Accomodations
February 2, 2024 8:00 AM Subscribe
Should I ask for accommodations at new job?
I am getting there an hour earlier than my old job, training in what seems to be exceedingly bright lights in an area where people yell up and down office to office (If you know, you know--but the actual job will be in a quiet area, mostly). My neurological oddities (bipolar I) may or may not have something to do with my ability to focus. I've been tested for ADD/AHHD and came back negative.
This is a part time on call job and I'm training for two or three weeks 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
It was never my intent to quit my previous job (also part-time), but now I'm a little worried about training 4-midnight (the new shift) and getting to work (at 9:00) at the old job, sleep wise. If you know about bipolar I, you know things can get interesting fast (and not in a good way) from lack of sleep. I usually need 9 hours.
These people have been great so far. I had an unexpected medical situation and they were super flexible with me. In my humble experience and opinion, the ADA is great on paper. The last job fired ahem let me go for asking for accommodations (to be fair there were also bullies, harassment and office politics involved).
What would I even say? "I need shortened hours"? It's only for a couple weeks then I pick and choose my hours.
It is late and I finally get to sleep in tomorrow -- excuse any typos.
I am getting there an hour earlier than my old job, training in what seems to be exceedingly bright lights in an area where people yell up and down office to office (If you know, you know--but the actual job will be in a quiet area, mostly). My neurological oddities (bipolar I) may or may not have something to do with my ability to focus. I've been tested for ADD/AHHD and came back negative.
This is a part time on call job and I'm training for two or three weeks 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
It was never my intent to quit my previous job (also part-time), but now I'm a little worried about training 4-midnight (the new shift) and getting to work (at 9:00) at the old job, sleep wise. If you know about bipolar I, you know things can get interesting fast (and not in a good way) from lack of sleep. I usually need 9 hours.
These people have been great so far. I had an unexpected medical situation and they were super flexible with me. In my humble experience and opinion, the ADA is great on paper. The last job fired ahem let me go for asking for accommodations (to be fair there were also bullies, harassment and office politics involved).
What would I even say? "I need shortened hours"? It's only for a couple weeks then I pick and choose my hours.
It is late and I finally get to sleep in tomorrow -- excuse any typos.
This is a part time on call job and I'm training for two or three weeks 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. ... now I'm a little worried about training 4-midnight (the new shift) and getting to work (at 9:00) at the old job
Just to clarify:
Are you training 4pm-midnight for this new job, and also working 9am-? for the same employer?
Is your work schedule effectively 9am-midnight every day, with possibly with some hours off in the early afternoon?
What kind of training is this -- does it rely on being around specific people at specific times? Are there things that can be done on a different schedule?
posted by trig at 8:26 AM on February 2, 2024
Just to clarify:
Are you training 4pm-midnight for this new job, and also working 9am-? for the same employer?
Is your work schedule effectively 9am-midnight every day, with possibly with some hours off in the early afternoon?
What kind of training is this -- does it rely on being around specific people at specific times? Are there things that can be done on a different schedule?
posted by trig at 8:26 AM on February 2, 2024
I’m sure you’ve thought of this but just in case: I’ve worked with people who wore sunglasses indoors in the office all day because it helped manage their migraines. It was completely fine and accepted and did not require any formal accommodation - if anyone brought it up, the person just said “it helps me avoid migraines. And look cool.” And that was that. Maybe this is something that could help with your next shift while you decide.
posted by samthemander at 9:19 AM on February 2, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by samthemander at 9:19 AM on February 2, 2024 [2 favorites]
I believe you are saying that 1) you have an existing part-time job that starts at 9am (Old Job), and 2) a new part time job, for which the training is 4pm-midnight every day for two or three weeks. However, I can't tell if the onboarding at New Job is happening already. You also know better than we do what is flexible: do you have to be trained on New Job by a specific date, which is why they need you full time for training? Is your old job one where you could take a week off/call in sick and not lose it?
ADA can take some time to implement/get documentation for, and it sounds like you've experienced that a right on paper doesn't mean that people won't give you a hard time about it. So I might look for ways you can get informal adjustments short of ADA accommodations if this is really just about a 2 or 3 week period.
