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If you have worked a job while living with T1D, in your current job, which of these statements are true about your experiences with leaving for medical appointments? Select all that apply. (If you do not currently work, please answer for your most recent job.)
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My answer is in error…I did not realize I could choose more than one answer.
I have worked for 2 different companies over the last 35 years and the following have all been true at one place or the other.
Current employer:
I can leave for an appointment and return to work after, but I do not get paid for that time
I can leave for an appointment any time I need
I can leave as long as I notify my job ahead of time
Previous employer:
I need to take paid time off for an appointment
If I leave for an appointment, I have to make up those hours later
I feel pressured by my job not to leave for an appointment
I’m a salaried employee (not hourly), which allows some flexibility. I generally try to schedule my appts before starting or at the end of my work day to avoid disruption.
I always schedule my appointments after my shift which luckily is early afternoon so there is no problem with that.
I work straight nights, so try to book appointments around my shifts. If I can’t, I either try to switch my shift or go short on sleep.
I leave with notice to my manager, either I’m paid using my paid time off, or I can work extra to avoid using that time. When I worked shifts, I had days scheduled off during the week, so I could schedule medical appointments accordingly.
I became medically retired before 1992 and in those decades there were not a great number of laws to make working life easy for me. Many times I was let go on the eighty-ninth day.
I was a college teacher. I scheduled appointments that did not interfere with my schedule.
I put my appointments on the calendar as soon as I make them which is usually at least 3 months in advance. However, if something came up, it would be no problem to leave for the doctor. I work for a great company. I can take paid time off, not charge the time, or make up the time. I usually work enough extra I have already have make-up time to use.
I was fortunate that for majority of my working years I was a salaried employee who could take time off & either use sick time or make up the hours later. The nature of my jobs meant that I would gladly make up hours to fulfill my obligations.
I have worked NIGHT SHIFT most of my life including after my T1D diagnosis so it’s never happened for me to have a medical appointment during the hours I was scheduled to work.
I retired at the beginning of 2008, but prior to that for the previous 20 years I worked out of my house since I traveled for the company almost 100% of the time. As I always worked extra hours either traveling or just because my office was right across the hall from the bedroom, taking time for an appointment was not a big deal.
As a bedside RN, I try to plan my work schedule so I’m off on the day of my appointment. Otherwise I have to change my appointment. When I worked night’s I would get the earliest appointment of the day & go after work. That made for a LONG day, though.
I was a substitute teacher, so I could take off for appointments, but I wouldn’t be paid for that entire day, because a half day assignment might not be available. Also, not being available for a few hours put me at a disadvantage for getting future assignments.
I made my own appointments so I always scheduled time off in between appointments.
Our office is closed 2 days out of the work week, meaning that I work from home the other days. I try to schedule my appointments on those days and have to use my lunch in leu of the time I’m not working.
Any changes to my work schedule are an inconvenience to my employer and they let me know. I feel like my health comes after the company priority in their eyes.
My last job was night shift. I worked Monday through Friday nights for the last 12 years of that job so I usually would schedule on Mondays if I could so that I had a night’s sleep on Sunday. If I had to have an appointment Tues-Thursday, If the time of the appointment interrupted my sleep too much or if I had such an early appointment that I had to leave work early, as long as I notified them a few days in advance, there was no problem leaving. I was paid either by using sick leave or vacation time . I always used sick leave as I had plenty of that saved up since all unused sick leave carried over. Thank goodness for that as I have had quite a few surgeries (not related to diabetes) that required months off at a time.
Other: I worked P/T and was able to schedule my appointments around my shifts.
I am working from home full time now and can schedule my appointments when it’s convenient for me. Prior to March 2020 I was working at home part time and would schedule my appointments on days I was home. Even before I ever worked from home I was able to schedule my appointments whenever I needed at my current and former job.
I just came back from an appointment a short time before seeing this question!
I’ve been a salaried computer programmer for 30 years and since my work is project based I have a considerable amount of control over the hours (time not quantity) I work. Mainly because I frequently need to work nights and weekends (mostly nights) to preform system upgrades.
I’ve worked for roughly 6 different managers at different companies in various industries (Healthcare, IT Software Services, Telecommunications, Online and Print Media, Entertainment and Legal) and I have always been able to schedule and attend medical appointments without issue or problem or affecting my earnings. Only one out of the six managers made it difficult but that manager made most things difficult.
I was a music/choir director, and thought it used up many hours, my time was mine to determine.
Work for a NYC agency. We have apid sick leave, if we exhaust paid sick leave we can charge it to our annual or other leave or take the time without pay. Never had to.
A combination of several of the options given, dependent A LOT who my ‘boss’ was at the time.
Some of my bosses have allowed me to take time to attend appointments without any quibble. Some have required ‘proof’ that I have a hospital, or clinic, appointment in advance, and SOME have made it extremely difficult for me to attend appointments, citing that they couldn’t get cover for the hours that I would be away from work … not that they actually put much effort into finding cover. (I did start finding cover by myself, but those particular bosses would complain about the suitability of the person(s) that I’d requested to cover my abscence. Admittedly, I had to be careful in which people I requested to cover me as my job involved making ‘life-changing’ decisions.)
On saying tha above, I PROBABLY didn’t make it easier on myself as I used to ‘get on my high horse’ and questioned the understanding of the interviewer(s) at times when I was being interviewed for ‘new’ positions. (During interview I used to say something along the lines of “it’s down to your ignorance of diabetes and what it entails.”)
Working salaried or hourly employment created constant issues with employers when I needed medical appointments. Self-employment has presented many financial challenges, but as a solo employer, time off for necessary medical care is available.
I teach emtionally disturbed, violent delinquent adolescant girls so my employer is great abouttime off but I schedule everything for only holidays frpom workbecause beimng away puts too much stress and work for my peers.
I worked part time and scheduled dr. Appointments when I was not working.
Yes, I had sick leave but seldom used it, if ever. If I used vacation time or sick leave, the folders were still piled up for me to file upon my return. Other work like mailing certified mail with return receipt requested was botched in my absence. AIDS was a BIG FEAR, so I was required to go to nurse’s station to inject pre-lunch bolus. Talk about discrimination! Nevertheless, putting up w/ this outright unjustified discrimination for 5 years, got me eligible to choose a TSP. (A 401k with the lowest administrative costs).
I can leave as long as I get an appointment late in the afternoon which is hard to do.
My employer is quite flexible and I get to use allocated sick time for medical appointments of any kind. I am fortunate.
In my career as a nurse, my hours were flexible enough that I could schedule appointments during my personal time off.