u/notreallythatperfect

I work in a small daycare, only around 35-40 kids. It’s 2 different classrooms and we have 8 total employees. Back in February one of my coworkers allegedly got injured on the job. It started with her not being able to do the cooking for the kids anymore so she’d help with smaller classroom tasks. Flash forward 3.5 months and she is now wearing double wrist braces and saying she can’t use her hands for anything.
A teacher asks her to hand them a tissue? “I can’t”
Hold a pipe cleaner? “I can’t”
Pat a child’s back at nap time? “I can’t”
However she can carry around her own backpack all day, open the fridge and microwave for her own lunch, open and lock the bathroom door when she goes to the bathroom, adjust the Velcro on her wrist braces every few minutes, and most recently, untie ribbon from a gift basket she received for teacher appreciation week with zero problem.
I’m so beyond frustrated at work, it’s a stressful job, caring for 20 children at a time. My other coworkers aren’t blind to this either, and often complain about the lack of assistance she provides for the children but can provide for herself.

Our bosses have informed us this much, she’s pursuing an L&I claim. Because we are such a small school (family owned too) they can’t exactly afford to send her home and pay a whole new person to do her job. They are going through serious family trouble currently as well. The rest of us have been picking up her job tasks for the time being and it’s starting to weigh on morale. But since she is pursuing L&I our bosses also can’t fire her and hire someone new. No end in sight on this either 🥲 I’m tired.