My job is making me crazy/boss harrassing me

[buckeyegurrl]

Can you file a WC claim if your boss harasses you to the point that you are afraid to work?
Since my boss has been harassing (or at least using her job title inappropriately), my medical problems have been exacerbated. I have several auto immune disorders. Stress can inflame auto immune disorders. A few of these disorders are Chron's disease, endometriosis, and I found out by my doctor today, Raynaud's.
I literally throw up at work, or I will have diarrhea. I get so dizzy that I lose my balance. It interferes with my life. I forget where I am driving and get lost. I forget peoples names. I make a mayo and jelly sandwich instead of peanut butter. I put my car keys in the silverware drawer. I forget what day it is. It is causing me to mess up at work too, which gives my boss the ammunition she wants against me.
I have went to the union regarding her. I have requested to file a grievance against her. The union agrees that she is treating me very poorly. But nothing has been done to her. I have bid on other positions where I work. I either do not have the senority or I do not qualify for the position. I have been looking for a job since this began hardcore back in October of 2008. I've had one interview and I didn't get it because it was per diem work.
If I can't find a job anywhere else, can I file WC? My family doctor told me today that the stress I am under at work will cause medical problems. I also started seeing a counselor and they believe that my boss is harassing me.
What do I do? What can I do? I know this sounds lame. This is the first time I have ever encountered a situation like this. I have NEVER had any problems at work.
I literally feel like I am dying. No appetite, and if I do eat I throw up sometimes. Im always dizzy. I'm exhausted.
Any advice or two cents you have will be greatly appreciated!

[jayne]

Not to burst your bubble.....but you are gonna have to have more than your word she is doing it.....co workers seeing or also having the same problems with her ect... cuz when it comes down to your word or hers they will take hers to keep from paying a dime.....

[1171]

workers comp was not set up to be a substitute for unemployment.

you should have an injury to receive comp benefits.
While harrassment may result in an injury it is not itself an injury.
"Fear of working" is not listed as diagnosis in the Psyschological manual (DSM IV)

only certain & specific discrimination is illegal.
Should it be directed at one of the protected classes you may have reason to file a discrimination complaint.
http://www.eeoc.gov/index.html

Each state has different laws about psyche & emotional claims. without knowing your state it's unknown whether your situation would qualify.

[backache]

1171 I usually agree with you and I know that you are more than likely correct on the law, but I have been both beaten down in a physical manner and in words in my life ....Unfortunately the words are what first come to mind when I read this. Physical distress is definately a part of my daily life. But if you ask me what I felt like last week compared to today I would say the pain is about the same...On the other hand if you asked me my most painful day on this earth...It would not be when I gave birth to one of my children or when I was beaten down so far I couldn't stand up it would be the day I held my Mom's hand while she died and she asked me to help her and as a daughter and nurse I couldn't. I guess it is how we as individual's handle pain. I would never let anyone harm a child, elderly person or someone that cannot stand up for themselves. Heaven forbid don't harm an animal that can't take care of it itself....... rattlesnakes and rats can take care of themselves, although I have saved them when it came down to it......Buckeyegirl, who I presume is a girl because of the girl in her name .... I would also think she is from Ohio, it being the Buckeye State. I think she is in terrible pain and hopefully since I always depend on you 1171, Still ,Red, Jayne and all of the others who have basically saved me from going insane to find the answers to all of my questions. Please guys help this poor girl out.Thanks Backache.....
Buckeye , Raynaud's disease is nothing to mess with....don't allow your hands or feet to get cold like doing freezer work etc. Raynauds attacks can be precipitated by cold or emotionanal upset. The condition occurs almost exclusively in young women, especially those experiencing tension and emotional pressure. PM me if I can help you, my daughter went through this.....

