Fear

[Jo Reev]

How should I approach my employer- we are moving to a new office soon & I am afraid they are going to put our desk so it faces the wall & I have a ptsd about having my back to an open area where others can come up behind me. How should I approach this?

 

[Nikie]

Hallo Jo.
Welcom on the forum. I hope you get some reply cos i am not familiar with this but If your employer is an easy person to talk to just walk up to him/ her and tell them about your fear.. Don't think to much about this thinking is wat is killing us.. .

If you really can not do that ... I can suggest maybe put a mirror on your desk to feel a bit more save... Just a suggestion I dunno your situation.. :tup: Good luck ..

 

[barefoot]

I think it really depends on how much (if anything) about your PTSD and symptoms you are willing to disclose.

If you are willing to share that you have PTSD - or if they already know this - your employer may be required to see whether they can accommodate your seating request (I'm not sure about legal employment stuff outside the UK)

If you don't want them to know you have PTSD but are prepared to say it makes you anxious/you are a bit phobic when it comes to sitting facing the wall, they may still do what they can to help.

If you don't want to bring any of this to their attention, I guess all you can do is ask because it would be your preference not to sit facing the wall. You might get lucky, you might not. Can't hurt to ask!

If you don't disclose and do end up sitting facing the wall, that will have a significant impact on you - I hated the seating/desk arrangement and the whole open plan office environment of my old job but it's only now that I'm out of it that I can fully appreciate just how stressful it was for me every day. So if you do end up in that position, you'll need to find some ways to help you manage that.

As @Nikie suggests, a mirror might help. You could casually let people who are seated around you/who will need to approach you regularly that you're easily spooked so request that they announce themselves as they approach so they don't make you just (you could do this humorously/with a light touch). You may need to take regular breaks from your desk to recalibrate. Could you work in different places - meeting rooms, canteen, hot-desk at other work stations) so that you move around a bit during each day and don't spend the whole day sitting in the position that's anxiety-making for you? Or you could at that point ask a colleague with a desk that would work better for you to swap with you (though do this ASAP as once people are settled at 'their desk' they can get a bit territorial about it and might not then like the thought of changing.

Good luck - I hope you get a good outcome.

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

I agree with @barefoot , that it depends on how much your employer knows/how much you want your employer to know about the PTSD and how easy they are to approach and talk to. My employer knows about my PTSD and about accommodations that I need and is fairly easy to approach- though I worry every time I do.

Either way, to find out beforehand what the desk arrangement would be, I think that is a reasonable question for anyone to ask and a good place for you to start. That way you would know whether you need to be worried at all. If it turns out that the desks will be facing the wall, then you can make a list of what you can do to change or improve the situation for yourself.

 

[Crow]

I had the same issue when I was hired by my current employer. Unfortunately they are regulated by fed and union regulations and couldn't accommodate. At that time I did not mention ptsd. What I ended up doing is putting mirrors in my cubicle so i could see the entire entrance. I also put a dingy bell at the entrance so people could announce themselves. It's been 10 years and now I'm very comfortable in the cube. No mirrors. No bell. No startle response.

Good luck!

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

@Jo Reev - I don't know what kind of a place you work in. I work in a school so for me it would be something like the classroom placements being moved. I would approach my principal (probably via e-mail, but maybe in person) and just say something like "I know that there are going to be changes and I was wondering if you could tell me where I might be." For you it might be "I'm curious about the upcoming move and wondering if you could tell me the plan for the layout of the desks." That's where I would start.

Also, does your employer know anything about your PTSD?

 

[JREEVES]

@Jo Reev - I don't know what kind of a place you work in. I work in a s...

Thank you & no they do not know of my PTSD

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

I tried keeping my PTSD from my employer at first, but she knew before I did because she has a son with it. My advice for you is to start by simply asking about the desk arrangement out of curiosity. I think that would be reasonable and other people are probably wondering the same thing because change is hard for a lot of people.

 

[barefoot]

I agree with @JEKBreatheandBelieve - pretty much everyone will have concerns/questions/preferences about the changes and what it will mean for them. And seating plans/desk arrangements are often a real focus of those concerns. People want to know where they'll be, who they'll be next to, how near/far away from their manager they are, are they sitting in a warm/cool spot...they'll have a preference for a window seat, or one facing a meeting room, or one furthest away from the door or the loo or the walkway or whatever...

Everyone will be feeling unsettled about the move, so it would be perfectly normal for you to ask about the plans and make your preferences known. You don't have to disclose anything you don't want to. You can just ask out of interest and make a request. And if you don't end up with what you asked for...? Then you'll need to come up with some strategies to help you manage the situation as best you can. If you have a therapist, this is something they can help you with too.

 

[Gadgie]

I've found that if you tell people that you have PTSD, some can be understand and will try to assist you with little things like having your desk facing a window.

Yet other people treat you like you are a mental case, who shouldn't even be in the work place with what they call "ordinary people"

Then again, they do say that us humans are "fickle"

 

[sun seeker]

How about telling them that you find you concentrate better when you can see what is going on in the room? It's not lying, you will concentrate better if you aren't triggered.

 

[VioletButterfly]

In the US, the employer may be mandated to report this as a disability and then you will be in the "system." Not telling you this to scare you, but to be careful. That's me though - I feel better staying off the grid if possible.

I like the very good suggestions offered above about just being curious and upbeat about what the configuration will be instead of flat out disclosing. Anyone moving offices would be curious and I think that's quite rational. You know best how to gauge flexibility in your supervisor. If you find that you will be facing a wall, could you not ask to be moved into a different configuration? Hoping it all turns out for the best and sending vibes of comfort for your anxiety. VB