It's not Monday, is it?
Some days its really not worth getting out of bed. Today, it seemed, was one of those days. My legs were feeling a whole lot better today so I ventured into work. Driving had left me stiff so I grabbed my sticks, went up the stairs and into work. Get through the doors into the call centre and was greeted by my manager saying "oh, I'm not sure you're allowed up here on your crutches."
Um.. say what now?
Cue an entire freaking hour of my poor manager Judy running around like a headless chicken trying to find out what she's supposed to do. She has phone call after phone call with various on and off site health and safety advisors, site specialists etc and I'm sitting here like a lemon not actual able to log in - because if i log in and they have to send me home, it counts as two instances of absence, not one.
The whole thing then devolves into this huge argument between Leon, the H&S guy and Alan, the head of customer service.
Leon insistent that its again H&S for me to be working on the first floor on crutches because its 'not safe' for me to go up and down the stairs.
Alan arguing that it's against the Disability Discrimination Act for them to say that I can't be there, that I can't work on this floor with my team.
I reassured Leon that being on crutches is nothing new, that I've been using them for a good 14 years now and that I'd never had a problem with stairs. He asked about fire alarms and I told him about when I was working on DTZ in Birmingham worked on the 7th floor and had to get down the stairs - which I had no problems doing.
It ended up being agreed with Leon, Alan and Judy that I had to have a 'buddy' so that any time I went anywhere (little llama's room included) Louise has to come with me to make sure I don't fall over.
*sigh*
What amuses me though is that they have a wheelchair accessible toilet on the first floor... but no lift in the building for a wheelchair to GET to the first floor.... makes sense, right?
Um.. say what now?
Cue an entire freaking hour of my poor manager Judy running around like a headless chicken trying to find out what she's supposed to do. She has phone call after phone call with various on and off site health and safety advisors, site specialists etc and I'm sitting here like a lemon not actual able to log in - because if i log in and they have to send me home, it counts as two instances of absence, not one.
The whole thing then devolves into this huge argument between Leon, the H&S guy and Alan, the head of customer service.
Leon insistent that its again H&S for me to be working on the first floor on crutches because its 'not safe' for me to go up and down the stairs.
Alan arguing that it's against the Disability Discrimination Act for them to say that I can't be there, that I can't work on this floor with my team.
I reassured Leon that being on crutches is nothing new, that I've been using them for a good 14 years now and that I'd never had a problem with stairs. He asked about fire alarms and I told him about when I was working on DTZ in Birmingham worked on the 7th floor and had to get down the stairs - which I had no problems doing.
It ended up being agreed with Leon, Alan and Judy that I had to have a 'buddy' so that any time I went anywhere (little llama's room included) Louise has to come with me to make sure I don't fall over.
*sigh*
What amuses me though is that they have a wheelchair accessible toilet on the first floor... but no lift in the building for a wheelchair to GET to the first floor.... makes sense, right?