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Bullying at Work and Employer breaking the Law

Muckworm

Hi Friends (I think!)

 

I haven't posted for a while and this is why - can anyone make suggestions as to how I cope with my situation at work?

I work full time and have held this job for 6 years now but I made a decision not to disclose to my employer that I had a diagnosis of Autism because I believe I lost my last 2 jobs because of that. And I want to work.

I like the content of my job very much, it suits me - it is methodical and predictable. But recently we have had some staff changes, mainly staff leaving and not being replaced due to financial pressures on the business. One of the staff who left was good to me and we had similar interests and I miss him.

Since he left I have been bullied by another member of staff who he protected me from. I have told my boss and he says 'he is dealing with it' but he can't be because nothing has changed. This person leaves me out - makes drinks for others and not me, brings sweets in for everyone but says I'm not allowed them, swears at me, spreads gossip about me and has started making a mess in the toilet which I am made to clean up.

In addition to this my working hours are now in excess of 48 hours a week. I told my boss this is against EU Working Directive and I think the law as I have not agreed to it and he said, 'if you don't want to work the door's over there'. I am also denied breaks in my day and the other day did 13 hours without a break and was shouted at for going to the toilet.

I don't want to lose this job because I am better off than I have ever been finincially and I like it but I am struggling to cope day to day.

Any suggestions of how to get through this difficult period? I am hoping it is going to be short lived but I don't know.

Thanks for helping out - you have always been so helpful in the past. I have had a good year up till all this happening - I have managed to make some progress in my life socially by joining a group but all that is at risk because I have lost my confidence and I tend to be mute when I am stressed.

Parents

  • This is what the Government hasn't grasped though - as I keep warning NAS, and trying through other channels to inform DWP, most employers are within the law because the kind of discrimination experienced by people on the spectrum is "below the radar" of the DDA - that 1% the employers doesn't have to cover.

    Until it is recognised that people with autism cannot compete effectively within the constructs of social interchange in the workplace, it will remain difficult for people on the spectrum to sustain employment.

    They will continue to endure constructive dismissal, through others making life difficult so they cannot work properly. Or they will continue to suffer in silence, with diminished prospects.

    As I said I endured a lot of this myself. It was trivia, but it seemed to nark work colleagues. OK so I'm a tad weird at times. get over it!  I try to carry on best I can - I don't see why it is so difficult to allow for people misunderstanding meanings, or not being able to follow minor conventions, or not having the right facial expression. Why is it such a big issue?

    NAS just drives me to despair - what sort of advice are you giving employers when you go into work places? You seem confused between those having to go into structured work-places because of more marked autism, and those at the abler end who are able to support themselves in normal jobs, who probably don't do any of the things you tell employers about!

    Take "behaviour - common questions answered" - located in the "understanding behaviours" section under "living with autism" (mostly difficulties with children). Though nested in that position in the menu hierarchy, it is also one of the things that comes up when an employer looks at the site for advice.  Goodness knows what's in the training packages that I'd have to pay to get a look at.

    Zara NAS says NAS encourages people to tell their employer about asperger syndrome, but it is not that easy if you feel you are coping. The available information on aspergers syndrome doesn't seem to help people just dealing with the nuances of social interaction. It brings up things that might well not be representative of the individual, and the employer may think they are covering.

    NAS are also making ridiculous generalisations like computing skills, good timekeeping, attention to detail, routines etc. what does that mean exactly?

    Until NAS examines the work situation more effectively people like Muckworm are going to feel let down time and time again.

Reply

  • This is what the Government hasn't grasped though - as I keep warning NAS, and trying through other channels to inform DWP, most employers are within the law because the kind of discrimination experienced by people on the spectrum is "below the radar" of the DDA - that 1% the employers doesn't have to cover.

    Until it is recognised that people with autism cannot compete effectively within the constructs of social interchange in the workplace, it will remain difficult for people on the spectrum to sustain employment.

    They will continue to endure constructive dismissal, through others making life difficult so they cannot work properly. Or they will continue to suffer in silence, with diminished prospects.

    As I said I endured a lot of this myself. It was trivia, but it seemed to nark work colleagues. OK so I'm a tad weird at times. get over it!  I try to carry on best I can - I don't see why it is so difficult to allow for people misunderstanding meanings, or not being able to follow minor conventions, or not having the right facial expression. Why is it such a big issue?

    NAS just drives me to despair - what sort of advice are you giving employers when you go into work places? You seem confused between those having to go into structured work-places because of more marked autism, and those at the abler end who are able to support themselves in normal jobs, who probably don't do any of the things you tell employers about!

    Take "behaviour - common questions answered" - located in the "understanding behaviours" section under "living with autism" (mostly difficulties with children). Though nested in that position in the menu hierarchy, it is also one of the things that comes up when an employer looks at the site for advice.  Goodness knows what's in the training packages that I'd have to pay to get a look at.

    Zara NAS says NAS encourages people to tell their employer about asperger syndrome, but it is not that easy if you feel you are coping. The available information on aspergers syndrome doesn't seem to help people just dealing with the nuances of social interaction. It brings up things that might well not be representative of the individual, and the employer may think they are covering.

    NAS are also making ridiculous generalisations like computing skills, good timekeeping, attention to detail, routines etc. what does that mean exactly?

    Until NAS examines the work situation more effectively people like Muckworm are going to feel let down time and time again.

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