Have had a complete meltdown at work! [sad]

Thanks to everyone again or your kind words and good advice. I'm relaxing at home and doing lots of reading, gardening etc and have begun to feel less stressed. The Manager emailed me to ask if she could contact me when she had any queries, I didn't reply!

I don’t think you should be working at all, definitely nothing to feel bad about. You haven’t let anyone down. Surely it’s time to take it easy and retire, particularly as you have health concerns. Look after yourself, and enjoy a well deserved rest.

Evie64 As you have chronic bronchitis I think it is perfectly natural and understandable that you felt very anxious and vulnerable. I'm not even sure you should have been at work in the first place.

I really don't think you should feel guilty about it - and I'm sure your colleagues will understand your fears.

I'm glad to hear your doctor has been supportive and that you can now relax and not worry about work.

All I can add is that you sit back now Evie and take Grandad's advice. Have a worry-free summer !

Exposure to virus relates to the surroundings.

Someone suggested a physical barrier to protect yourself, a row of chairs. Something else that would reduce the viral load in your work room is for the window to be kept wide open, wear outdoor clothing when necessary.

It is remiss of your employer not to take these actions.

Good outcome OP. Take care and don’t be reluctant to treat yourself by doing things that make you happy (current circumstances acknowledged). All the best.

Evie sending you ((hugs)) & sit back and relax you deserve the rest have a chat with you Dr via a phone call and tell him how you feel,I'm sure your collegues will be grateful for all the work you have done.

Rest now Evie sending you every good wish

Good news and thanks for the update.

So great to see all the fantastic support grans (and grandads) have offered to evie. It sounds as if you just need to take the time to think things over and relax now

Well done, evie. Time to rest and recover now.

Hi all, up at silly o'clock again as couldn't sleep again. I can't tell you how appreciative I am of all your advice and kind words. I did an e-consult with my GP today and he rang me back. He's signed me off for a month and given me antidepressants so I now have the chance to rest and recharge and think about how I wish to proceed. A lot of you have suggested retirement, which is an option, but as a woman born in the 50's I don't get my pension until I'm 66. However, my mental and physical health is more important. Thanks so much to Grandad1943 as I have now contacted my union, Unison, who have been very supportive and agreed to accompany me to a meeting at work if I decide I need them to. I can assure you all that I will not be returning to my workplace until I am sure it is safe to do so, which may well be September? Thanks again to all of you xxxx

Evie with your age and not feeling well/or on top of things,
Have you thought ( as asked by Hetty58) of retiring, now you're 65? It may be a good time to do so.
Lots of other good advice from others on here too.

Grandad...the OP is Evie not curlygirl.

Curlygirl, in regard to your opening post, despite the present crisis and the emergency regulations that surround that situation employers must still comply with all that is laid down under the Health & Safety At Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) especially at present in regard to Covid-19. The above act states that an employer must carry out "ALL THAT IS REASONABLY AND PRACTICALLY POSSIBLE" to provide a safe working environment for employees throughout all their working duties.

Therefore employers should add an assessment for Covid-19 to the existing risk assessments and risk reduction measures that should be in place for all other regular operations that are carried out by employees in any workplace.

Although many have probably never heard of it, Section 44 Employment Rights Act 1996 could be considered the cornerstone of the UK’s Health & Safety at Work legislation.

Section 44. provides employees with the means to contest the adequacy and/or suitability of safety arrangements without fear of recriminations (e.g. getting sacked or transferred) or suffering detriment (e.g. loss of wages).

That section also provides employees with the ‘right’ to withdraw from and to refuse to return to a workplace that is unsafe. Employees are entitled to remain away from the workplace (e.g. stay at home) if in their opinion the prevailing circumstances represent a real risk of serious and imminent danger which they could not be expected to avert.

Section 44. entitles employees to claim for ‘Constructive Dismissal’ and (unlimited) compensation in the event that an employer fails to maintain safe working conditions. The foregoing means employees don’t have to wait until they (or someone else) suffer injury or illness before they can take action to get suitably safe working conditions.

Section 44. leaves employees with no excuse whatsoever for tolerating unsafe working conditions and acts as a deterrent against an employer either deliberately or carelessly devoting inadequate resources to the protection of safety in their workplace.

Therefore Curlygirl, I would suggest that you place a formal grievance hearing application before your employer citing what you feel are unsatisfactory safely standards in regard to Covid-19. In that application, you could also state that you will not be attending your workplace under section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 until safety standards in regard to Coronavirus are improved or it is proven to you that existing safety standards are "as far as practically possible" adequate.

If you are a member of a trade union Curlygirl, I would inform them of your concerns as they will send a representative to accompany you to the grievance hearing.

