I am grateful to have a job, but can't I just work?
It is that time of year again. The time when my work has a hissy fit about my shoes. Again. Every year.
You'd think I'd be used to it by now. That I'd just let it roll right off me. I tried. I did the deep breaths, I counted backwards and forwards to 10 then to 20, I was polite, I stayed calm, and I did not cry. For my efforts I have one massive pounding headache and a supervisor that thinks maybe HR should look at my shoes and see what they say.
Okay, here's the lowdown. I have a chronic problem with my lower back and right hip which affects my right knee, ankle, and foot. This means that shoes with heels are out, shoes that pinch are out, shoes with slick bottoms are out, shoes without a heel strap or closed heel are out. You get the idea. If I wear a shoe that doesn't work or is too heavy in the wrong places I lose feeling in my feet (yes, both feet) and then my right ankle and then on up the right leg. Not, oh it hurts, but actual loss of feeling like I don't have nerves going down there. Touch my own skin can't feel it except in my fingertips type stuff.
There are currently four types of shoes that work: Crocs (the Mary Jane style ones work best), Vibram lady's light trail sandal, Five Finger's shoes, and my hot weather "jungle" combat boots.
Now I have no problem getting a doctor's note for the Crocs, the boots, or the Five Fingers. I don't see the point on the Vibrams since they are sandals. And here is the sticking point: My work says that the Vibrams are not acceptable because they look too much like tennis shoes.
Okay, fine. Problem is that the Agency policy doesn't say squat about shoes. AT ALL. So telling me I'm against a policy that doesn't actually say anything about shoes is just stupid. Stupid.
And then there is the doctor's note. OMG. So, first my normal doctor has moved so I'll have to see the new one before I can get the note. Then, work says the note can not be on the prescription pad of the doctor's. It has to be on the doctor's letterhead with a signature and it must state that there is not alternative to the shoes the note is allowing, including orthopedics or inserts.
Which, fine. They want me to piss off the doctor by telling him that his own prescription pad with his own name and his own signature isn't acceptable, okay doeky. I'm hoping they aren't surprised when I bring back a letter on letterhead allowing all four types of shoes with model numbers and possibly sizes. With an attached copy of the MRI that shows the lumbar damage. And a copy of the nasty letter the old doctor wrote them last year telling work off for not accepting the prescription note.
The reason for this crap, I'm told, is that the public judges us on our appearance. Riiiight. In the last month I've run into the "public" about six times while going to or coming from the bathroom. That's about once a week or so. I don't think any of them actually looked at my shoes (or gave a shit, really). For some reason I find that reasoning to be faulty. Just a bit.
It is stupid. We all know this. I know they look more like sandals. I know the policy doesn't say anything about shoes. I know, I know. I can't do anything about the way work is being stupid.
There aren't enough fries or chocolate or ice cream to fix this day. Or enough smut for that matter.
You'd think I'd be used to it by now. That I'd just let it roll right off me. I tried. I did the deep breaths, I counted backwards and forwards to 10 then to 20, I was polite, I stayed calm, and I did not cry. For my efforts I have one massive pounding headache and a supervisor that thinks maybe HR should look at my shoes and see what they say.
Okay, here's the lowdown. I have a chronic problem with my lower back and right hip which affects my right knee, ankle, and foot. This means that shoes with heels are out, shoes that pinch are out, shoes with slick bottoms are out, shoes without a heel strap or closed heel are out. You get the idea. If I wear a shoe that doesn't work or is too heavy in the wrong places I lose feeling in my feet (yes, both feet) and then my right ankle and then on up the right leg. Not, oh it hurts, but actual loss of feeling like I don't have nerves going down there. Touch my own skin can't feel it except in my fingertips type stuff.
There are currently four types of shoes that work: Crocs (the Mary Jane style ones work best), Vibram lady's light trail sandal, Five Finger's shoes, and my hot weather "jungle" combat boots.
Now I have no problem getting a doctor's note for the Crocs, the boots, or the Five Fingers. I don't see the point on the Vibrams since they are sandals. And here is the sticking point: My work says that the Vibrams are not acceptable because they look too much like tennis shoes.
Okay, fine. Problem is that the Agency policy doesn't say squat about shoes. AT ALL. So telling me I'm against a policy that doesn't actually say anything about shoes is just stupid. Stupid.
And then there is the doctor's note. OMG. So, first my normal doctor has moved so I'll have to see the new one before I can get the note. Then, work says the note can not be on the prescription pad of the doctor's. It has to be on the doctor's letterhead with a signature and it must state that there is not alternative to the shoes the note is allowing, including orthopedics or inserts.
Which, fine. They want me to piss off the doctor by telling him that his own prescription pad with his own name and his own signature isn't acceptable, okay doeky. I'm hoping they aren't surprised when I bring back a letter on letterhead allowing all four types of shoes with model numbers and possibly sizes. With an attached copy of the MRI that shows the lumbar damage. And a copy of the nasty letter the old doctor wrote them last year telling work off for not accepting the prescription note.
The reason for this crap, I'm told, is that the public judges us on our appearance. Riiiight. In the last month I've run into the "public" about six times while going to or coming from the bathroom. That's about once a week or so. I don't think any of them actually looked at my shoes (or gave a shit, really). For some reason I find that reasoning to be faulty. Just a bit.
It is stupid. We all know this. I know they look more like sandals. I know the policy doesn't say anything about shoes. I know, I know. I can't do anything about the way work is being stupid.
There aren't enough fries or chocolate or ice cream to fix this day. Or enough smut for that matter.