Well, silly me, before I went off for surgery I confirmed with the Occupational Safety and Health rep that the sick room at work had a bed and a lock on the door.
Yes it has a bed.
Yes it has a lock on the door.
The lock is on the outside and cannot be accessed once you're in the room.
So yesterday my dilation did not happen as scheduled (like hell I was going to dilate where someone from work could just walk in) ended up being 4 hours late, hurt like buggery and I took 20 minutes to get to full depth.
I spoke to my boss about it (who I informed about my trans status just before going off for surgery) and explained that this arrangement is very Not Ideal. She doesn't have any grand ideas though - apparently the door can't be locked from the inside for health and safety reasons (i.e. someone really ill locks themselves in there and they cannot get to them).
So my plan is to put a very pointed message on the door while I dilate, saying something like "Medical Procedure in Progress: DO NOT DISTURB UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES"
What do you think? Adequate? Inviting curiousity? Totally inadequate?
I think that would be a good idea. Maybe get your boss to sign off on it? I can't see an adult individual being thick enough to ignore something like that being posted... Best of luck with that, Vexing.
Quote from: Jacquelyn on January 05, 2011, 02:28:07 PM
I think that would be a good idea. Maybe get your boss to sign off on it?
Yeah, I was thinking of getting HR to back me on this one, so that I'm protected if someone does walk in and a scandal starts about me masturbating in the sick room.
QuoteI can't see an adult individual being thick enough to ignore something like that being posted... Best of luck with that, Vexing.
I'd hope not. My concern is that one or more of the men on that floor is using the sick room as a storage area - there are two pairs of trousers hanging up on a coat rack in there. If they're a big enough douche to use the sick room as their locker, they may ignore the sign. I'm hoping not though.
Quote from: Vexing on January 05, 2011, 02:32:46 PM
Yeah, I was thinking of getting HR to back me on this one, so that I'm protected if someone does walk in and a scandal starts about me masturbating in the sick room.
I'd hope not. My concern is that one or more of the men on that floor is using the sick room as a storage area - there are two pairs of trousers hanging up on a coat rack in there. If they're a big enough douche to use the sick room as their locker, they may ignore the sign. I'm hoping not though.
Having HR back you sounds like a good plan. Is the office you work in large/are you open about being trans at work (sorry I haven't read all of your posts)? If you are you could have HR designate an off limits time for the sick room for your medical necessities with or without letting your coworkers know it is you using it.
That person has to be thick- I never leave any of my personal items unattended at work.
It's a pretty big office and I'm not Out to anyone bar the two gay chaps at work, my boss and one person in HR.
I'd also thought about a timing lockout on the sick room; it a definite possibility, but I'm wary of being too much of a 'special case' and causing problems. I've already had a month of paid sick leave off work and feel a bit guilty about tying up more company resources.
I think that timing the sick room with a notice on the door is probably your best option. Obviously talk it over with HR. I don't see it as a 'special case'. If someone had asthma and needed nebulizer treatments at a certain time every day and they opted to do it in peace and away from prying eyes it wouldn't be an issue. It's medically necessary and they ought to provide you with the capacity to do what you need for your healing and physical health.
True that. Sometimes it's easy to get tied up in the 'trans people deserve less rights' paradigm and I start doing it to myself.
As best stated by the ever wise Dr. Seuss: "A person is a person..." no matter how big, small, or different in any capacity they might be.
Just saying. ;D ;D
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<3 Horton.
Just a thought, but you could jam a doorstop under there, either instead of or in conjunction with the sign? That way nobody is getting in without a real deliberate effort after you yell at them to ->-bleeped-<- off, and gives the geniuses at your firm the time to come up with a longer term solution... like a 2 way lock or something.
Besides, this way is low tech AND cheap for them :)
Could you buy one of those rubber door wedges and wedge the door shut?
If anyone tries the door, after seeing the sign, a loud F*** off might just do the trick.
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Addition. Snap Pixiegirl
Quote from: spacial on January 05, 2011, 03:30:42 PM
Could you buy one of those rubber door wedges and wedge the door shut?
If anyone tries the door, after seeing the sign, a loud F*** off might just do the trick.