[buckeyegurrl]

1171 Wrote:workers comp was not set up to be a substitute for unemployment.

you should have an injury to receive comp benefits.
While harrassment may result in an injury it is not itself an injury.
"Fear of working" is not listed as diagnosis in the Psyschological manual (DSM IV)

only certain & specific discrimination is illegal.
Should it be directed at one of the protected classes you may have reason to file a discrimination complaint.
http://www.eeoc.gov/index.html

Each state has different laws about psyche & emotional claims. without knowing your state it's unknown whether your situation would qualify.

sorry i didnt put that i am from ohio in my first post.
im not looking for unemployment benefits. i have a folder of jobs i have been applying to since last october. sixty one to be exact. i looked into what is considered as a wc claim, and psychological problems is a blurb in all the mess to unravel.
i work in a professional career. i have many letters of recommendations and have worked alongside world renowned professionals. I do not want to give too many specific details of what i do or where i work or who i have worked with, sorry.
my "fear of working," is that my boss has beaten me down, emotionally, verbally, psychologically. i have never encountered a situation like this before. i have seen bosses play "favorites" but i have never witnessed anything like this.
as i stated in my first post, the union has said they feel she is treating me poorly, because of the information i am able to provide them. i have a journal that is about two inches thick full of information and the double standard she plays with me and other coworkers. other coworkers have seen the way she treats me. i do not speak to anyone in regards to this situation. when a coworker makes a comment regarding something that the boss has said or done to me, i say nothing in return.
i also saw my family physician today, who also feels that the stress my boss is putting me under has resulted in my medical problems to be exacerbated. my counselor has also agreed that my boss is harassing me. not just because of my word, but because i can prove it. i have emails from her as well. she has broken the rules of the union contract as well. i have my journal, which can provide direct correlation to things she has tried to write me up with, yet is not writing other people up. im sorry i cant give you more information as to what this information is.
im not looking for a way to make money and not have to work. i have applied for many jobs. alot of them even paying minimum wage. my logic in looking at an alternative is that i do have medical problems otherwise. the stress of my current work environment, because of my boss, is making them worse. this is documented by my family physician, my counselor, and my women doctor.
ive had these medical problems for years. ive also worked in a more stressful job, as in duties. its not the job that is stressing me out, it is what the boss does to me.
i would rather just find another job, which i continue to seek everyday. what can i do otherwise? let this person continue to reek havoc on my life?

[Bummer Knees]

After my first wc surgery I was returned to work and worked in the office working beside my supervisor for a short time.

My supervisor would make comments toward me, "You didn't have to file a work comp claim, and when you reach MMI there will be no work for you"
Next, classroom teachers were telling me the supervisor was making rude comments and saying lies about me. Course non of the teachers would talk to me after I hired an attorney.

What I am saying is I understand the stress you are experiencing and we all know stress worsens our medical condition.

My attorney told me it would come down to a he said/ she said and I would lose in court....Jayne is correct in her post.

I would start documenting what happens at work, are there rules in your work place about you having a tape recorder at work, may come in handy.

And I would start looking for a work comp attorney, I believe the first visit is free and the attorney would tell you if you have a work comp case.

Also start gathering your medical records.

Good luck
Bummer Knees

[jayne]

always and forever I will help any injured worker and I will do it with heart..it is well documented where people go postal because of bullys in school and supervisers at work...but we live in a world that have thrown common decency out the window..and then act shocked when a bullied student shoots up a school or worker shoots another..your supervisor has a supervisor go to them then if that doesnt work find you a employment lawyer..take all your proof and sue the pants off em....No one has the right to hurt you this way and if she is that cruel she needs to be reported....talk to the americans with a disabilty people as she is tormenting you and making your disabilties worse.....unless you can get some of your co workers to back you up you may have a hard time....then again they may be wanting to let her go but need someone else to report her to be able to.......or you can always whup her fanny for her and blame it on PTSD everyone else does.....

[buckeyegurrl]

thank you bummer knees. im just drawing at straws for other options. im not trying to "take the easy way out." i really do get physically ill while at work. i get diarrhea in the morning while getting ready for work. its by far the worst experience i have ever had. i have had several major surgeries as well in my life, but this situation has been the worst yet.
my boss also talks about me. at least that is what other coworkers have said. but i do not get involved in the "chatter." according to coworkers, they have been asked by her to "watch" me.
i bought a stupid high tech phone with an app that i can journal in. it also has a recording device. anyone that knows me knows that i do not like high tech phones. i needed something to protect me and it is convenient to journal in while at lunch with the days events.
one of the union people told me that they have had many problems with this boss doing things to people. i do not know if it has been harassment. but i do know the boss followed a worker out to their car and would not let them leave because the boss wanted them to stay. the boss isnt protected by the union so i do not understand why they have not fired her.
this is my impression of things though......
the place i work for has been going through restructuring, over and over for the past five years at least. i have worked there for two. they have laid off many people. it has affected the service we provide. (im sorry, but i do not want to give specifics as to what i do). my boss reigns over a very large area. an area that should have at least 3-4 bosses to run effectively. my boss acts like she is the most important person at work. she doesnt care if you are on the phone or face to face with a "customer/client." my thought is that she is power hungry enough to take a job title just so she can have the power and the employer knows she is dumb enough to do 4-5 bosses job for pennies on the dollar.
the place is a mess. my employer is well known in the community and i hear from people i meet at how they will never use my employers services because of the inefficiency, attitudes, flow of things, and poor customer service, on top of just poor service.
i know this may be difficult to understand because i do not want to reveal what type of work i do.
i just wish i could find another job. i hope and pray day and night that something comes along.
thanks for the ear....sorry i ramble. i just type as thoughts are coming out and dont worry about punctuation:-)

