Hi
I was diagnosed in January 2009 with RA. I have worked full time as an Admin Manager for 20 years with my current company. Six months after being diagnosed, I was finding it increasingly hard to put in a full week's work without either going off sick or feeling absolutely dreadful. My wonderful Managing Director, offered that I could work from home for two days a week. I have not looked back since. I can still manage the office even though I am not physcially there.
I work in the office on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday and spend Tuesdays and Thursdays at home. They have put in a computer for me at home, given me a company mobile and all the office equipment I could need. They even bought me a truck to take my paperwork backwards and forwards. I have had no sick leave in the last two years, apart for five days when I had a total knee replacement in January this year. Even then I was back on the laptop within a day of coming out of hospital. I just took it very easy and slowly built up my hours but it kept me in touch with work and made sure I did not fall behind.
I normally get up at 6.30 a.m. to go to work, but on a Tuesday and Thursday, I can lie in until 7.45 a.m. Even then I do not need to worry about getting dressed, doing my makeup etc. Infact I could stay like that all day. There is no travelling. Most people think that when you have an office job you sit on your derriere all day but if I am in the office this is not true. At home I can sit all day with breaks for tea and a full hours lunch which I never get when I am in the office.
The biggest advantage to the company is that I get more work done at home as I do not get constant interruptions. I cannot praise my company enough for what they have done for me and I certainly do not think I would have been still working if I had carried on with the five days each week. Occasionally I do have to go into work for more than the three days and it really tells on my quickly that I am losing that much valued physical rest in between each work day.
The office staff have accepted that I am only around three days a week and they work around this. I get the occasional jibe about "oh another day off tomorrow" but the proof is in the pudding with the work I am able to produce in comfort and at home.
I hope that your company agrees to you working from home, otherwise they would eventually be losing a good employee whose health is deteriorating because of the pressure of attending work full time.
Keep us posted.
Jackie
xx