Some ideas:
- ask for some temporary flexibility at Old Job -- can you start late, shift those hours, or reduce those hours for a short time? They know you already, and it might be easier/faster to shift things around there than for onboarding at new job.
-Ask New Job if there is any part of the onboarding you could do asynchronously so you can leave before midnight (figure out when you'd need to leave so you can get your 8 hours). I mean, I'm pretty much a groggy mess who will not be retaining new information if I'm trying to learn at 11pm rather than being in bed, without any related disability.
- Could you spread out the onboarding over 3-4 weeks rather than 2-3, so it's part-time hours rather than full-time hours for the onboarding?
posted by alligatorpear at 9:23 AM on February 2, 2024 [2 favorites]
ADA can take some time to implement/get documentation for, and it sounds like you've experienced that a right on paper doesn't mean that people won't give you a hard time about it. So I might look for ways you can get informal adjustments short of ADA accommodations if this is really just about a 2 or 3 week period.
Some ideas:
- ask for some temporary flexibility at Old Job -- can you start late, shift those hours, or reduce those hours for a short time? They know you already, and it might be easier/faster to shift things around there than for onboarding at new job.
-Ask New Job if there is any part of the onboarding you could do asynchronously so you can leave before midnight (figure out when you'd need to leave so you can get your 8 hours). I mean, I'm pretty much a groggy mess who will not be retaining new information if I'm trying to learn at 11pm rather than being in bed, without any related disability.
- Could you spread out the onboarding over 3-4 weeks rather than 2-3, so it's part-time hours rather than full-time hours for the onboarding?
posted by alligatorpear at 9:23 AM on February 2, 2024 [2 favorites]
Can you call in sick to either / both jobs enough to get through the training period? Ideally old job, but you know best what is likely to work. A little handwaving about follow on stuff from your medical issue should be enough without formal accommodations.
Also +1 doing what you need to do to be more comfortable on the job. Noise cancelling earbuds? Sunglasses? Cap with a brim?
You can also just tell them "hey, I have trouble focusing with the yelling" - that's a normal issue and won't be an issue after training, so they won't be inclined to fire you over it.
posted by momus_window at 10:16 AM on February 2, 2024 [3 favorites]
Also +1 doing what you need to do to be more comfortable on the job. Noise cancelling earbuds? Sunglasses? Cap with a brim?
You can also just tell them "hey, I have trouble focusing with the yelling" - that's a normal issue and won't be an issue after training, so they won't be inclined to fire you over it.
posted by momus_window at 10:16 AM on February 2, 2024 [3 favorites]
People might take a dim view of you requesting an accommodation for a disability in order to enable more than full-time work at two different jobs. I have no idea what the law is on this.
It also doesn't strike me as reasonable to require a full-time training position for three weeks for what will later be part-time work. Do they expect you to quit your other job? Just grin and bear it for three weeks?
posted by grouse at 11:14 AM on February 2, 2024 [1 favorite]
It also doesn't strike me as reasonable to require a full-time training position for three weeks for what will later be part-time work. Do they expect you to quit your other job? Just grin and bear it for three weeks?
posted by grouse at 11:14 AM on February 2, 2024 [1 favorite]
Mod note: From the OP:
It means the days I am off from my old part time job, I train at the new one, and the days I work (usually til 2) at the old job, I then work 4-12 at the new one.posted by taz (staff) at 11:05 PM on February 2, 2024
I like the sunglasses idea, etc. and nothing is worth my health.
« Older Separation anxiety, chicken wings edition | Totaled car sale to auto auction using REG262 in... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
If this is not an overwork/second shift question and is just a question about the jet-lag-like experience of the shift change during training, I would run this by your psychiatrist and get their advice, if you can get ahold of them quickly. Is there a short-term med that could help you get sleep during the hours when sleep is possible? Or do they think there is a practical accommodation you could ask for, and get approved, during the however many weeks of training you have left?
Once the training period is over... what does "part-time, on call" mean? I'm confused about how that dovetails with picking your own hours. I'm hoping this is not the kind of "on call" where you might get called in the middle of the night to solve a problem -- that doesn't sound like a good fit for someone for whom sleep is a serious mental health issue. (I mean. I believe it's actually serious for all of us. But it sounds like it is probably more acutely so for you.)
posted by eirias at 8:25 AM on February 2, 2024 [2 favorites]