Last week I decided to tell our HR manager of a small company that I have PTSD. I wanted the company to be aware of what was going on with me because there were things triggering me in the environment. I wanted to give them a heads up that I'd be speaking to my therapist and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation because they might be recommending some accommodations. The HR manager gave me permission to work at a slower pace going forward and up until that point I had received nothing but glowing feedback from management.
The next business day when both my managers were in the office, I came into work to discover that there was no available computer and phone for me to use, and this equipment is required for me to perform my essential job functions. I clocked in on time but had to wait for my computer and phone to be set up properly so I could log into our systems and begin taking calls. The phone started to ring before the equipment was available so my boss, who was on the other side of the cubicle wall called out to me to answer the phone.
Shortly after that, the facilities manager, who was assembling some office equipment and doing construction, dropped a metal object close to where I was sitting. It made a very loud clanging noise that startled me to the point of trembling. I walked out for a moment to calm myself and then walked back in. I calmly and politely said to the facilities manager, "I know you can't control the fact that there is going to be noise. But I am easily startled. Would you mind giving me a heads up if you know there is going to be a loud noise?" He responded, "There's going to be noise" as a blanket statement. I then asked to speak to my direct manager and asked her if she was aware of the conversation I had with HR. She said she was aware. After I told her about how the loud noise had rattled me, she gave me permission to take a break (which was about 10 minutes) and then later, to take lunch.
Later that day I was called into a meeting with HR and two managers to discuss my concerns around my PTSD and the work environment. I was written up for not answering the phone promptly, for "not maintaining a positive attitude in times of chaos" and for not completing other tasks on which I was either not trained or did not have access to the appropriate tools required to complete them. When I asked for an example of when I had a negative attitude, they reminded me of a time when I had to work at a manager's desk and was not permitted to have my own log on or have access to the password. Anytime I had to get up to use the bathroom, go to the printer, or perform other job functions away from that desk, I had to get a manager to type in the password. Sometimes, there was no manager around. I had told the HR manager that one of my triggers was feeling helpless or being blocked from carrying out my responsibilities but in the meeting, they said that I appeared frustrated by the incident and that instead I should have maintained a positive attitude.
The HR manager also looked me sternly in the eye and asked, "Do you think this is a healthy environment for you to be working in?" I told her, "That's up to me and my therapist to decide. That shouldn't be up to you." Twice they asked me, "Do you think you need to go home for the rest of the day?" I said, "No, I'm perfectly capable of getting back on the phone. I just want to know if it is okay if I can step outside if there happens to be another loud noise and it shakes me up. The HR manager said, and I quote, "You already took several breaks today. We can't have you stepping outside every 5 minutes because that would not be a productive work shift." I reminded her of my strong work ethic and explained that I did not want to have an unproductive day either. I told her that the breaks I took were allowable and that I had been productive. I also said, "To be clear, I am asking you if you would allow me to step outside if there is a loud noise that triggers my PTSD symptoms, as an accommodation for my disability and you are saying, No? Is that correct?" At that point she told me I could step outside.
They also wrote me up because they claimed that I was not answering the phones and I had to be given direction to prioritize my work multiple times - both verbally and in writing. They dated the incident occurrence as happening two weeks prior to our meeting. What actually happened that day is I was working on a project and a work task that was assigned to me by the consultant who had been training me. I took the initiative to question my manager about the level of importance of the assignments. It didn't feel right to me to working on them. At that point, she verbally told me I should prioritize different tasks- the first time she had given this direction. She stated that she would also send this information in writing to the entire team - because it was new information. Yet, in the meeting with HR, this was written up as an event that indicated under-performance on my part and required corrective action.
I told them that I found it surprising that I have been given nothing but positive feedback up until now. I was told I was doing an overall fantastic job and that I continually go above and beyond. Then once I told them I have PTSD, they wrote me up for something that happened 2 weeks ago which was really just a leadership communication issue. I told them that this felt like discrimination. I refuted every point on their Performance Improvement Plan document and pointed out how I was not given the required tools or training to accomplish these expectations.
