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Harassment or Discrimination at work

miaxx
over 1 year ago

Yesterday I had a meeting in which my manager called me ‘unapproachable’ and said that I ‘should smile more’.

My job is not customer facing and I work primarily on a computer with little to no need to collaborate with colleagues as a part of my job.

I have already told my manager that I’m Autistic, and I also suffer with PMDD. They are well aware that this can make it difficult for me to communicate with others.

I have applied for reasonable adjustments but they are digging their heels in at every corner.

I’m not really sure what I can do, but I feel like this is harassment or discrimination? And I don’t feel that calling me unapproachable is very appropriate? Any advice? Should I take it further?

Parents
  • over 1 year ago

    OK, it's time to be ready to fight. I guess that you are from UK.

    First, do you have any official diagnosis? If not, get one. If yes, get a letter from the provider. Send it to the HR and have it put in your personal folder. Explain to the HR that asking you to "smile more" and "be more approachable" is like going to somebody with missing legs and telling them to stand and dance. Ask for a meeting with an occupational therapist and explain your difficulties to them, using your official letter as proof.

    At this point, you are set up. Any pressure from your manager or anybody else can be used for a big discrimination lawsuit that you will surely win. Believe me, the HR does not want that and will bend backwards to accommodate you.

    In the meantime, make sure you meet all your KPI. Take a good look at your job contract and job description, make sure that they have no grounds to let you go. Unless your job description says "the employer is required to smile, joke and socialize", your manager is not allowed you to tell you anything.


    I am more or less in the same situation as you. My advice is to soldier on, and look for a more ASD friendly workplace (good luck haha). In the meantime, forget about being promoted.

Reply
  • over 1 year ago

    OK, it's time to be ready to fight. I guess that you are from UK.

    First, do you have any official diagnosis? If not, get one. If yes, get a letter from the provider. Send it to the HR and have it put in your personal folder. Explain to the HR that asking you to "smile more" and "be more approachable" is like going to somebody with missing legs and telling them to stand and dance. Ask for a meeting with an occupational therapist and explain your difficulties to them, using your official letter as proof.

    At this point, you are set up. Any pressure from your manager or anybody else can be used for a big discrimination lawsuit that you will surely win. Believe me, the HR does not want that and will bend backwards to accommodate you.

    In the meantime, make sure you meet all your KPI. Take a good look at your job contract and job description, make sure that they have no grounds to let you go. Unless your job description says "the employer is required to smile, joke and socialize", your manager is not allowed you to tell you anything.


    I am more or less in the same situation as you. My advice is to soldier on, and look for a more ASD friendly workplace (good luck haha). In the meantime, forget about being promoted.

Children
  • over 1 year ago in reply to Judge Dredd

    So, I don’t have an official diagnosis. Only because when I went to my assessment on the NHS they said ‘you have all the traits of being autistic but we won’t diagnose you as you’re able to work and we don’t think it would be any help to you’ (helpful, thank you NHS). 

    I’m currently using my OCD and PMDD diagnosis to get my reasonable adjustments, even though I don’t have to be diagnosed officially as being autistic to have adjustments. 

    I have been to occupational health who also said I would benefit from working from home, amongst other things. I have an official letter from them stating I struggle with X,Y,Z and it would all be helped by WFH. 

    I do need to find my contract, actually. I’m sure it probably says I need to be able to communicate but being approachable and smiley absolutely is not on there.