Lulz! Yes, I think it would do the trick. Failing that, they'd get confronted by an irate half naked woman threatening them with 9 inches of acrylic rod.
any port in a storm hahahaha the sign and the wedge sounds like a good idea it will only be for a while and then 1 a day hang in there and keep on schedule it does help just my 2 cents
Quote from: Vexing on January 05, 2011, 02:26:16 PM
Yes it has a bed.
Yes it has a lock on the door.
The lock is on the outside and cannot be accessed once you're in the room.
The devil is in the details.
I agree with getting a doorstop. In the event that someone did try to open the door, they should feel the resistance. Hopefully, nobody will be dense enough to ignore a DND sign and a doorstop.
Grrr.. idea thieves, they're lurking everywhere :P
So a couple of hours ago I printed out my little sign, stuck it on the door, put a chair under the door handle and then did my business.
I heard several people go past the door and at one stage I heard someone stop outside the door. Of course I froze in anticipatory terror, dilator halfway up my growler, waiting for the handle to jiggle - but thankfully the footsteps moved on.
So all up: success. Still waiting for HR to get back to me so that I can make them aware of what I'm doing in there.
It was a MUCH better session than the Very Late session yesterday and I managed to get to my full depth back :D
The rubber door stop plus "please do not disturb" is a little more discreet?
Quote from: Vexing on January 05, 2011, 08:44:26 PM
So a couple of hours ago I printed out my little sign, stuck it on the door, put a chair under the door handle and then did my business.
I heard several people go past the door and at one stage I heard someone stop outside the door. Of course I froze in anticipatory terror, dilator halfway up my growler, waiting for the handle to jiggle - but thankfully the footsteps moved on.
So all up: success. Still waiting for HR to get back to me so that I can make them aware of what I'm doing in there.
It was a MUCH better session than the Very Late session yesterday and I managed to get to my full depth back :D
I'm glad you didn't have to beat anyone with the rod. :p
Quote from: mija on January 05, 2011, 10:33:02 PM
The rubber door stop plus "please do not disturb" is a little more discreet?
Yep, problem solved. The sign should stop 99.5% of folks, the door stop should get the other 0.5% illiterates.
I agree with a more discrete sign and a real doorstop. However, if somoeone does try to enter and cannot, then maybe that would violate the supposed safety code and get you in trouble. Can you clear it with the boss first?
Ideally, you would be able to drive to work in a van and then go out to the van, close the curtains, and dilate. Or if you have a pickup truck with a rear window, a bed cover and a little mattress, plus window coverings and one of those things that runs the ac or heat back there through the rear window, should see you through.
I guess I would ask a silly question. Can you go without dilating at work? I went back to work at 8 weeks post, and was able to get by with morning and evening dilations, and not have to interrupt my co-workers with my exercises. *smiles*.
Melan
Re that safety thing.
Sounds like you people are having similar problems with the safety nazis a we are over here.
Wonder if they don't have locks on toilets for the same reason?
Quote from: Melan on January 06, 2011, 08:40:00 AM
I guess I would ask a silly question. Can you go without dilating at work? I went back to work at 8 weeks post, and was able to get by with morning and evening dilations, and not have to interrupt my co-workers with my exercises. *smiles*.
Melan
On the schedule I'm on, it would be highly ill advised to not dilate at work. In another 6 weeks I can drop to twice a day, but as I'm still in the scar tissue contraction stage, I'm playing it VERY safe.
And on a not unrelated note: I am now officially allowed to go swimming. W00t! :D
Some motherfracker tried to get into the room while I was dilating. I am shaking like a bloody leaf and I can't think straight for the blood pounding in my ears. Jesus effing christ, doesn't anyone KNOCK on door these days?
The ->-bleeped-<- was trying to get into the first aid room to use it as a CHANGING ROOM - I could see the bag of sports gear in his hand after he forced the door open a couple of inches, despite the chair I had wedged under the handle.
God I hate people.
Ugh.
Quote from: Caitj on February 01, 2011, 08:44:53 PM
Some motherfracker tried to get into the room while I was dilating. I am shaking like a bloody leaf and I can't think straight for the blood pounding in my ears.
That must have been really nervewracking.
Quote from: Caitj on February 01, 2011, 08:44:53 PM
Some motherfracker tried to get into the room while I was dilating. I am shaking like a bloody leaf and I can't think straight for the blood pounding in my ears. Jesus effing christ, doesn't anyone KNOCK on door these days?
