Published on 12, July, 2020
So it turns out the stress and anxiety induced by commuting into London for work is a major contributing factor to my Crohn's disease which I've had for over 10 years.
Since the pandemic started I've been working from home and my Crohn's has healed, drug free, for the most part. It's been quite incredible.
Now, as a freelancer, the 2 companies I work with predominantly, have decided that everyone must work on site again. They don't care if you are disabled or not, everyone must return to the office.
I've been a loyal and very hardworking freelancer for them for about 9/10 years, but this doesn't seem to impact on the situation.
For the first time in years I had a panic attack today and am continuing to feel hyper anxious at the idea of commuting back into London again. A round trip of 4+ hours.
I don't understand why, given the climate crisis we are in, plus the pivot to home working that was so successful, that companies are requiring staff to commute 100s of miles a week again?
Is it just me or is this irresponsible and ignorant? Especially to those with disabilities??
The poster may not be covered by occupational health if they are a freelancer but it’s worth a try.
I applied for a job with a local nhs trust once who are supposedly a disability confident employer. One of the interviewers told me in writing that I couldn’t be disabled because I had managed to apply for the job. I eventually got a (partial) apology from the acting chief executive of the trust but no interview.
I'd consider asking to see occupational health. It's clear that the move had a hugely beneficial outcome for you, and probably made you more productive as a result. I don't know what you've disclosed to your employer in the past, but the fact that you will be healthier and therefore able to work more, should hopefully allow them to see the benefits.
I found myself in a similar situation a couple of years ago and ended up leaving the company for one that offered full-time remote work (and significantly more money).
I think people have this misguided idea that if you're 'really disabled' then you wouldn't be able to work, and that if you can work at all, even if it's only a certain amount or under specific conditions, then any accommodations you ask for are just you being entitled or fussy rather than genuinely asking for what you need. It's extremely tedious. You'd think people would be delighted to get more out of an employee in return for minimal effort, but no.
It’s not irresponsible and ignorant. Some companies believe for better or worse they will be more productive with everyone in the office although personally I would have thought a hybrid approach would be better. You can try arguing for reasonable adjustments to be made in view of your disabilities but I doubt you’ll get anywhere if you managed to work in London pre-Covid although you could argue your crohn’s means you weren’t managing ultimately you may have to decide between continuing to work for them in London or finding other employers