They would take me to court and I'd have to pay fines and court costs, etc. The only thing I could possibly try is to call in sick, but the problem is that if the doctor doesn't corroborate that you are actually sick, you get in trouble anyway. The doctor can tell you that you HAVE to try to go back, or say you have to work at least reduced hours.
The main problem is that the boss is ticked that I took the decision out of her hands, I think. I can't imagine why a boss is mad that your health is failing. My problem is that I've tried so many different things. I went and got a massage to help with the tension in my neck and shoulders when new pillows didn't help. And when the massage didn't work, I went to my doctor. My doctor said it was probably stress and he gave me a pain reliever for a week, and when that didn't help, he gave me another round and told me to take paracetemol with it. And he referred me to sort of therapist that I've been going to weekly to talk about the stress and how to handle it. But the underlying problem is that the things CAUSING the stress aren't going away, so treating the symptoms isn't doing much good, because I'm still just as stressed as ever. I contacted the work doctor, and they said the only thing I can do is to have a conversation with the boss about what is causing the stress, and what I need in order to reduce it. But I've had that conversation with my boss twice now, and she's not receptive. She refuses to change anything and keeps reiterating that there's nothing she can do and that I work in a store and that means sometimes having to change the schedule, etc. I've tried to tell her that part of it is that she PRESSURES me. I'm never obligated to come in on days for which I'm not scheduled, but she doesn't just call and say "Hey, can you work today? No? Ok." It's always "Hey, I really need you to work today because ........and otherwise Ramona won't be able to take any breaks today." So she puts the responsibility on me....now it's MY fault if Ramona has to work a whole day without a break. Or like, one time, I had put in a dentists appointment in the agenda several months in advance. I always put a reason in for a day off request, because the boss isn't obligated to give you the time off you request, so if you put in a reason, they are more likely to grant the request than if they think you are just doing something fun. They kind of expect you to put the business first and you can schedule your fun stuff on the days off they already give you. But stuff like doctor or dentist appointments are considered more valid. So I put it in the agenda, and I had already moved the appointment once so I could work on the day it was originally scheduled. So a week before the appointment, she comes to me and says "What time is your dentist appointment? You don't need the whole day off for that....how long will that take? Like an hour? Can you come in before and/or after?" And I tried to say no. I had scheduled the appointment on a Tuesday because that's Market day, and she schedules me on a lot of Tuesdays, which I told her in my interview that I didn't want to work every Tuesday, because I like to go to the market. I said I didn't have any days that I COULDN'T work, but I didn't want to work every Monday until 6, because I have choir and then I have to cut it close to eat dinner and get to choir on time, and I didn't want to work every Tuesday, because I wanted to go to the market sometimes, and I didn't want to work every Friday evening, because the stores are open later on fridays, and I like to go shopping on the Friday evening sometimes. She assured me that she didn't do set schedules like that. Then she started scheduling me for pretty much exactly those times all the time. So I put the dentist appointment on a Tuesday, so I would be assured of having at least one Tuesday that I could go to the market. So I tried to tell her no, but she just kept pressuring me....saying I don't need the whole day for a dentist appointment, and she was expecting a large shipment and she wanted extra hands so it could be unpacked by the end of the day, and bla bla bla. I said I had some other things I needed to do that day, and she said I could do those first and then come in. I said I didn't know how long it would take me, and I'd also need to eat lunch, etc. She said I could eat at work before I started. Just go to the dentist, run my errands and pack a lunch and eat at work and I could start after lunch. She just wouldn't let me say no. She kept on telling me what I "COULD" do until I agreed to come in at 1. So I told her that the pressure she puts on me is a large part of the stress. I don't feel like I'm allowed to say no, she doesn't take no for an answer, and she puts the responsibility on me like it's my fault if the store can't open, or if someone doesn't get a break. She says there's nothing she can do. Sometimes she has to ask because she HAS to get the hours covered. But a lot of times, it's not for stuff she HAS to do. Like, when a different store is opening, she WANTS to go to the new store to help out, but she can't unless she can get me to work at OUR store. If I say no, she SHOULD just take that as a no, and that she can't go to the new store, but instead, she heaps pressure on me to manipulate me into agreeing so she can get her way. And I've talked to her about this twice and she's not willing to change that. So talking to her AGAIN isn't going to do any good. So I quit. But the work doctor just said that that was my only option...to talk to her again. I can't get a doctor to tell me that my health is at risk if I don't slow down, even though I know it is. And without a doctor's mandate, you can't call in sick unless you are physically unable to work. I'm not at the point yet where I physically can not do it. You basically have to continue until you break. If you call in sick, they call to check on you. You need to get a doctor's note if you are sick for beyond like 3 days or something. I can't seem to get a doctor who will say it's not good for me to go to work right now. So I have to keep going.
But she's angry with me now because I think she was planning on not renewing my contract, but that doesn't come up until May. So I think she figured she had me to take advantage of until May. But now she only has a month, and I'm not being as accommodating as I have been in the past. She messaged me a few weeks ago on my day off and wanted me to work the next couple of days so she could go help out at a store that was changing regional managers and needed to be reoragnized. I didn't answer the message....I'm not obligated to on my days off. And I really NEEDED those days off, so I ignored the messages....I didn't even read them. She got increasingly upset. I could see parts of the messages in the notifications without actually opening the messages. She started giving me time limits within which she wanted me to answer. When I didn't answer, she sent messages that were nothing but several question marks. Then I finally just resolved to say no, so I told her I had an appointment and couldn't work. The next time I worked, she made a comment about how I hadn't put that appointment in the agenda. I said no, I made the appointment AFTER the schedule was posted, because I wasn't scheduled to work that day. Which was true. I wasn't scheduled, so I made appointments for that day. And I had every right to do that, and I wasn't obligated to clear that with her, and I wasn't obligated to be available to work on days I wasn't scheduled. But she seems to think that I should be available all the time and put work first, so cancel any appointments if she wants me to work. And I think she's angry now that I've been putting myself first instead and now she can't use me as she has. I'm afraid she's going to punish me in this last month for having the audacity to think I could take care of my health instead of letting her exploit me until SHE'S ready to let me leave.
