UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

This is not actually about my own employer (who is great in emergencies) but my wife's.

If you've seen my other post you will know I was rushed to eye casualty on Sunday following a problem to my grafted eye.

By Monday we did not know for definite what had happened and my wife went into work explaining she would need some time off (only 1/2 a day) to help come and pick me up. My wife can't drive but the "driver on standby" needed directions.

The first comment her boss said was, "Well, you've no annual leave left". She took the half day yesterday but was made to feel how much of an inconvenience it was to cover her position.

Unfortunately the need to pay a mortgage stopped her from telling them what she thought!

She wishes now she had not said anything and just taken a sickie.

Some firms really know how to get the best out of their staff

Craig

In biew of the circumstances I think she should contact HR and find out under what circumstances she is entitled to compassionate leave. I would be surprised if the situation you found yourself in failed to qualify.

Citizens advice would be a good point of contact too. If your wife had the response in e-mail, and you find she was entitled to leave you would then have grounds for complaint and go to HR.

I foud the hard way, follow up all leave, hospital and emergency requests for time off work with an e-mail and I usually get an e-mail confirming what was said verbally. Comes in usefull when they deny what they said.

Unfortunately even though it is a medium-sized company, all the management are related so there is no way of getting a "second opinion". I always remember her having to take leave to help me bury my grandad!

She is going to make them feel bad (if indeed they do have a heart) by saying she has left me with a flask by my side. Not quite true, although our kettle is a filter one and is too heavy for me to lift straight after a re-graft so I am on cold drinks.

hi craigthornton
I know company`s can be really nasty towards people with KC and there family`s. As many people dont know about the condition, Because of the lack of knowledge or public awareness of this condidtion many employers dont see it as illness, In my old job i used to get alot of grief if i need time off for appiontments and when i had my cornea graph they wouldnt give me time off work as being sick my own area manager woldnt give me time off for op and recovery, Like your wifes company they were family busniess and all the managers where related. As it got closer to the operation i spoken to the director over the phone and told him about the op and thankfully he was disgusted in the way my manager had treated me and gave me time off. But know once i started a job normally state my condidtion and explain to them that i can do the job, but as employers expected flexiblity so should they be towrds you.

Main thing is that we need to bring it to attetion of our empolyers as they dont even know what it is and how it effects ones life.

Good luck with getting better. Another thing that u might find mad or insane is that out of fear of hurting my graphed eye I tied my arms to my legs with pieces of cloth so i couldnt rub or fiddle with my eye while i was asleep.

Truly shocked!
The problem with this kind of behaviour is that it does not promote any kind of team work or employer loyalty. The net result is lower productivity, high ratios of absenteeism and the like. Strangely, the management in such cultures rarely see that they are contributing to their own downfall; they see it as a battle to get their staff to work harder (which means more time at work rather than higher productivity). Invariably the culture self-perpetuates so nothing ever gets any better! Those who can normally vote with their feet.
I am sorry your poor wife has to deal with such a miserable lot! Sounds like they have been into the hospital too; for a charisma by-pass