I am 5' tall. This is a good thing when I ride on airplanes, but not a good thing for most furniture. The biggest problem I had was at work. Desks and chairs are made for 'normal' people. Since we had modular offices, I did get the desktop lowered. Still, normal chairs made my back ache. Sometimes it hurt so bad I wanted to just lie on the floor and cry.
Some co-workers got letters from their doctors and the state bought them ergonomic chairs. I was jealous. My doctor gave me a letter. I was turned down. I tried off and on with new letters, but was always turned down. I changed offices, tried again with new directors, and was always turned down. Other co-workers continued to get chairs. I eventually took it personally, but never gave up. I tried at least once a year for 11 years.
Yes, that is correct. Eleven years. I was in pain for more than 11 years, since I didn't ask for a chair until I was really hurting. I never missed any work as a result, but I was glad I had a field job and did not have to sit all day every day.
Towards the end of my career I had foot surgery that kept me off the streets, workwise. Driving was unbearably painful. I was transferred to a temporary job of intake, which meant answering the hotline for child abuse calls all day long. The chair I had was intolerable. It was old and broken down, and I could barely walk to my car at the end of the day, even though I tried standing part of the time (on one foot).
I noticed a co-worker on that staff had a new chair. We discussed it, and she had basically the same issues I did. I had just been turned down again and was getting angry about it. Finally I asked her for a copy of her doctor's letter. I faxed it to my doctor and asked him to write the exact same letter for me. I figured then I would have a basis for a grieveance if they denied me yet again.
So, five months before I retired, I got permission to get a chair. I found the perfect chair for me. It was wonderful. My pain lessened. I took the chair back to my regular office with me. My boss had her eye on the chair. She is the same height I am, approximately. I caught her sitting in it with a smile on her face now and then.
I stopped in to see her yesterday. She has my chair. I was afraid to ask if she had to document it for 11 years or not. No one will get that chair from her unless they pry it from her cold, dead fingers.
3 comments:
The ergonomics folks had a hissy fit when they saw my workstation, at a hospital, of all places. The computer screen was too high, the chair was a piece of salvage that should have been disposed of years before, the desk was too high/low/something. It took me 11 minutes, darkening my boss' door, to get a new chair.
Damn girl, you were really fond of it weren't you? You sure you didn't drop by to visit 'the chair'? Must'a been one helluva piece of office furniture! ¤Holly
that's sad, Suzy. btw, you seem much taller in your journal... Albert
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