dh returning to work

[misdee]

dh had a meeting at work yesterday and they want him to return and he also wants to return as he is fed up of kicking round the house after 2years being off. He is classed as disabled due to his heart condition. he cant return to his previous job (beers wines and spirits supervisor) as he cant do the heavy lifting involved but they are finally offering the chance of a sit down job either on check outs or admin. They want to start him on very part time hours building up slowly which he is happy to do. They have said that to keep him on sick for 2years without ending his contract means he is a valued member of staff.
On one hand dh would love to work, but is also scared of how it will affect him healthwise. even with a sit down job he will have to get up and have a small walk every 30mins or so to keep his circulation moving and to avoid blood clots. if he goes on check outs he will have to enforce the fact he cant also do the other check out-y things like carrying shopping out to cars or trollies etc. But he also thinks that if he actually leaves he may find it hard to get a job later on. altho people cant discrimate against illness we know it will be a major hurdle in his work life. there are going to be days when he is off as he will feel too bad, even asda indepent doc they called in said this is a serious problem and will affect his work if he does return.

thing is, i would love for dh to return to work as he will stop feeling quite so useless as he currently cant do much and to be earning even a small amount will make him feel better and a bit more independant, but at the same time am worried as to how he will treated and will the stress of working be worth it.

[marialuisa]

Misdee, it sounds as if an admin role would bebetter for him than checkouts. Can he negotiate such a position with Asda? If their own doc has agreed that there are probs then they will be extra careful not to ask him to do too much I would think. Perhaps he can get written understanding prior to return about the things taht are worrying him, healthwisw IYSWIM. I think it would probably help your DH to go back to work and if it doesn't work out at least he will have a better idea of the sort of job he could manage and then find something suitable. Even if it isn't as gooad as his previous role it sounds as if some sort of work would help his self-esteem etc.

[GillW]

Could he ask for regular reviews of how it's going, and whether the work he's being asked do causes any problems, given his condition. Presumably they'd have to do this each time they were looking at increasing his hours anyway.

Agree with marialuisa that admin sounds more suittable - it wouldn't be easy to arrange to take breaks from a checkout every 30 minutes would it?

[misdee]

he is worried about if it doesnt work out and how their reaction will be when he has to take time off. I'm worried about their first aid training and if they'll be able to cope if anything does happen. The stupid thing is, when he was first dx 2years ago, i gave them all the informastion about his condition which clearly states that he wouldnt be fit to work for quite a while, they had docs notes from his specialist and gp, and they still asked him one month after dx when he would be returning, bearing in mind at this point he couldnt even walk to the end of the road. So for him to return without them paying attention to the info we have given them scares me. and the turnover of managers at the store means that in the 2 years he has had meetings with about 6 different managers. what if the next one isnt understanding and expects too much.

[suedonim]

Maybe I'm wrong, Misdee, but from your description it seems to me that they are trying to be helpful, offering PT work in less physical roles. An admin job would be good, but in a checkout role, would he have to do the physical jobs anyway? Our local supermarkets all have other staff who do those things. Re first aid, if there's a specific protocol he needs to follow, then maybe some of the staff could be trained in it?

I think it would be a really positive thing for your dh to try it out. In your position, I think I'd ask for a meeting with senior management (which I'd attend, too!) to sort out all likley scenarios and then get it in writing.
Good luck!

[misdee]

we are going to speak to his gp, seek their advice, and see what jobs they feel he can do. but his specialist has advised that he shouldnt work full stop as the stress of working could be too much.
if he does return it will be very small amount of hours (4 a week) too see how things go and build from there.