I feel like I’m being pushed out by my company.
I work for a large UK employer and have been there for just over a year as a customer service advisor, taking inbound calls and managing claims.
Several months after starting, I developed severe symptoms that eventually affected my ability to work. Earlier this year I had surgery and was diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis.
These are chronic conditions that cause me daily pain, nausea, fatigue, brain fog and other symptoms. My pain is now present throughout the month rather than just around my period.
Before my diagnosis, Occupational Health recommended that I work from home full-time, with regular reviews. My employer agreed, and I was also given additional personal break time as a reasonable adjustment.
Working from home doesn’t affect my performance or the business. My role is entirely phone and computer based, so there is no real difference between working from home and being in the office.
The role is very fast-paced, with calls automatically coming through as soon as I’m available. The only way to manage my symptoms is to step away from my desk using my personal break allowance.
Since my surgery, I’ve struggled with the telephone aspect of the job because speaking while I’m in severe pain or feeling nauseous can be extremely difficult. I’ve asked several times whether I could move into a more administrative role with less telephone work, but I’ve been told the business can’t support that adjustment.
What I find difficult is that I’ve seen colleagues moved into more administrative roles for personal reasons, which makes me wonder why this isn’t being considered as a reasonable adjustment for me.
Although my absence triggers have been adjusted because of my health, I’m now facing a formal absence review after having more disability-related absence. My manager has told me not to worry, but I can’t help feeling like I’m being pushed out because of my condition.
I’ve also been told that although I now have a confirmed diagnosis, no additional reasonable adjustments will be considered because they believe they’ve already been accommodating me.
More recently I reduced my contracted hours to help manage my condition, but this also reduced my salary. While it has helped slightly, I still can’t predict when my symptoms will flare up.
Because my symptoms have become worse since surgery, I often need more short breaks during the day than my current adjustment allows. My employer has now told me that any additional time needs to come out of my unpaid lunch break.
I’m starting to feel like I’m being managed out of my job because of my disability.
My questions are:
Under UK law, what rights do I have in this situation?
Does my employer have to consider additional reasonable adjustments now I have a confirmed diagnosis?
Can they refuse to consider alternative duties or a more administrative role if similar roles exist?
Is it reasonable for disability-related breaks to come out of my unpaid lunch break?
Is there anything I should do before my formal absence review?
I’d really appreciate any advice from anyone familiar with UK employment law or reasonable adjustments.