I am not looking to sue my employer, but I would like to know my rights so I can protect myself.
IN SHORT: good long-term employee hospitalized for nervous breakdown/panic disorder, took 5 days with Dr's note, harassed and written up upon return for missing deadlines (while in the hospital!), am the victim of wide-spread "psych ward" rumors in the workplace, discriminated against due to mental illness stigma, threatened to be fired for less than what my co-workers have been reprimanded for in the past.
Here are the details...Sorry this is so long...
1. I have held my job for 5 years, am well liked and respected, and have put in many uncompensated hours (I'm salaried, but paid much less than my co-worker's because I don't yet have my college degree but have more responsibility than them at work). I work with Grants and a complex database.
2. I've suffered from severe panic attacks for 15 years, but it very rarely affects my job. I take significantly less time off than my immediate co-workers (that is a fact that is on record)
3. I was recently and unexpectedly hospitalized for a panic/anxiety issue (nervous breakdown). I had a Doctor's note for the 5 days I was out. I was open and honest with my two supervisors. To my surprise, they felt it "necessary" to tell my entire team, plus 4 other employees that I was in the Psychiatric Unit. They also recommended I return to work earlier than the Doctor wanted me to. Somehow the rumor spread rapidly across 550-employees that I was "in the psych ward" - many are saying I'm still there and they don't know when or if I'll be discharged (lies)
4. The morning of my return, I was harshly reprimanded for minor issues "My desk has too much paperwork on it, people had to fill in for me while I was out which was very stressful for my already buried co-workers, they had to hire a temp, they found one unprocessed form - a simple error on my part which had nothing to do with hospitalization - I rarely make mistakes and it's nothing compared to some of the mistakes my co-workers have made). The worst was that I missed 2 deadlines (um, I was in the hospital on the days they were due)
5. I also had some follow up Doctor's appointments after I returned, according to my supervisors, is - example, on 2 occasions I informed my supervisor I would be in around 9:30am after a Dr appointment and worked through lunch and stayed late (longer than an 8 hour day) - but I was written up for twice "not being available during regular business hours". Yet, there are co-workers who are friends with my supervisor's boss who take blatant advantage of time
6. This added to my stress and I couldn't sleep for weeks. My Doctor switched me from Ambien (which hadn't worked for me at all) to Seroquel. I had a psychotic, hallucinatory, terrifying reaction to the Seroquel and was out for two days (I have the time coming and I submitted a Doctor's note). I returned to find all of my accounts shut off and a letter of reprimand for not processing one form and taking time off and having doctor's appointments - seriously silly things. I was told I could have been fired on the spot, but I am "so lucky" they care about me as a person (?)
7. Long story short, I've been kicked when I'm down, witnessed blatant favoritism, have a new and undeserved reputation for being the "psych ward crazy girl", and am being harrassed and belittled on a daily basis. They need to understand that a psychiatric hospitalization is no different that a hospital stay for a physical illness. My panic attacks put enormous stress on my body, including skipped heart beats and worse.
Help? I don't understand.
IN SHORT: good long-term employee hospitalized for nervous breakdown/panic disorder, took 5 days with Dr's note, harassed and written up upon return for missing deadlines (while in the hospital!), am the victim of wide-spread "psych ward" rumors in the workplace, discriminated against due to mental illness stigma, threatened to be fired for less than what my co-workers have been reprimanded for in the past.
Here are the details...Sorry this is so long...
1. I have held my job for 5 years, am well liked and respected, and have put in many uncompensated hours (I'm salaried, but paid much less than my co-worker's because I don't yet have my college degree but have more responsibility than them at work). I work with Grants and a complex database.
2. I've suffered from severe panic attacks for 15 years, but it very rarely affects my job. I take significantly less time off than my immediate co-workers (that is a fact that is on record)
3. I was recently and unexpectedly hospitalized for a panic/anxiety issue (nervous breakdown). I had a Doctor's note for the 5 days I was out. I was open and honest with my two supervisors. To my surprise, they felt it "necessary" to tell my entire team, plus 4 other employees that I was in the Psychiatric Unit. They also recommended I return to work earlier than the Doctor wanted me to. Somehow the rumor spread rapidly across 550-employees that I was "in the psych ward" - many are saying I'm still there and they don't know when or if I'll be discharged (lies)
4. The morning of my return, I was harshly reprimanded for minor issues "My desk has too much paperwork on it, people had to fill in for me while I was out which was very stressful for my already buried co-workers, they had to hire a temp, they found one unprocessed form - a simple error on my part which had nothing to do with hospitalization - I rarely make mistakes and it's nothing compared to some of the mistakes my co-workers have made). The worst was that I missed 2 deadlines (um, I was in the hospital on the days they were due)
5. I also had some follow up Doctor's appointments after I returned, according to my supervisors, is - example, on 2 occasions I informed my supervisor I would be in around 9:30am after a Dr appointment and worked through lunch and stayed late (longer than an 8 hour day) - but I was written up for twice "not being available during regular business hours". Yet, there are co-workers who are friends with my supervisor's boss who take blatant advantage of time
6. This added to my stress and I couldn't sleep for weeks. My Doctor switched me from Ambien (which hadn't worked for me at all) to Seroquel. I had a psychotic, hallucinatory, terrifying reaction to the Seroquel and was out for two days (I have the time coming and I submitted a Doctor's note). I returned to find all of my accounts shut off and a letter of reprimand for not processing one form and taking time off and having doctor's appointments - seriously silly things. I was told I could have been fired on the spot, but I am "so lucky" they care about me as a person (?)
7. Long story short, I've been kicked when I'm down, witnessed blatant favoritism, have a new and undeserved reputation for being the "psych ward crazy girl", and am being harrassed and belittled on a daily basis. They need to understand that a psychiatric hospitalization is no different that a hospital stay for a physical illness. My panic attacks put enormous stress on my body, including skipped heart beats and worse.
Help? I don't understand.
