panic attack

[sammmo]

my wife was told by her employer that she had to do a course on company procedure and everyone in the company must do it, at the end of the 3 day course there is a test and if you fail it you must do the course again.. my wife is good at her job, she's worked at this company 15 yrs. so she knows her job well. But when you put a form of any discription in front of her she goes blank she just cannot fill in forms and finds it sends her into a panic.. well this morning she had to go on this course and when she entered the room she paniced told them she couldnt do it and walked out.. she later phoned me in tears, i told her to go to the company nurse, she calmed my wife down and told her to go back to her normal job, the nurse told her boss what had happened and her boss told her not to worry,but my wife now thinks she will loose her job if she cannot get over her fear of forms.. could she loose her job over this?

[daffy654]

Is filling in forms a part of her job?
Could she not have someone ask her the questions on the form and she gives answers which they write down for her?

[emmie]

No, they should be understanding, and being made to do something that she is very uncomfortable with puts them in a bad light if it came to any kind of tribunal. Suggest she sits down with her manager, assuming she has one, and explain her dilemma. And perhaps that person can go through the forms with her. Bullying of any kind shouldn't be tolerated.

[chinadog]

I feel for your wife sammmo. I get panick attacks and they're flipping scary. Get your wife to talk to her gp,she may be given CBT "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy" There's also a very good book "Feel the fear and do it anyway". I also use a relaxation cd,deep breathing helps. Good luck.

[emmie]

the panic she feels, she doesn't get them on a regular basis i assume, only
form filling makes her upset, so she doesn't need CBT, but an understanding colleague/boss to help her.

[sammmo]

She has never been able to fill in forms, I've always done this for her, we've been married for 30 yrs and to me its no problem.. but because she isn't used to filling in forms and not used to courses she's panicked.. I know it sounds odd she can read and write.. she assembles very complex printed circuit boards for a living and has done this for forty years.. but put a form with a few questions on it in front of her and she just freezes.. she has a form fobia if there is such a thing.. the trouble is her firm is telling everyone they must do this course which is making her worse..

[emmie]

then try what i suggested above, get her to speak with a manager, because anyone telling you that you have to do something, smacks of insensitivity, and in the longer term bullying. She must have friends who could help her surely.

[sammmo]

thanks EM yes i will tell her to have a word with her HR manager.. As you say its insensitive to ask her to do things that send her into a panic.. so by doing so they would be bullying her.. now that they know how she feels..

[lcg]

it sounds like she has a particular 'need' which the company should take into account during this process. your wife may well have to do this course, but her employer should be made aware of her needs and cater for them. if they don't, they will be breaching their duty towards your wife.

for example, i am currently in the process of having to apply for my job again (due to cuts in the nhs) and i have mental health problems. as a result, i am now very stressed, terrified of losing my job, and feeling backed into a corner - which i hate and makes my mental health problems worse - and my anxiety levels shoot through the roof. as such, i have informed my employers ahead of time (and will have documentation to prove such contact), will tell the interviewing panel on the day and may have to have some time out (for a freak out!) during the interview if things go a bit wrong.

your wife will have to figure out what her needs may be (with the company) and put an action plan into place. but try and calm her nerves by saying they are also responsible for helping her as she has been happily doing her job for 15 years with no problems...and that she must be valued by them too. good luck x

[lcg]

i forgot to add...if she flatly refuses to do this course, then the company may have grounds for dismissal. if she approaches them with her problem and genuinely tries to seek a solution (even if it doesn't work), then probably not. i'm sure there is some kind of solution out there, and she should seek as much help as possible, starting with hr, occupational health and her gp if necessary (due to the anxiety this causes). again, good luck x

[AlBags]

lol at this ..

Surely the boss could just chat with her and ask her the questions? (having been made aware of the problem)

[RATTER15]

I actually have a similar problem due to my Dyslexia, I really don't think they could sack her over this, they are probably legally bound to make allowances for this and to try and work around it.

Good luck.

[sammmo]

thank you all for your answers..hopefully at the end of the day they may just sign to say shes done the course.. I've told her not to worry about it because its not her actual problem.. she does her job well and is well thought of..she isnt saying she will not work to company procedures just saying she cannot sit through a 3 day course then do the test.. Its up to her company to come up with the solution..