What do you do when your employer seems to want to get rid of you now you have cancer?

[Dee58]

They know they can't sack me.  They said last week I could work from home.  This week my boss rang and said they changed their mind and I am expected to travel and hour from home to the office every day again starting Monday.  I have a strong feeling he wants to make things so unpleasant for me that I will resign.  I can't do that because I'm a widow and my petty income supports not only me but helps my uni daughter and my ageing pets.  Is there a booklet or something I can print and give them that will make them realise they can't bully me?

[Budgie]

Hi @Dee58 ,

Have you asked your boss why he's changed his mind?  Put him on the spot to give you his reasonings as to why he wants you to return to work.  Someone can only bully you if you let them.  

I've included a link to the Cancer Council's booklet on some work issues.  I hope it can help you.  Don't give your boss the satisfaction, if you have the strength inside, of you quitting, unless there's a job you can find closer to home for you that pays the same, if not better.  I hope things work out well for you.

https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Cancer-Work-You_Dec2019.pdf?&utm_source=...

Budgie

[Dee58]

Hi Budgie,  No I haven't talked to him yet... I'm having surgery this Thursday and off work 9 working days and I don't have enough leave to cover that... so I don't want to rock the boat just yet 🙂  Seems the company I work for doesn't roll over unused sick leave.  It's a small business.  But thanks for the link!  Will definitely read it...

x

[Budgie]

Hi @Dee58 ,

Good luck with the surgery tomorrow.  Though I'm sure all will go well.  I understand about not wanting to rock the boat just yet.  

Take care of yourself & rest up well after the op.  💐💐

Budgie 

[Dee58]

Thanks Budgie... I had a real surprise today.  I shared the link to that neckandcancer.org aussie website with management because they kept asking me questions and seemed to htink I was just going in for an ingrown tonail type thing.  So after lunch the whole atmosphere had changed and they were nice to me and said not to worry about sick leave... if I run out of sick leave they will stick take care of me.  I was so flabbergasted and so grateful... totally unexpected and surprising and just wonderful.  So that's another weight off my shoulders 🙂

Thanks for your best wishes!

x

[Budgie]

That's fabulous news!  😃 I'm very happy for you.  Now you can recover without worrying about your job.  Take care.

Budgie 

[Budgie]

Hi @Dee58 ,

How did your surgery go?  I hope you're feeling better each day.  💐💐

Budgie

[Dee58]

Hi Budgie,  it didn't go quite as expected.  The surgeon took out both my tonsils, the one with cancer in and the one without but he couldn't get the rest of my cancer inside my throat area and said the only way to reach it was to saw open my jaw bone and open up my face - and to demonstrate this delightful notion, he used his hands to imitate opening up a book... so naturally I was 100% behind his other suggestion that before he does that he will put me on chemotherapy and radiation therapy and use that other surgery as a last resort... 

so now I am home healing from having my tonsils out... at my age  thats not something I ever thought I'd need!  So I just stay home and heal now until 9 March when I go back to my surgeon/team who will inspect their handiwork and lay out my plan for the next phase... 

Thanks for asking and for your best wishes!  How are you doing?

[Budgie]

I'm sorry to hear they couldn't get it all.  The other surgery does sound quite drastic, doesn't it.   Here's hoping the coming chemo & radiation have the desired effect.   CaptainAustralia started a thread on the side effects of chemo/radiation on the neck area which makes for very interesting reading.   Here's the link to it.

Your experience with side effects from head & neck cancer treatment (radiation / mucositis)

I hope it goes easy on you.

Cheers

Budgie

[Budgie]

Well it looks like it didn't actually link up, but that's the thread title, you can search for it in Treatments & Side Effects.

[Dee58]

Thanks "Budgie"... I will go and look for it.  Thanks for all your advice and help! x