The ->-bleeped-<- was trying to get into the first aid room to use it as a CHANGING ROOM - I could see the bag of sports gear in his hand after he forced the door open a couple of inches, despite the chair I had wedged under the handle.
God I hate people.
Ugh.
He kept pushing even with the chair there? Did you have your sign on the door? Some people can be so dense, I would've been freaking out too if someone was trying to break in while I'm half naked! Uhg. Sounds awful. I hope HR can come up with some sort of better solution for you.
Maybe you should go to the HR person you've been dealing with and tell them what happened and that this situation is unacceptable! Even for the short term they should find a better solution for you... perhaps someone from HR or your supervisor or someone can kinda hang around outside the door and discretely 'guard' it for you? I don't know... I hope things work out for you :)
Beyond the wedge/sing suggestions (which one would assume would do it) for your piece of mind might someone invest in a portable privacy curtain or partition? Something that would block the line of sight from the door to the bed?
Quote from: Caitj on February 01, 2011, 08:44:53 PM
Some motherfracker tried to get into the room while I was dilating. I am shaking like a bloody leaf and I can't think straight for the blood pounding in my ears. Jesus effing christ, doesn't anyone KNOCK on door these days?
The ->-bleeped-<- was trying to get into the first aid room to use it as a CHANGING ROOM - I could see the bag of sports gear in his hand after he forced the door open a couple of inches, despite the chair I had wedged under the handle.
God I hate people.
Ugh.
I may be wrong, but I think that was a wind up.
:( People are dense, as someone already mentioned. I am sorry Cait, I can't imagine that I would be left feeling anything less than mortified, frightened, and more so than not, livid. Did you get to talk to your HR rep yet?
yeah sounds good to me
Quote from: spacial on February 02, 2011, 06:59:18 AM
I may be wrong, but I think that was a wind up.
No, it was not a wind up.
It was a horrible, horrible experience and it shot my blood pressure so high that it resulted in a vagina bleed. Why did you think it was a 'wind up'?
I spoke to my boss as well as HR and after much discussion, it's been decided that I'm to go home at 3pm to dilate, rather than having to do it in the unsafe (and unclean - due to men putting their sweaty socks and ->-bleeped-<- all over the room) environment at work.
So for the next three weeks (until my dilation drops to twice daily) I'll be leaving work early and logging the last 2 hours of each day as sick leave. fortunately my contract has unlimited sick leave, so they're not bothered by all the time off.
So problem resolved! :D
Quote from: Caitj on February 03, 2011, 04:09:37 PM
No, it was not a wind up.
It was a horrible, horrible experience and it shot my blood pressure so high that it resulted in a vagina bleed. Why did you think it was a 'wind up'?
I spoke to my boss as well as HR and after much discussion, it's been decided that I'm to go home at 3pm to dilate, rather than having to do it in the unsafe (and unclean - due to men putting their sweaty socks and ->-bleeped-<- all over the room) environment at work.
So for the next three weeks (until my dilation drops to twice daily) I'll be leaving work early and logging the last 2 hours of each day as sick leave. fortunately my contract has unlimited sick leave, so they're not bothered by all the time off.
So problem resolved! :D
I am glad to hear that they were able to offer you a resolution. *hugs* I am sorry that you had to go through that though.
I think it would be a good idea if the company made it so the sick room door could be locked from the inside but opened from the outside only with a key, which could be kept in a manager's office.
Glad the problem is solved for you though.
Good news Cait. Now is unlimited sick leave the norm in NZ? In the US some companies require a note from the undertaker to collect on a single day.
Quote from: Michelle. on February 03, 2011, 08:17:28 PM
In the US some companies require a note from the undertaker to collect on a single day.
I believe they also require a note from the doctor, as well, to ensure that it corroborates with the undertaker's analysis.
Quote from: Michelle. on February 03, 2011, 08:17:28 PM
Good news Cait. Now is unlimited sick leave the norm in NZ? In the US some companies require a note from the undertaker to collect on a single day.
They know that I've had major surgery recently, so this one is already covered. In other instances, I'd need a doctor's letter.
I suppose I may need to worry about dilation at work too. They have a room with a shower and a couple of stuffed chairs in the women's restroom at work but there's no lock on it either and no bed =(