Am I right in thinking ...

[Akita's]

Am I right in thinking that;

*since I am on metformin that I am covered under the dda at work?

*when I'm at work on an eight hour shift I usually go to the toilet around 12/15 times I work in a refrigerated warehouse can work say anything or would this be discrimination? Have got a letter off of the nurse to give to my employer when I go back stating that I've got type 2

* Be allowed time off work ON FULL PAY to attend diabetic clinic, doctors or blood test appointments and the time off should be recorded as disability leave - not sick leave! You should not have pay deducted or have holiday leave deducted to attend such appointments. Or is this wrong??

Cheers Andy.





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[Brunneria]

Hi,

You may find that the endless widdling eases off as you get your blood glucose under control (I definitely pee more the higher the levels are).

Where I work all doctor or nurse appts have to be on my time (we get flexi, but I have to make the time back). I get the time off on full pay for hospital clinic appts, but only when I can produce a letter listing date and time on hospital letterhead.

I think this is perfectly reasonable. I can (if I try hard enough) get a doctor's appt outside work hours. Can't do that with a hospital clinic. Why should my employer suffer because I don't arrange for an evening appt?

However, I will be very interested to hear other people's comments, experiences and understanding of 'the rules'.

 

[Alanp35]

Hi,

You may find that the endless widdling eases off as you get your blood glucose under control (I definitely pee more the higher the levels are).

Where I work all doctor or nurse appts have to be on my time (we get flexi, but I have to make the time back). I get the time off on full pay for hospital clinic appts, but only when I can produce a letter listing date and time on hospital letterhead.

I think this is perfectly reasonable. I can (if I try hard enough) get a doctor's appt outside work hours. Can't do that with a hospital clinic. Why should my employer suffer because I don't arrange for an evening appt?

However, I will be very interested to hear other people's comments, experiences and understanding of 'the rules'.

I agree, we enter into a contract when we start work. So many hours work for so much pay. We need to honour the contract we signed and ourselves.



Late onset T1, several auto immune issues.
Humalogmix25 twice a day, Methotrexate 25mg once per week, FolicAcid 5mg once per week, prednisolone 5mg daily, Allopurinol 300mg, Calcichew-D3 800iu, Levothyroxine 50mcg, Atenolol 50mg, Losarten 100mg, Aspirin 75mg, Nicorandil 20mg, Nitrolingual GTN spray, Metformin 2000mg, Allimemazine 10mg, Lanzoprazole 30mg, Atorvastatin 20mg, Co Codamol 8/500mg, Depo Medrone (Methylprednisolone) or double Prednisolone for 7 days in case of RA flare.

 

[Mothership]

I am unable to see my dn outside office hours so I don't need to use flexi. I think this is fair as if I don't get my vs under control it will lead to me being off work I'll and I will lose more work time.

 

[Andy12345]

i dont think you should be paid for having time off, and if you widdle so often you should stay an extra 15 minutes after work

people wouldnt want to be treated differently than people without a disability, why would it work the other way around?, why should we benefit by having time off people that dont have db dont have? its this attitude that would stop me employing a disabled person

all just my opinion

 

[volorg]

Hi you are covered by the DDA and therefore absences for medical appointments related to your condition should be paid for if you need to attend in normal work hours. Sick leave directly related to your diabetes should not be recorded in the same way as other sick leave. I agree with everyone that your the frequency with which you need to go to the toilet should ease off once you get your blood sugar under more control. There is a lot of protection under the act, which is great. However, employers can still use higher rates of absence/disability related sick leave against you if it can argue that you are not fit enough to do the job.

Some employers are better than others at understanding the DDA and how they should treat you. I hope that you are a member of a union as that definitely helps!

Hope this is useful.

 

[mo1905]

You are covered under The Equality Act which means you are afforded time off for medical appointments, however, they are not obliged to pay you. I may not be popular but I think we should be showing employers that we are not a liability as we owe it to future diabetics. Put yourself in an employers position and ask yourself honestly, would you employ you ? If not, why ? We all go through problem times but on the whole it's our responsibility to manage our own condition.

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[Akita's]

i dont think you should be paid for having time off, and if you widdle so often you should stay an extra 15 minutes after work

Lol funniest thing ive read this year so far. If my employer was alright maybe I would do that but since they have given me repetitive strain and tried bullying, harassing me and victimising me I will do as little as possible for them nowadays. Plus the fact when I was a good worker they they don't think any better of you.

Now I'll probably get slagged off but any chance now ill probably use the diabetes card it makes a change from people at work using the race card.

Cheers.

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[Andy12345]

oh well, at least i made you laugh, good luck

 

[AndBreathe]

It sounds to me like you are setting up a confrontational situation with your employer. If you are not happy there, you should be looking for another job, not looking for ways to make their life awkward.

Trust me. With or without a disability, if you are being obstructive in your attitude to work, you are the one who will lose out. Your employer could set up conduct processes that would begin steering you towards the exit, before you even realise it. Diabetes does not allow you to don any kind of bullet-proof vest.

You should be looking for a positive way forward here - even if that means a new job.

I have had no issues with employing disabled people in the past. Indeed, the few I have had have been extremely committed to the work they have been engaged to do (one had cerebral palsy, another was blind), nor have I had any problem dealing with employees who have lost the will to do their bit for their paymaster. Sadly, the outcomes for those parties were quite different. The disabled guys did really well.

