Work while in hospital

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NBC

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I hope this is the right thread for this.

I just have one question if anybody can shed some light. Can an employer expect you to work (reply to emails and provide support) while you are in hospital with a serious condition?

I try my best to help out where I can, but the pressure is mounting and my blood pressure literally rising to high levels.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.
 
I don't think that he/she can expect that from you at all. You are in hospital to recover and rest. Working and adding to your stress levels will not help your recovery, especially if you are in hospital for something serious.
 
The Short answer: NO!!

Without knowing the reason for you being in hospital, you can however come to an agreement (but purely up to you) to actually assist, at your convenience and they take the time off in Lieu of when you are fit to return to work, but I would get this in writing and signed by HR :)
 
TheFriendlyGhost said:
The Short answer: NO!!

Without knowing the reason for you being in hospital, you can however come to an agreement (but purely up to you) to actually assist, at your convenience and they take the time off in Lieu of when you are fit to return to work, but I would get this in writing and signed by HR :)
Click to expand...

That.
 
NBC said:
I hope this is the right thread for this.

I just have one question if anybody can shed some light. Can an employer expect you to work (reply to emails and provide support) while you are in hospital with a serious condition?

I try my best to help out where I can, but the pressure is mounting and my blood pressure literally rising to high levels.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.
Click to expand...

Honestly that is not acceptable.

The fact that you have to respond to emails show to a bigger problem. Some one else should be able to take over some of your responsibilities when you aren't available. If you department/company is run the way it should be done no single person should be irreplaceable. That person leaves you should be able to divide most of the responsibilities. There are obvious exceptions but usually those do not require email availability but physical presence or physical work.
 
NBC said:
I hope this is the right thread for this.

I just have one question if anybody can shed some light. Can an employer expect you to work (reply to emails and provide support) while you are in hospital with a serious condition?

I try my best to help out where I can, but the pressure is mounting and my blood pressure literally rising to high levels.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.
Click to expand...

Name and shame!

Definitely won't want to use the services of a company that treats employees like this.
 
Your doctor should insist you don't do any work in hospital.
 
Ho3n3r said:
Name and shame!

Definitely won't want to use the services of a company that treats employees like this.
Click to expand...

Yeh - that's always a good idea for employment prospects, name and shame your employer on a public forum.
 
NBC said:
I hope this is the right thread for this.

I just have one question if anybody can shed some light. Can an employer expect you to work (reply to emails and provide support) while you are in hospital with a serious condition?

I try my best to help out where I can, but the pressure is mounting and my blood pressure literally rising to high levels.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.
Click to expand...

Unless your employer comes to talk to you in the hospital, ignore all contact until you're released / back at work. ;)
(Assuming that they're aware that you're there, of course.)
 
I was in hospital for a week.
The company just wished me well and left me be...I thought thats the norm :/
 
Are you being paid?

If you are not being paid and took sick leave then most certainly no.

Just in general I do not think it is appropriate to add additional stress on your body.
 
Why approach it from a "rights" perspective? Of course they don't have a "right" to do so ... but then they don't have a "right" to your daily toil either. It's all matter of agreement, a contract freely entered into. A partnership, a mutual engagement to a common end.

I've always regarded my work, even when working for an employer, as My Work. It's what I do to live in the world as a means to becoming more fully human, an expression of who and what I am. In that light, there isn't room for an adversarial relationship with my colleagues (who might also be officers at my employer), so I do what I can when I can, to the best of my ability. It's the job at hand that matters more than the actual hours and times and place. If I can do emails in hospital, then I do them because I can and it helps the corporate (as in mutual) effort to produce more than we consume by delivering value to our customers/clients.
 
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Arthur, I understand what you mean.

I am typing this from my hospital bed. Just keep in mind, I am already on standby, 24/7, including holidays. Just me, no one else. There are 5 other employees equally (if not better) equipped to assist. I am not trying to approach this from a rights perspective, but rather from a shared responsibility as a team. They would rather complain about me not assisting while in hospital than sort out the problem. I try my best to assist where I can, even taking calls, but this is the type of response.

I just had my blood pressure taken again and it is significantly higher, dangerously actually. So I don't deem it to be healthy.

I am not looking for sympathy, but I nearly lost both of my kidneys, so it's no joke.

I will not name the company, but I can say that they are based in Cape Town.
 
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