zoecrean said:
Can anyone tell me what the DDA covers for diabetics with regards to sick leave?
I have been hospitalised twice since being diagnosed with type 1 diabeties in 09/2008 (I am currently 32) the first time was when I was diagnosed (so I don’t really count that) and the second time was when I contracted viral AND bacterial tonsillitis. It was the 6th time I have had tonsillitis this year and made me so ill that it put my glucose readings into the 30’s. I was also very dehydrated as I had a fever and couldn’t even keep a sip of water down.
My employer was very good about this and one manager even called the hospital just to see how I was.
My question is more related to what type of sick leave would be covered under the DDA?
I do not know about other diabetics but I personally catch colds very easily and feel they are now worse than before I was diagnosed and know for sure that they last longer, especially if I do not rest.
My employer issues warnings (verbal, then written, then final written) if you take more than 3 instances of sick in 6 months. I am always asked during back to work interviews if my sickness was diabeties related. I am never really sure how to answer this. I suppose you could say that the only sick time that is diabeties related would be hypo or hyper. But then any other sickness is aggravated or lengthened by the diabeties OR causes problems with my diabeties (high glucose levels due to being sick in the first place).
Where would I stand if I was to get a warning for time off sick?
Should I be entitled to PAID sick time and/or PAID leave for hospital/Dr appointments etc?
I am always reluctant to take time off sick due to the possibility of a disaplinary and loss of pay, therefore possibly making me sick for longer and probably passing it on to others at work.
If anyone knows the answer I would be grateful
Thanks
I see exactly where you're coming from Zoe ... I know for definite that at the onset of a cold, if I stay indoors, keep warm and rest, the majority of times, it's over and done with in a week or two. If I try to work through those initial days, it usually turns into a serious chest infection, pneumonia and asthma attack. I ended up in hospital last January with pneumonia and it's taken months to recover from it. Your employer was kinder than mine (NHS :roll: ) in that at least someone enquired how you were. Me being cynical now I would interpret that as them trying to find out how long it would be before you'd be back at the grindstone.
Employment laws and conditions are such a hotch potch these days, it's hard to know what 'rights', if any, we have any more. It's an emmployers market now and they seem to just do as they like without regard for consequences of the impact on peoples lives.
I'm just getting back to signing on for work again after being dismissed from a temporary job with the NHS of all places, because I'd caught pneumonia whilst at work sitting with my back to an open window last November in an extremely dirty and dusty office, because two other colleagues INSISTED it stay open even though they didn't have to sit anywhere near it. I learned later that I had been plonked in the middle of a very political situation at work (I was viewed by my colleagues as unnecessary as I was stopping them from earning double time from working overtime). The fact that I have a right to employment didn't come into it. Hence being sat in front of an open window all winter!
I've lost a years work and pay due and almost the roof over my head, due to other peoples nastiness and inconsideration in the workplace and to NHS employers unwillingness to consider my health and safety (my complaint that I was freezing to death from the gusts of icy wind and snow on my back because I had to consider others needs also). I was then dismissed from my temporary post whilst I was recovering after being discharged from hospital, still hardly able to stand up or breathe without great difficulty.
I didn't bounce back from pneumonia quickly at all, in fact my health deteriorated quite badly and it was after that, that my diabetes was diagnosed along with a possible cancer issue. I don't qualify for any extra benefits and I'm now living on £19 a week (yes you read that correctly) AND trying to recover from those illnesses and get to grips with diabetes and cancer at the same time and the last year has been a health and financial nightmare for me.
Do employers care? I don't think so. To them it's all about money, not about caring about their employees. I'm only now feeling sufficiently well enough to attempt going back to work and I'm scared to death that I won't be able to cope with full time work again and if I can't, I'm also scared to death of the circle of ESA, ATOS, back to JOBSEEKERS or destitution.
The Government doesn't think I'm sick enough to not work and they're not interested in WHY I became ill with pneumonia in the first place or in how long it takes me to recover, or indeed whether I drop dead. I work as a temp so when I'm off sick, I don't get paid as permanent employee would, I have to take sick days as holidays if I can, or as I did in January, stay until I collapse at my desk and hope for the best! I also have the prospect of my assignments being ended before 12 weeks which ensures the employer doesn't have to give me any permanent employment rights. So my situation is really very tenuous and very stressful, I also don't have a partner so no second income to fall back on. When I'm sick, no-one to make me a meal or a cuppa or put the bins out for me as my kids live miles away and I don't see much of them. So pretty **** really.
So we really DO have to look after ourselves these days. Like yourself I catch colds easily and don't bounce back easily. And one of my pet hates is people turning into work while they're infectious with colds and flu, sneezing and throwing dirty hankies around the office.!!! Whilst they're recovering 3 days afterward from a couple of paracetamol and a hot toddy or two, I'm going downhill fast with pneumonia and my livelihood is at stake.
I've had my flu and pneumonia jabs and started on mega doses of VitD3 and am hoping this winter will be kinder to me than past winters.
I have an interview on Monday for a temporary post which will give me at least 5 months work if I get it. If I don't, I'll have £19 a week to live on - oh and by the way, I had NOTHING to live on but my own savings since 14 September when my ESA benefit was stopped because despite my illnesses, I didn't score enough points for the ATOS medical even though I had to crawl there to the appointment. Apparently, because I could use my mobile phone and drive the appointment myself, I was deemed well enough to 'learn new things' and 'concentrate for long periods', the fact that I drove there because I found walking virtually impossible because of breathing problems and the fact that using a mobile phone needs only the exertion of two thumbs to find a phone number wasn't really covered. Nor was the fact that I was at the time still awaiting diagnosis of diabetes and cancer. That was all totally ignored and my ESA benefit was stopped. I was told I could appear but I honestly didn't have the energy to face a long winded tribunal, so I signed on for Jobseekers on 9 October and received absolutely NOTHING until 2 days ago and numerous phone calls to the Jobcentre Call Centre who simply told me 5 times on different days - all we can do is email the ESA and ask them to close your file there before we can deal with your JCA.
I'm from the 'baby boomer' generation who are supposedly rolling in money and spending their kids inheritance on living the high life. God knows where that myth came from!
All I can say to you Zoe is ... put your own health and safety first at work. Don't compromise your health for ANYTHING and certainly not to make a profit for your employer at the expense of YOUR health. And if everyone had the guts to do that rather than buckle under to some of the despots in management these days, the world would be a better and more productive place.