Hope the above helps

I've made the assumption that your doctor knows about your chronic bronchitis/coughing. He/she will really understand your worries. A phone call and/or a video call should be possible. They need to know you have a cough.
I've had to contact our surgery a couple of time (DH's medication). They were so helpful.

I'm shocked to read on a comment here that some can't get a test even though they have a cough and high temperature.

Evie, I am also surprised that you aren’t shielding.
You are probably over tired and overwrought and need a rest. I think speaking to your GP is a good idea and if you get signed off sick for a while, that might help and relieve the pressure.

I am sorry to hear that things are so tough, you need some help and support. All good wishes, ?

Evie64 please don't feel pressured by your school. I know how sometimes it can seem that you are in some way not being a team player but really look at it from another point of view. It was part of the responsibility of every adult in the school to ensure that you were safe and happy and you obviously were neither. Consult your doctor, take some time off and while you are resting write down exactly what measures you think need to be introduced to keep you safe. Then submit them to the Head for implementation before you agree to go back to work. You should be proud of yourself. You could have refused to go into school and insisted you needed to self isolate. You didn't. You did your best and carried on working. Now you need to think of yourself and they need to support you. Good luck hope you can get things sorted.

As mentioned by others, you are experiencing a natural reaction to being in a very vulnerable position. It’s time to think about yourself!
Get your health “sorted” with your GP first. Then catch up on sleep and rest. Stay at home for as long as it takes till you feel calmer and less anxious.
Don’t feel guilty you are letting down those back at school. You cannot do your job properly feeling as you do.

You need time to recuperate and recharge your batteries. The past few months in school must have been draining under the circumstances.
I worked in schools for many years...People tend to forget the number of adults and helpers who work in or visit a school, other than the staff&head teacher...There are admin staff, class assistants &helpers, caretakers, cleaners, groundsmen, Playground supervisors, cooks & lunch servers, peripatetic music teachers, some of whom may be “vulnerable”. All are at risk from this awful virus.
I hope you will feel better soon!

I'm surprised that because of your health issues, that you are not one of those shielding.
I can really understand how you feel that everything has fallen apart. You will not be the only one that is struggling with the fear that is affecting all of us in some way or other.
Please ask your GP to sign you off work, be kind to yourself, take a break and you will then be ready to start again. Just make sure that your school is fully aware what is happening - it's their responsibility to make sure you are working in a safe environment when you go back.

I think your reaction is totally proportionate to the risk. You’re completely normal. I wouldn’t be happy with the GP diagnosing anything because that suggests a problem YOU have that YOU need to work on.

How crazy would you have to be, to be in your situation, with your age and health issues and not be bloody scared.

Your employer should be making arrangements for you to work from home where possible and where not, for you be isolated at work with strict social distancing measures.

Good luck op. Be kind to yourself. I’m On maternity leave but has been contacted by work that triggered a breakdown in me. It’s a horrible guilt inducing feeling that makes you feel like a total failure. You’re. Not.

It is perfectly understandable how you are feeling. Everything we hear is saying about getting children back to school, but no one seems to be saying about the staff that will be at schools.

I work in a school and I am really worried about going back. I know social distancing will not be observed. I have my adult child at home with an underlying health condition and I am really concerned about bringing the virus home.

I hope that your doctor is able to help you.

I have nothing to add but send you some and my love x

Evie The school office is a busy place, everyone comes there at some point in the day. The tape on the floor can easily be ignored, or not even noticed. When you do go back to work, perhaps a practical solution to ONE of your stress factors (the 2 m exclusion zone round your desk) would be to reinforce the tape with a row of chairs facing outwards along the tape line. Chairs are plentiful in schools, and harder to miss than a thin line of tape!

That would stop anyone coming in to speak to you from getting too close - and they could sit down to talk, which they might appreciate if they have been standing to teach.

Evie64 I'm so glad you are seeking help for yourself, it sounds as though you are burned out with anxiety and your mind and body are giving you a very clear message. I'm sure your doctor will be able to help you through this but you must take the time you need to get better. You sound like someone who cares deeply about your work but there are some telling phrases in your post: "can barely get out of bed some days" "feel like I've let the team down" that confirm that the balance between your work and your health is out of kilter. Be gentle with yourself and take time to heal.

Evie64 be kind to yourself. You have had a perfectly natural reaction to a frightening situation. My daughter despairs too. She cannot see how she can guarantee the safety of her staff and the children.

She too has been in every single day since lockdown and echoes everything you say. I doubt she has slept and now one of her own children has developed a cough and a high temperature and she cannot get a test kit or an appointment to be tested when she tried yesterday.

She has just rung to say that she has opted to stay at home today and I have said the same to her as people are saying to you.