 

[skal]

This is a peculiar subject... Since the last couple of years, I have had to declare my type 2 DM as a disability when applying for a job on the NHS. I have no complications or disabilities from my DM so I found it slightly offputting. I can't apply for a blue badge (not that I want to either) and appointment wise, my employer will give me time off for hospital ones that are hard to reschedule. GP and nurse appointments I organise in my own time as I don't consider it fair for them to cover my absence when they don't have to.
Recently I got a new job in the private sector and they didn't need to know anything about my so called "disability" as they were more interested in me rather than a non existent problem. The support, should I need it, is there.

 

[Alanp35]

This is a peculiar subject... Since the last couple of years, I have had to declare my type 2 DM as a disability when applying for a job on the NHS. I have no complications or disabilities from my DM so I found it slightly offputting. I can't apply for a blue badge (not that I want to either) and appointment wise, my employer will give me time off for hospital ones that are hard to reschedule. GP and nurse appointments I organise in my own time as I don't consider it fair for them to cover my absence when they don't have to.
Recently I got a new job in the private sector and they didn't need to know anything about my so called "disability" as they were more interested in me rather than a non existent problem. The support, should I need it, is there.

Skal,
The NHS in common with many other monoliths has more than its fair share of jobsworths - we bump into them occasionally and have to try and rise above it. Could also be why the NHS is not providing value for money and private commercial interests do.



Late onset T1, several auto immune issues.
Humalogmix25 twice a day, Methotrexate 25mg once per week, FolicAcid 5mg once per week, prednisolone 5mg daily, Allopurinol 300mg, Calcichew-D3 800iu, Levothyroxine 50mcg, Atenolol 50mg, Losarten 100mg, Aspirin 75mg, Nicorandil 20mg, Nitrolingual GTN spray, Metformin 2000mg, Allimemazine 10mg, Lanzoprazole 30mg, Atorvastatin 20mg, Co Codamol 8/500mg, Depo Medrone (Methylprednisolone) or double Prednisolone for 7 days in case of RA flare.

 

[Brunneria]

@Alanp35

I'm curious about this. I have a very physically unchallenging office job, with no likelihood of a situation where I cannot eat or drink, as necessary, or physical demands that might affect BG. But I considered it common sense to inform my immediate colleagues that I test my blood occasionally, and need to control my BG.

Maybe I'll investigate whether there is a requirement to inform HR officially.

 

[skal]

As a general rule, you do not have to inform your employer but each company/ workplace may have their own policies. All my colleagues know although I the never encountered a problem. It just prepares people around me to react correctly that one day I might have a serious hypo or collapse. Obviously, my trust knows I'm diabetic as I have had to declare a disability with job applications.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Now I'll probably get slagged off but any chance now ill probably use the diabetes card it makes a change from people at work using the race card.

Cheers.

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Two wrongs don't make a right....

You can do whatever you want to, however, al you are doing is ruining the chances of other diabetics getting jobs and penalising them.

Grow up, be proud to be diabetic and able to work. There are too many people in the UK taking the mickey.

It may be that the only people you are hurting is other diabetics wanting a job. I certainly wouldn't be proud of screwing the system.

There are a lot of young diabetics that will want jobs in the future but won't be able to get jobs because Employers will remember people like you only... They don't remember the likes of me that never had a sick day off work in 30 years due to my diabetes..

Thanks mate..



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[donnellysdogs]

Normally Jobs do not ask whether you have a disability as such.... They ask whether you think you have a condition or ilness etc that is covered legally (by various acts nowadays)

I always used to put 'no' as I have never considered my T1 as a disability. However I would explain this at interviews....


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[Pollylocks]

........If I take time off for a GP appointment I have to make the time up which is fair enough......if I need a hospital appointment which takes about three hours with the travelling, I usually book three hours' holiday, as holiday where I am is all booked in hours rather than days anyway...

 

[TheFish]

I'm type 2 and work in the construction industry , I have to inform every site I work on that I have type 2 and I also have an ICE ( incase of emergency ) tag on my hard hat . My employer doesnt pay me for time off at all so I have to use holidays for DN appointments and same with doctors so I guess it's down to your employer


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[bonus]

I just have just been offered a position with East Coast Railways (not controlling trains only platform work) and on the contract form it asked 'do i have any health conditions?' I answered YES type 1 diabetes, it then said 'are you classed as disabled?' I answered NO.

 

[KkeithP]

I'm commenting on the loo visit frequency. I was diagnosed with a >30 BGL T2 diabetic in April 2012.
I'd been experiencing ALL the usual diabetes symptoms for a few weeks, falling asleep after lunch, atrocious desperate thirst and associated ridiculously frequent peeing!

My Doctor prescribed me Gliclazide and Statins.

On the very FIRST NIGHT the voracious thirst, frequent peeing and tiredness vanished never to return.

My BGL is usually around 6 in a morning after fasting and I'm now on Metformin instead of Gliclazide to look after my Pancreas.

I'm a little confused about the people on this Thread saying the peeing gets less as the BGL gets under control.

My medication gave my symptoms an instant fix with the first tablet.

Was I just lucky?