I'm thinking this is definitely discrimination and I will most likely file a complaint with the department of labor. What do you all think of it?
The next business day when both my managers were in the office, I came into work to discover that there was no available computer and phone for me to use, and this equipment is required for me to perform my essential job functions. I clocked in on time but had to wait for my computer and phone to be set up properly so I could log into our systems and begin taking calls. The phone started to ring before the equipment was available so my boss, who was on the other side of the cubicle wall called out to me to answer the phone.
Shortly after that, the facilities manager, who was assembling some office equipment and doing construction, dropped a metal object close to where I was sitting. It made a very loud clanging noise that startled me to the point of trembling. I walked out for a moment to calm myself and then walked back in. I calmly and politely said to the facilities manager, "I know you can't control the fact that there is going to be noise. But I am easily startled. Would you mind giving me a heads up if you know there is going to be a loud noise?" He responded, "There's going to be noise" as a blanket statement. I then asked to speak to my direct manager and asked her if she was aware of the conversation I had with HR. She said she was aware. After I told her about how the loud noise had rattled me, she gave me permission to take a break (which was about 10 minutes) and then later, to take lunch.
Later that day I was called into a meeting with HR and two managers to discuss my concerns around my PTSD and the work environment. I was written up for not answering the phone promptly, for "not maintaining a positive attitude in times of chaos" and for not completing other tasks on which I was either not trained or did not have access to the appropriate tools required to complete them. When I asked for an example of when I had a negative attitude, they reminded me of a time when I had to work at a manager's desk and was not permitted to have my own log on or have access to the password. Anytime I had to get up to use the bathroom, go to the printer, or perform other job functions away from that desk, I had to get a manager to type in the password. Sometimes, there was no manager around. I had told the HR manager that one of my triggers was feeling helpless or being blocked from carrying out my responsibilities but in the meeting, they said that I appeared frustrated by the incident and that instead I should have maintained a positive attitude.
The HR manager also looked me sternly in the eye and asked, "Do you think this is a healthy environment for you to be working in?" I told her, "That's up to me and my therapist to decide. That shouldn't be up to you." Twice they asked me, "Do you think you need to go home for the rest of the day?" I said, "No, I'm perfectly capable of getting back on the phone. I just want to know if it is okay if I can step outside if there happens to be another loud noise and it shakes me up. The HR manager said, and I quote, "You already took several breaks today. We can't have you stepping outside every 5 minutes because that would not be a productive work shift." I reminded her of my strong work ethic and explained that I did not want to have an unproductive day either. I told her that the breaks I took were allowable and that I had been productive. I also said, "To be clear, I am asking you if you would allow me to step outside if there is a loud noise that triggers my PTSD symptoms, as an accommodation for my disability and you are saying, No? Is that correct?" At that point she told me I could step outside.
They also wrote me up because they claimed that I was not answering the phones and I had to be given direction to prioritize my work multiple times - both verbally and in writing. They dated the incident occurrence as happening two weeks prior to our meeting. What actually happened that day is I was working on a project and a work task that was assigned to me by the consultant who had been training me. I took the initiative to question my manager about the level of importance of the assignments. It didn't feel right to me to working on them. At that point, she verbally told me I should prioritize different tasks- the first time she had given this direction. She stated that she would also send this information in writing to the entire team - because it was new information. Yet, in the meeting with HR, this was written up as an event that indicated under-performance on my part and required corrective action.
I told them that I found it surprising that I have been given nothing but positive feedback up until now. I was told I was doing an overall fantastic job and that I continually go above and beyond. Then once I told them I have PTSD, they wrote me up for something that happened 2 weeks ago which was really just a leadership communication issue. I told them that this felt like discrimination. I refuted every point on their Performance Improvement Plan document and pointed out how I was not given the required tools or training to accomplish these expectations.
I'm thinking this is definitely discrimination and I will most likely file a complaint with the department of labor. What do you all think of it?