I love my job and don't want to quit. Help?

Question

I love my job! I don't want to quit. I am a cashier and on my feet in one position all shift. Here is my problem:

I am a type 1 diabetic and I am having problems controlling my diabetes at work, not to mention I come home and cry every night because my feet hurt so bad I can barly walk. I bought a pair of diabetic shoes that have helped a lot.

What I want to do is talk to my manager about my availability. I will still be available between 6pm and 12am just in 4 hour shifts a night instead of 5.5 or 7.

My mom thinks I should suck it up because I just started 3 weeks ago and she is afraid I will get fired to changing my hours. But I have to think about my health too.

I just don't know what to do, I love my job!

oh and how would you explain it so you don't come off as a whiner.

Answer 1

The only thing you can do is talk to the manager. Sometimes they will work with people and sometimes not.

I think all cashiers should have a stool to sit on in their little lane. They can do this job just as well from a stool as from a standing in one place for hours on end!!

I don't think you will get fired for voicing your health concerns, but the manager may tell you to choose whether you really want to work there or somewhere else.

We must all be PRO-ACTIVE about our health!! We must protect it the best way we know how. And voicing our concerns about work conditions is one of the ways of staying pro-active.

An e-friend got her hours changed and her breaks changed to allow for her to manage her diabetes better. She also was forced to go to work as a cashier. Come over to http://www.diabetes.about.com and read all the good articles Guide Deb has posted and visit the forum.

Answer 2

You may love your job but the real question is... do you love your health more?  When it comes to your health, NEVER put a price tag on it especially if you want to live as long as possible. You can always find another job to fall in love with however there's only one you. God forbid if something happens to you because of your health condition just know, the company will still continue to do business. I don't consider you a whiner, I consider you SMART. I would still talk to your manager if I were you but I would also consider looking into other jobs such as secretary or data entry etc. that doesn't require you to stand all day. I hope this helped. :)

Answer 3

The American Disability Act doesn't regard diabetes as a disability per say, until you become disabled usually through diabetic complications.

However the act does require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for you to treat yourself, in your case being able to test yourself and time to inject insulin if needed.

I'm not a legal expert on this but a change of hours to better accommodate you would be a reasonable accommodation, as long as those hours are available. I should also include that a change in your position/title/duties might also be considered a reasonable accommodation so that you wouldn't have to lose your job.

I would suggest that you read up on the American Disability Act and all it's updates and court decisions or have an attorney that specializes in disability to better explain all the provisions in it they may apply to you.

Good luck

Answer 4

The hard truth is that even though we Type 1's can do pretty much whatever we want as a job, stress factors and physical factors make some jobs not very good choices.  I was making really good money at one point as a sales manager, but the stress and long hours were causing my BG's to go nuts and my boss kept making me delay my doc appointments.  All of their promises to accommodate me ultimately didn't happen.  After a year I finally decided it wasn't worth ruining my health and I quit and took a much mellower (and lower-paying) job.  

When you talk to your manager, you don't need to whine about it, just say something like "I want you to know I'm really enjoying my job, it's great for me.  The one thing is that due to my diabetes, I'm finding that I am unable to stand for more than about 4 hours for now.  I'd really love to stay here if you can accommodate me for 4-hour shifts.  Maybe in time I'll be able to do a little more, but I can definitely do 4.  Will that work for you?"  

If they can't accommodate you, then simply find another job where you can at least move around a bit, like a retail store.  It's truly not worth being in misery about it.  

Answer 5

You need to keep snacks close at hand so you can eat something when you need it.  Your boss cannot keep you from doing this because you are a diabetic.  You need to keep your blood sugar from going low.  There are also mats that you can stand on, I use them all the time, they are about 1 1/2" thick, made of something like memory foam.  It has a coating on it.  Also a good pair of gel insoles feels great too.  You can also ask your doctor about some kind of medication for your foot pain.  I have found that cymbalta works really good for me.  I tried Lyrica, but I felt like a zombie.

Answer 6

Go talk to your manager and explain to him that you love your job, love working for him, and the company, etc.

Explain to him you are diabetic though, and that you are having a hard time controlling your sugars, and you are sorry but you need your hours cut until you get everything under control.

He should be understanding.  If he's not then bring up the Americans With Disability Act.  You will have to do a search for it on the net and it will tell you what they can and cannot do.

Answer 7

try another job because of your health problem u consult endocrinologist and dietitian and go for sitting position job, keep your foots in the luke worm water for 15 minutes daily to relief pain.