Ben worked at an English school with several locations in Kansai. He fell into a depressive state after being harassed by a manager. In order to recover, he took 2 months off of work and underwent counseling. His health improved, and he was cleared by his physician to return to work with some small accommodations to allow him to continue his mental health recovery.
He told his manager and was told to wait for the schedule to be sent to him in the next week. When he received it, he was shocked to see that he was going to be placed at the same Osaka location as the manager who previously harassed him. Knowing that this would only set himself up for failure, he asked to be placed somewhere else. The company more or less complied, but now wanted him to take a train over to Kyoto.
However, the commute to Kyoto was over an hour one-way – on a good day.. The doctor clearly stated that Ben needed to be within a short commute and with enough time between finishing work one day and starting the next to rest properly. This was not going to be possible with the schedule set as it was. He asked for it to be changed, but the company stood their ground saying that the commute was just within the doctor’s requirement. No matter how much Ben argued that this was an excessive commute, they just wouldn’t listen.
Ben asked the union if anything could be done about the excessive commute time and lack of rest he would be forced to endure. The union brought the issue to the company for a discussion on what a reasonable schedule and commute would be like for this member. Following this intervention, the company reworked the schedule to place him within a reasonable commute and at locations where he wouldn’t have to face his previous manager. Ben was content with this offer and returned to work.
Note: Excessive demands can include more than just workload. It can also include asking employees to do work that they are not suitable or qualified for – essentially setting them up to fail. There are ways to discuss this with your employer. If you need help, request a consultation here: https://generalunion.org/consult/
Feeling down or having dark thoughts? There’s help. Please contact TELL – They can provide you with counseling.
Part 2 – Psychological Aggression through Micromanagement