Friggin’ Affirmative Action! stumbles off, muttering
They didn’t have gas lighting 200 years ago. You’ll have to rely on windows, candles, and oil lamps. And no computors or typewriters they aren’t in the “style of the building either”, do everything by hand.
Gee, does your boss get mad when you try to put more coal in the furnace?
Maybe you could just cut the arms off the chair she wants you to use? Then you could pull it in close enough to your workstation.
I’d honestly be complaining more about the 18th century style computers you are probably forced to use.
Do you have to work on Christmas? Do you have a son named Tim?
Sounds to me like boss lady is not the best boss in the world. If all 5 of you band together and confront her (nicely), she’s bound to do something.
Depending on how seriously the boss takes all of this, you might win the short term battle of getting the chair you need - you might also provide the precedent your co-workers require to get their proper seating too, but in the long run, you might lose out. If the boss develops a grudge about this, you could end up being given subtly crappy treatment as punishment, or even find yourself out of a job, for some reason conspuicuously other than the chair dispute.
I’m not saying all bosses do this, but bosses with judgment poor enough to make them insist their staff sit on uncomfortable furniture just because it looks nice, are probably somewhat more prone to taking it personally and harbouring a grudge in that way.
ETA: I’m not suggesting you should just put up with the discomfort though - just that trying to deal with it might lead to other undesired outcomes.
“Would someone mind dispatching a memo to the IT department? It’s been three days and they still haven’t fixed my difference engine!”[sup]*[/sup]
Yeah, in Canada I’d have to say that being forced to sit in potentially damaging chairs would probably be a violation of the Occupational Health & Safety act, though in my brief skimming I couldn’t find anything explicit about office furniture, just that an employer must tend to their employees’ health and safety, which would amount to the same thing if said chairs were pain-inducing.
[sub]* Yes, I know even that’s slightly anachronistic.[/sub]
You think the Board lags on modern computers, try trying to access it on a coal powered computational engine.
I feel your pain, nyctea. Well, actually, I feel my own pain, from working at a table with a non-ergonomic chair, doing data entry all day. My husband the safety officer tells me that not only are Alberta employees allowed to not work under those conditions, but we are obligated to not injure ourselves. I tell him that if I refuse to work in conditions that are hurting my back, neck and arms, I will be fired (I’m a temp). They won’t fire me for refusing to work; they’ll just make something else up, and away I go. The laws don’t always mean that much.
I hope you’re searching for a different job while you’re struggling with this. No one should have to work for a company where employees are treated like this. Even if your boss isn’t willing to, you should also consider the potential long-term damage you could be doing to yourself by working in such an uncomfortable setting. Is having this job worth risking your health? (Of course, I have no idea where you live, what kinds of skills you have, what other personal considerations might be involved, but if job hunting is an option, you should go for it.)
As others have mentioned, these health issues should be covered under workers’ compensation insurance, but it’s my understanding that these types of conditions are typically the most difficult to prove. And even if you can prove it, is it worth the impact on your health? You could, I hope, remind your boss that workers’ comp claims could increase her premiums.
The bottom line is: do you want to continue working for a company that doesn’t value its employees?
GT
There are some workarounds, if the arms are the problem. If there is a kneehole drawer, take it out. If not, park the keyboard and mouse pad in the pulled-out drawer. Failing that, put the whole desk on 3-inch blocks, or saw a bit off the chair legs.
Can the height of the chair be lowered, so you can slide the arms underneath the desk?
Easy solution:
Go to your doctor and explain the situation. Ask her for a note saying that your back pain requires you to use a more ergonomic chair with back support. Most doctors are very accommodating about things like this. Take it to your boss. She cannot legally refuse a reasonable accommodation for a medical condition.
Hey. At least you get a chair.
I’m having to share a bench with two other guys.
And have you ever tried to type with your wrists manacled to an oar?
But at least the captain hasn’t mentioned wanting to ski today.
Under which law? If you mean the Americans with Disabilities Act, that only applies to employers with 15 or more employees.
As far as legal requirements, the OP is probably going to need to look to state law for protection on this, if it in fact exists.
Investigating your legal rights is a good idea, but make sure you get the facts. Not everything that maybe should be illegal is actually illegal. From what I could see on the Virginia OSH and Worker’s Comp sites, this is unlikely to be a priority. From VIOSH “”…adequately assure…that no employee will suffer material impairment of health or functional capacity." [§ 40.1-22(5) of the Code of Virginia]. Yeah, that could be interpreted to cover your situation, but when you compare it to people who are literally disabled after years of factory work with 100s of other workers at the same risk, a backache from an uncomfortable chair is unlikely to get quick action. Also, Virginia Worker’s Comp explicitly excludes many back conditions (which gave me a serious WTF?, but there it is.)
I would suggest asking to meet with your boss to let her know you are serious about this, and want to find an option that works for both of you. Are you willing to explore removing the arms from the other chair? Look up some ergonomics stuff that illustrates exactly what the problem is with the other chair.
You get a bench??? Luxury! We have to sit on the cobble stone floor and chisel our documents into stone with a rock and a rusty nail.
Oops, missed where she said how many employees there are.
It is still worth trying anyway, if only because it would shame most employers into allowing the chair, regardless of any legal basis for enforcement.
I work in a company of less than 10 employees. The power of group shaming in such an environment can be powerful. If I were refused the accommodation after getting a doctor’s note, I’d enlist my co-workers in complaining about it, loudly and frequently. That’s been our secret weapon in changing our boss’s mind on issues he’s unreasonable about. I had a similar problem with the mouse setup at the computer I use. It was aggravating my carpal tunnel and slowing down my work. Still, he didn’t want to pay $50 or so for a new, cordless mouse to solve the issue. Eventually, he just got sick of hearing about it all the time and caved.
I love that 'get a cushion" solution. Like it’s just the hardness of the chair that is a problem, not the depth of the seat, angle of recline, back-support, height, width, arm location, etc.
Having a good chair is a really big deal. Every six months or so, we get a company email asking us if our workstations are OK. . .chairs, mice, keyboards, monitors, etc. They actually brought in 10 test chairs for us one time. We got to sit in each of them briefly, and then could bring any of them to our office to try it for a day. Yes, please.
I know it’s always easy for an outsider to say, “find a new job”, but I’d seriously start looking.
Is it a growing company (and Harriet, does the 15 employees include herself?)
Because “about ten” employees (could be eleven or twelve) plus herself and a growing company could put her quickly into OSHA/ADA territory. Which could provide you a little leverage (or a least a feeling that you’ll have some leverage shortly).
On the other hand, a “about ten person” company that is eight plus her and hasn’t hired a new body if four years - you are in “negotiated settlement” or “leave” territory. Cause she CAN make you sit in a painful chair.