Bummer Knees Wrote:After my first wc surgery I was returned to work and worked in the office working beside my supervisor for a short time.

My supervisor would make comments toward me, "You didn't have to file a work comp claim, and when you reach MMI there will be no work for you"
Next, classroom teachers were telling me the supervisor was making rude comments and saying lies about me. Course non of the teachers would talk to me after I hired an attorney.

What I am saying is I understand the stress you are experiencing and we all know stress worsens our medical condition.

My attorney told me it would come down to a he said/ she said and I would lose in court....Jayne is correct in her post.

I would start documenting what happens at work, are there rules in your work place about you having a tape recorder at work, may come in handy.

And I would start looking for a work comp attorney, I believe the first visit is free and the attorney would tell you if you have a work comp case.

Also start gathering your medical records.

Good luck
Bummer Knees

[buckeyegurrl]

very good point. i could never see myself as the postal type though. but you make a very valid point.
for the people who know me, they know that i am very laid back, very non judgmental, i am able to find something good in anything (well almost). when family and friends have problems, im the one they come to. im a very positive person. i have a host of medical problems, as i have mentioned, but i havent mentioned them all. im 33 and have been suffering with a multitude of problems since i was 18. ive had multiple surgeries. in all of that, i have always been able to keep a positive attitude and outlook.
this is the first time that i feel as if i am dying inside. i literally feel like i am dying. i can not explain it. my counselor has diagnosed me with a major depression and has started me on antidepressants. i have never been on antidepressants. it really gets my goat that after everything i have already been through that this person is the one that is able to break me.
it makes me sick, in every way, to think that she has gotten the best of me. ive seen counselors before because of all the medical problems. not once was i diagnosed with depression. of course we all have our bad days, but i was not found to have any clinical depression until now.
for the rest of my life i will have this in my medical record, because this person.
i try not to judge people, but i think my boss is mean and not a very nice person.
ok, i said it out loud, i feel better. but i also feel bad for judging her. maybe she had a traumatic childhood or something.

jayne Wrote:always and forever I will help any injured worker and I will do it with heart..it is well documented where people go postal because of bullys in school and supervisers at work...but we live in a world that have thrown common decency out the window..and then act shocked when a bullied student shoots up a school or worker shoots another..your supervisor has a supervisor go to them then if that doesnt work find you a employment lawyer..take all your proof and sue the pants off em....No one has the right to hurt you this way and if she is that cruel she needs to be reported....talk to the americans with a disabilty people as she is tormenting you and making your disabilties worse.....unless you can get some of your co workers to back you up you may have a hard time....then again they may be wanting to let her go but need someone else to report her to be able to.......or you can always whup her (Jayne's lame attempt to bypass the Bad Word Filter) for her and blame it on PTSD everyone else does.....

[bronco54501]

Wow buckeyegurrl

Sounds like you have a bad boss/supervisor what ever she is. I know you dont post your job and we dont know what you do. But with all said I would be seriously looking into maybe go back to school for something else. You need to get out of that enviroment and seriously WC aint the answer unless you can afford to be beaten down some more and with out pay unless you win. I have seen and had a few bosses like that and unless your thier little brown noser you really do get the shaft, it's just to bad people have to be that way. It has turned into a cut throat world so in your case do to her what she would do to you. Go seek a lawyer and sue her pants off and your employer too. I hope you find the answers and it gets better.............Also just take it easy and relax, I know its easy for me to say but you can only be incharge of your own life..........Bronco