Communicating effectively with boss.

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I started working a security job a month ago, full-time. The last two weeks have been very difficult as I am working too much. This last week I started having panic attacks, after not experiencing them for at least a year.

I contacted my boss and let him know that I need to go to a part-time work schedule. That was almost a week ago when he said he'd get back to me. Today I had to call in sick due to extreme anxiety. I'm worried that he is not making it a priority to get someone in my position so that I can go part-time, and in the meantime I am disolving physically and mentally. I don't want to lose my job. I also have not disclosed my disability.

Can anyone give their feedback, or perhaps a script of what to say in regards to reinforcing my need for less work hours? As with a lot of instances, I just don't know what to verbally say.

disclosing my disability was the turning point for me. I wasn't diagnosed when I started the job, I didn't even have a clue, and I found out 5 months into the job. It was really difficult for me until I finally got myself diagnosed and then applied for the Family Medical Leave Act and got 12 weeks of 'intermittent' Leave Of Absence. Now when I gotta have a 'mental health day' I can call in and use a vacation day instead, except when you run out of vacation days you don't get paid. I can even go to a quiet room at work, but that is really not adequate (the room is the 'nursing mothers' room and has a motion detector light you can't turn out.) The hardest part is realizing I am heading for a melt down and getting the hell out of there before I embarrass both them and myself.

I don't know what it might be like to disclose after you got the job. If they don't make an issue of that, then go for the FMLA and see what works for you. All I needed was a note from a psychologist and a meeting with HR and my boss and my bosses boss and we worked it all out.

Good luck! I know how you feel about 'dissolving'. I feel that too, but well, we gotta work, eh?

Merle

I have been on SSDI, and this job is my attempt to go back to work. I have just found that I really need to only be working part-time for now. Tomorrow I am going to call my boss again and ask him about the part-time thing. I don't understand why he told me that he would get back to me. I thought it would be simple to just cut my hours and let someone else have extra hours.

I feel very anxious.

I get that way too, when I am going to talk to authority. Especially if it is part of my job. Keep it simple, don't make it like it's his fault, and just state plainly what you need to do. He can either do it or he can't and your only real problem is if he puts you off again. If you press, he might just stop the problem by laying you off, and if you don't, he might just put you off again. Either way, you don't get what you want. It might be that he doesn't have enough people that passed the background check and that he trusts to show up (we are excellent that way and people like us are in short supply) and actually needs you.

So try to relax and get some good sleep and relax when you call him in the morning. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Merle

I just don't take abuse well, or bullying at work, andleave, so theposter is good to ask here and not to explode at work. I have been asking everyone for help for many many yrs. As far as known, the FMLA is unpaid leave, so you still would not have money coming in.. why should I accept jobs that I know, from past experience, I am not good at and that are not for me?

Whenever I have difficulty in getting my point of view across to people I write down what I want to say or ask, in a letter or an email. That way I can change it until I'm happy with what it says. I usually end up saying the wrong thing/not saying what I really mean, so writing it down makes it easier - plus you have a record of the communication between you and your boss. This could also be an easier way to tell him about you disability.