Work sent me home for having a hypo (advice appreciated)

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

dodge13

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hello all, I hope I'm posting in the correct board for this...

I am T1 (have had for 11 years) and I am currently working in a well known national Italian restaurant chain, I knew that the physical side of serving/waiting would change my results and patterns whilst I adjusted from a retail job previously but on occasion if the night gets extremely and unexpectedly busy it can catch me off guard.

A few nights ago I could feel a hypo coming on and let my boss know (who is the opposite of tactful with his words and sentiments) that I was having a low blood sugar issue and needed to hand over my two tables for a short while whilst I went out back to correct it. I immediately ate some sugar as we all do and a colleague was sent to ask what was going on and let me know that I either needed to return to work or go home. Shortly after, feeling pressure to return sooner than I should have, I stood up (still a little dizzy) and stood in the next room semi-prepared to return to the restaurant floor when he returned and said "I need you back on the floor now", I replied "Diabetes and hypos don't work quite that way!" to which he replied "You're going home then". Whilst I can think of clever responses in hindsight, the reality was that I was shocked and upset by it - I've never been spoken to like that mid-hypo by anyone in any job I've ever had. I wasn't given a choice, I was told to go home on the spot, no joking, just a straight instruction.

I left immediately, and sure enough about 10 minutes later I was 6.7mmol and would've been fine to return but I wasn't given that option.

Where on earth do I stand? I've escalated it already with his boss (my highest line manager on site), but I feel so uncomfortable about returning, I feel humiliated that all my colleagues know I was sent home to leave them with such a busy night - now a waiter down. I felt every emotion - upset, embarrassed, angry, confused. I don't know if I have the energy to face the whole escalation process and having to work with that person in the meantime, but if I choose to leave my job right now then I'll be without a job and more than likely no case for constructive dismissal.

I feel lost.

Thanks so much for reading
 
It’s not your fault that you were sent home. It’s not your fault that your boss doesn’t understand diabetes either.

Presumably there’s an HR department if you’re large enough to be a chain? Make sure that your diabetes is noted on your record and talk with them about what their policy is if an employee has a hypo.

Perhaps the DUK helpline could signpost you to any resources which may help your employer better support you.
 
Diabetes is treated as a disability for the purposes of the Disability Discrimination act, and work has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for you to do your job, HR should get involved, and listen to your needs, and then make a note of what will happen in future if you hypo during a shift.
I second @ColinUK 's suggestion that you speak to DUK, they have experience in this area, and I think they still have advocacy teams who can help you fight your corner.
 
I’m really sorry you were treated like that. I’m pretty sure your customers would not want you flopping over whilst serving them their carbonara! If this is a large chain, just remember this person is just that , one person. I doubt very much that this is a reflection on how the company as a whole would like you to be treated. If you cut your finger would you be allowed to go out a plaster on… or would you get sent home? Just tell this person that you need to be clear, does a hypo mean you have to leave, and if so where is the policy that states this and while your at it tell them if you weren't so run off your feet you probably wouldn’t have had one in the first place. Oooh some folks make me angry
 
Sorry to hear about the unfortunate experience you had at work @dodge13

It does sound like your line manager needs to be a little more flexible and understanding (and doesn’t seem to respond calmly in a busy and stressful envorinment!).

Do consider calling the DUK Helpline to chat through your rights at work, and the legal responsibilities of your employer under the Equalities Act. The Helpline runs Mon-Fri 9-6, you can call them on 0345 123 2399

There is also additional information about your employment rights here

Work and diabetes

This information is about how to manage diabetes at work and to support you in knowing your rights at work. Jump to:
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk
 
Thanks everyone for your advice and opinions. I will proceed with the escalation with management as the person in question needs to be taken down a peg or two in how they speak to people whether they have a condition or not. I will see where the escalation goes and make a decision from there. Thanks again all
 
Last edited:
dodge13 said:
Thanks everyone for your advice and opinions. I will proceed with the escalation with management as the person in question needs to be taken down a peg or two in how they speak to people whether they have a condition or not. I will see where the escalation goes and make a decision from there. Thanks again all
Click to expand...
May I suggest that you don’t do this with a view to take them down a peg or two but rather to suggest a better way forward.
Try your best to remove the entirely justified anger from the situation and just keep it to facts.
 
dodge13 said:
Poor wording on my part 😎 you are quite right
Click to expand...
Hi , As ColinUK suggested I would not escalate the immediately.Talk the problem through with the your manager and see what happens in the future.

Keep written records of meeting etc because if you have to escalate in the future HR cannot say you have not tried to sort out the problem at a local level.

As they say , don't let the b*****d grind you down.
 
pace said:
Hi , As ColinUK suggested I would not escalate the immediately.Talk the problem through with the your manager and see what happens in the future.

