Hello Antiwork! I'm looking for some advice on how to deal with this issue, any input would be appreciated:
I've been out of work since January with a chronic and ongoing GI issue. Mornings are terrible for me and I can't really anticipate whether it will take me 30 mins or 2 hours to get out of the bathroom in the morning. Because of this, I have requested a workplace accommodation of temporary remote work. My doctor has filled out and submitted the necessary forms, HR has been authorized to contact my Dr. directly.
I work in a call center, and we've had people working remotely in the past, and plan to transition to remote work for whoever wants it within a year or two.
My issue is that its now almost May, and I still have not had my workplace accommodation put into practice. So I have been stuck at home for nearly 4 months now, emailing the management team asking for updates regularly, and the response I get from my managers/HR every time I reach out is that I need to be patient and submit another Dr.'s note excusing me from work for the days i've been absent since my last Dr.'s note. I've submitted 10 Dr.'s notes thus far, on top of the work accommodation and authorization to contact my Dr. directly.
The last time I asked for an update, I was told I need to submit FMLA paperwork AND Disability paperwork in order to move forward with the work accommodation. I asked if that was absolutely necessary, as I have already been out for 4 months and I am not disabled. I can do my job, I just can't make it into the office in a timely and reliable manner each morning given my stomach issues.
I was told that it is necessary, and that they cannot move forward with my work accommodation unless I also submit FMLA. They didn't answer about disability paperwork.
Is this consistent with y'all's understanding of the work accommodation process? I want to assume best intentions here, but after so long I am really starting to feel like I'm just being strung along and they have no intention of resolving the issue. Despite my direct manager being on the email chain the entire time, they responded only once, at then end of March, to tell me that they haven't seen ANY documentation from me this whole time. I resent everything, provided original send dates and mentioned that she has been on every Dr's note email I sent, got no response. HR rep responded a week later asking for a new Dr.'s note for the first week of April.
I am growing increasingly financially unstable, having 0 income for 4 months while I worked with management to address this, but no progress has been made since my Dr. submitted the work accommodation forms. And now I feel like I either need to force myself back to work while still sick, or quit and find a job that will allow me to work remotely off the bat.
I'm really at a loss on what to do next, any advice?