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Posted 10/30/2013 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
Ok, so I have medical issues, quite a few. But I work full time, if I'm having a good day I work through lunch because I know I might need that extra hour for a doctors appointment or if I'm having a bad day leave work early. I get cold easily, 70 degrees might as well be freezing! I had a a little space heater under my desk because of it.

Now my boss brings me into her office yesterday, and tells me I cannot work through lunch without permission. (I am a grown woman! If I work my 40 hrs a week then leave me alone!). Earlier in the day I got into work and found my space heater gone, my boss tells me she took it away because I left it on when I had to leave work early on friday because I got a call from my husband who needed me to take him to the ER! Hello! I am soooooo sorry that in my rush to help my husband I forgot to turn the heater off!

Im 30 years old, I served 6 years in the military (successfully, I only got out because I wanted to be a mom first not a sailor first), and I got my BA in 3 years! I am a darn responsible person! Stop treating me like im a baby!

Does anyone else have these kind of issues? She has been rude to me lately, and because of my doctors appointments I have to bring a note to her for everything! She does not make anyone else do this, including the other people who show up to work whenever they feel like it (I'm always here at least 15 minutes early for work, oh and she complains about that too), leave because they have stuff at home they need to do (yes that is what they tell her and she just smiles and says "ok, see you later"). My husband had emergancy knee surgery, and she was mad because he ended up having two surgeries, I had to drive him and take care of the kids. How dare I!!!

Posted 10/30/2013 6:57 PM (GMT 0)
Venting always helps!

Just be super-sweet and professional, and there is little she can do.

I would be irritated that she took the space heater, but it could have been a fire danger over the weekend.

It may be that the rules are coming from further up the food chain, too.
Posted 10/30/2013 7:02 PM (GMT 0)
It is a fire danger, but her exact words were "I took away your space heater, until you can remember to turn it off you cannot have it back!", rude tone and all......its not coming from the higher ups either....its just how she is....blah
Posted 10/30/2013 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
I have experienced that kinda crap too. Luckily, I have an amazing boss now. We had hurricane force winds come through Ohio 5 years ago now? Anyways, my little village got slammed and we were without power for 5 days. I had a 8 month old and 10 year old at the time. I called in every day to give my boss a status report and do you know when I got back (mind you he never asked if my family was ok or if we needed anything) he threatened to write me up and wanted to know why my Husband didn't stay home so I could go to work. I have never wanted to punch someone soooo much in my whole life!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alas...I sucked every bit of it up because the health care was amazing.

Maybe you could purchase a timer for the space heater. So that no matter what it goes off by 4pm or something like that?
Posted 10/30/2013 7:31 PM (GMT 0)
a timer might work! thanks for the idea! and the support, its just nice to know im not alone...
Posted 10/30/2013 11:18 PM (GMT 0)
I once had a boss like that. She was one unhappy camper, not just with me, but with the other staff members and also the children we worked with (large daycare center).

The good news was she must have eventually realized that SHE, not anyone else, had the issues, and she decided to quit. We then got an amazing, wonderful new boss whom we all loved!!

Hang in there!!
Posted 10/31/2013 12:16 AM (GMT 0)
Sounds like she needs a reality check.. sorry you are having such bad trouble.. as for the timer for your heater...
Go to the christmas section and get one of those that you can set to go on and off at certain times, but also you can set it for days..so it wont go on at all over the weekend.
Good Luck... glad to see you are at least comfortable enough to come vent :)
Posted 10/31/2013 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
Is your company large enough to have an HR department? If so you might contact them about the harassment you are dealing with. It is easy enough to establish that you have rights under the American's with disabilities act. Most large companies are afraid of being sued so they'll fall all over themselves to correct any behavior that might be considered harassment due to a disability.

Your boss is though, likely right about you not being able to skip your lunch hour. Most states have rules about that and a company that allows you to work through might later be found to be "forcing" people to skip their lunches...and once again they could be sued. One of my co-workers was trying to work through her lunch hour so she could go to an exercise class and her supervisor was told if she allowed that they could both be fired. She was, however, allowed to shorten her lunch to half an hour on several days so she could take off early.

I've worked in situations where I was being treated like a child and I resented it like heck! Often it is an issue that your supervisor/manager/department had with another employee who took advantage of them so now they won't allow anyone any latitude. I hope you are able to get some help from your HR department.
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