needed but does not normally work overnights, but I go above and beyond for my employers and staff), had to stop to plug in my laptop, rambled a bit, etc. Ultimately, they did not hire me for the entry level HR job that I am more than qualified to do. They hired a new person from outside to do the job. I had been helping the understaffed HR department all year doing interviews, etc. It added insult to injury.
So, I left after my 30 day notice was up and I already have a new job. I dont work nights or weekends anymore, I leave work at work, I am supposed to stay home if I am sick, I have a private office and meet others by Teams or Zoom and feel more valued and protected by my new employer. I wish I had left sooner bc I'm still having problems from all the Covid.
I basically just want to put my story out there because I think its fucked up what I went through just to pay my damn bills and I know I can't be the only one out there who has experienced this in direct care organizations. But, at what level are these companies responsible for protecting us from catching Covid on the job and for providing healthcare resources when we get sick ON THE JOB? I feel like they could've at least offered me a different position to give me time to recover but looking back, fuck that, I'm glad they didn't and that I left a terrible organization.