When I interviewed for my current job I was told that I would only need to visit the office every other month for team building events. This was fine by me. The office is a 1.5-2 hour drive away during rush hour.
(One of the major reasons I left my last company was that they were suddenly forcing us to be in 4 days a week. I’m much happier and productive wfh)
So I’ve been here for 4 months now and even received a promotion (becoming a people manager for a 7% raise LOL). I like my job and my colleagues but god I’m so busy. That’s fine though, I have learnt how to set boundaries and I do not work past 6pm. It’s also much easier to be productive at home.
Two weeks ago we were told that we need to start coming into the office EVERY WEEK. I was annoyed by this sudden change but thought one day wouldn’t be that bad. Last week my manager said 2-3 days and asked me to encourage my direct reports to come in (nope not doing that). I should have said something then.
I have chronic back pain (herniated discs, sciatica) and sitting for over an hour is the worst so I don’t drive long distances. I am trying to avoid surgery so I have a ton of coping strategies to reduce pain.
Today I left the house at 7am, aiming to be at the office for 9. We had snow last night so there had been a ton of accidents on the motorway which meant that at 10am I was STILL at least 30-40 mins away. I had taken ibruprofen in the morning and my back was on fire. I’m PMSing and I was an emotional wreck.
I cried on the phone to my partner who told me to go home. I said fuck it, found somewhere safe to park, texted my boss that I’m not coming in explaining why and that I was taking the day off. It’s the first day off I’ve taken since I joined.
Somehow drove home and I’ve spent the last few hours lying on the floor in pain. I hope it clears up soon.
I hate that I feel so guilty for looking after my body. I hate that I’m so worried about what everyone will think. It shouldn’t be this way.