Unfortunately I don’t have much actionable advice to offer- but I do completely empathise with your position. It amazes me that with all the advances we are trying to make with not only mental health awareness, but endo awareness, that workplaces still are unable to take any of this into account. I may be wrong, but it sounds like you may be working a casual job? I am not a big fan of workplaces where the employee is tasked with finding a replacement for their shift when they are unable to come in. I’ve worked a lot of customer service and hospo where this is the case and the balance of expectations from employers higher up of the managers and employees below is completely off kilter with the wage budget and other supports to enable adequate staffing as well as accounting for sickness / leave.
The only suggestion that I can give is if you are currently employed somewhere that is not in line with your future employment ambitions or if it is not a position your are locked into for certain reasons - then get out. If you look in the right places there are certainly other options for employment with a culture that supports good mental health and self care. If you have a disability or a condition that is out of your control, then an employer needs to be able to make a compromise and should not be allowed to back you into a corner. There are tonnes of other employees who are calling in sick because they are hungover or have their sisters boyfriends best friends party to attend and they get a free pass.
i think hold your ground in terms of your condition- don’t let anyone else gaslight or minimise your symptoms. Your anxiety is completely understandable in regards to this and a job that is causing this much stress is not a job worth your time and effort.
i really hope you can find some middle ground with your employer here. On meeting with them Monday, you really need to lay the ground for what your needs and expectations are in terms of support and understanding from your employer - don’t allow them to shift blame onto you because their scheduling doesn’t allow for illness recovery. You need to take the upper hand. Basically get the support you need or have the autonomy to quit before they fire you. It’s a them problem, not a you problem!
(also, before Monday, have a look into where they stand on firing you due to a disability/medical condition- you may have a stronger leg to stand on than you think)
xxx
