I lost my job because of my chronic illness. First off, without getting too much into details, I am not blaming the company I was working for and I also don't think I have any kind of legal case. Basically a little over a year ago I got hired to work full time, evening shift for a company where I essentially had my dream role. I mean, I was elated. Unfortunately I was dealing with some mysterious health issues and only six months into my position I had to take a month off for a major surgery. I worked with HR and my specialist's office to coordinate accommodations to my position upon my return – slightly shorter shifts, assistance with physical tasks, etc. The company and my boss complied with every request, but I could tell my boss lost his enthusiasm for mentoring me. All the projects and professional development opportunities he'd assured he'd invest in me disappeared, despite all my efforts to pursue them.
Unfortunately my illness continued to be problematic and certainly didn't make me look like a good worker. I asked for a day shift to see if I could handle the hours better and was denied “due to reliability concerns”. This was really disappointing and kind of my last hope of staying in the position, and I really thought my boss was going to go for it. I decided to give notice and leave for a part time retail position that is more flexible. The pay hit I'm taking is insane, and I have to get onto my husband's health insurance. It's a huge disappointment.
Literally right after I turned in my notice the company posts my position…and they increased the regular eight hour shift to ten hours. They were literally just waiting for me to leave so they could do that. I was told over and over again it wasn't an issue I couldn't pull ten hour shifts. But from the relief on their faces when I left, I could tell they were excited to get someone more reliable and physically capable in the door. It felt like a slap in the face. They knew this was my dream job. I was so heartbroken and hurt I turned in my keys before the end of my notice.
I am really struggling with my next steps. I feel completely unhireable because my illness is unpredictable – some days I feel great, some days I literally need a cane to walk. I have frequent medical appointments I need to schedule things around. The treatments I try affect me negatively sometimes, we're still trying to get my symptoms under control. I feel like I'm not a good candidate for anything.
Capitalism values workers who can sacrifice their bodies for their production. I don't have much to offer in that regard. I feel like the company I was working for just wanted someone they could work 10-12 hour days with no complaints or call outs. My last week a coworker came in sick because he was too nervous to take a day off even though he had PTO and sick time. I don't want to work in that kind of culture. I wish I'd told them off for how ableist they are before I left.
I used to be ambitious about my career prospects. Now, I don't know what I want to do for a living. I don't even know if I'll ever get back out of shitty minimum wage retail positions again. I am in my mid-twenties and I dread dealing with this the rest of my life. FWIW I tried for months to get a remote job and I literally can't find one and haven't heard back from any I did apply for. My resume is crap and I don't know how to handle sharing my health needs with a prospective employer (I am technically disabled under the ADA).
I don't know if I'm venting or looking for advice. I just wanted to express how fucking awful it is out there in the workforce for those of us with chronic illnesses.