Keep written records of meeting etc because if you have to escalate in the future HR cannot say you have not tried to sort out the problem at a local level.

As they say , don't let the b*****d grind you down.
Click to expand...
I don’t mean don’t escalate but rather don’t do it because of a want to take the manager down.
By all means contact HR and ask them what the policy is for when a member of staff with diabetes has a hypo and take it from there.
 
I hope Karma catches up with him. 😡
 
I just wonder if the manager is suffering from stress and handled the situation badly due to that. I imagine it is difficult for people who don't understand diabetes and hypos, particularly when they are already dealing with a pressured situation to start with, to make an on the spot decision, which isn't the right one, so I agree that trying to explain the situation to the manager and arrange some sort of protocol for if/when it happens again, but definitely contact HR and find out what the official guidelines would be for that situation so that you can discuss that with your manager.
 
rebrascora said:
I just wonder if the manager is suffering from stress and handled the situation badly due to that. I imagine it is difficult for people who don't understand diabetes and hypos, particularly when they are already dealing with a pressured situation to start with, to make an on the spot decision, which isn't the right one, so I agree that trying to explain the situation to the manager and arrange some sort of protocol for if/when it happens again, but definitely contact HR and find out what the official guidelines would be for that situation so that you can discuss that with your manager.
Click to expand...

I'm in the middle on this one.

One of my team once required assistance with a hypo.
(With is more seriuos than here)
To me it seemed unreasonable to ask him to continue at work that day.

The context is important really.
I wouldn't have left him by himself.
I wouldn't have let him drive home.
(His daughter came to pick him up)

I think it's important to understand how the discussion went, and under what terms the evening finished on.
 
@dodge13 be sure to mention that you were fine only minutes after being told to leave.
I was in a similar situation when I worked in a factory and overheated up in the roof store just before lunch - I would have been fine to clock on for the afternoon, but told to go home. The line manager just went on and on - so I did too.
Sometimes managers get a bee in their bonnet and it needs persistence to sort these things out.
 
Hi @dodge13 - this sounds like a horrible experience, sorry to hear you went through this :(

I work in HR and what people are saying here is absolutely right - your work should be making reasonable adjustments for your diabetes - e.g. giving you 20/30 minutes to deal with a hypo before returning to work. I suppose the best case scenario here is that your manager didn't want you working if you were unwell and didn't express this well, and would be more understanding moving forwards. Have you had any luck with a response since you escalated?

In terms of constructive dismissal, if this was in my company I'd have flashing legal red lights going off if one of our managers did this!! You could always talk to ACAS for some impartial advice on where you stand legally, if you think it could get that far (https://www.acas.org.uk/) - the advisors on their helpline are generally very helpful.
 
A little update on the situation, so statements were submitted by myself and some other members of staff. Unfortunately I'd been rota'd to work with the person in question over the last few days and although it was awkward, nothing inappropriate was said. He hasn't apologised since the event but has been amicable.

I spoke to his (and my) line manager today and the update is that he will be asked to re-read the policies, and will be told to mind how he speaks to people. There was doubt cast over the length of time it took me to resolve the hypo, and despite my protests in having provided a screenshot of my Freestyle Libre that showed a 20 minute gap between noticing the hypo and being sent home, because a few members of staff providing statements weren't able to unanimously corroborate the exact time. During the same conversation with the manager I was told that in our initial conversation about the condition on my first day, I had apparently suggested it usually only takes 5 to 10 minutes to fix a hypo and therefore more than that has thrown up uncertainty. Finally, it was suggested that if hypo's are going to continue to be an issue, they'll consider dropping me from "busy" shifts - which in restaurant work is where all the money is.

Not really sure how I feel about it a few days on, I still think the point is being missed. I dread going in to work now but I worry about making a big fuss about things and potentially leaving in a bad way.
 
Perhaps put something in writing about hypos @dodge13 ? Basic information and instructions for people to follow. That would make it simpler and stop misunderstandings or mis-remembering. Include that you need to stop and treat it and wait until your blood sugar comes back up, which could take 10-20 mins. I had a hypo policy at work and mine said something like that.
 
Thanks for the update @dodge13

Glad you are talking things through with work. Hopefully it will be quite a while before you have another nasty hypo.

Have you considered making any changes to your doses to reduce your hypo risk? Might your insulin sensitivity have changed slightly? Or do you think it was a one-off?
 
For anyone who was interested in the end result, the manager in question is being disciplined and reminded of how to deal with sensitive situations better such as health related illness. And I have made the decision to move into industry with a better work/life/family/health balance which I'm starting in the new year 🙂 thanks all for your advice and input.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top