Even when you’re on sick leave, your time is not your own.
Yesterday evening, on my way to bed, I decided to check my mailbox.
I don’t know why, because the mail usually arrives around 9 am …
Anyway. I opened the door, and found a flimsy piece of paper. It had the words ‘CERTIMED’ on it.
Immediately, my heart started racing. The paper said an ‘independent doctor’ (= chosen by my company)
had been at my house. Since I wasn’t there, I was expected to present myself at some address
at 11 am the next day. When I turned the paper over to read the small print, it said that
failing to show up at the appointment would cease all company payments.
Now WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE ???
How can they put a paper like that in my mailbox and expect me to find it in time ?
I do not check my mailbox every day, you know. Why would I ? And why should I
be expected to check my mailbox at night ?
Are they just trying to get me to lose my benefits ? Or are they just ‘not thinking’ ?
So, with much trepidation, I turned on my computer and started figuring out where I was supposed to go, and more importantly, how I was going to get there. I don’t have a car, you see. And public transportation in Belgium is … well, not great.
An hour and a half later, I switched my computer back off.
It would take me 2 hours to get there. That is, 25 minutes to get to bus stop 2,
a 50 minute wait, and then another 30 minutes to get to bus stop 3, followed by a 10 minute walk.
Wonderful.
Anyway. I spent 50 minutes in the doctor’s waiting room, and then, all of 5 minutes in his office. Of those 5 minutes, he used 3 minutes to do paperwork. He didn’t ask my name, he didn’t ask me how I was doing. He only asked me where I was working (the info was on the paper I had just handed him), and asked me how long I was going to be home (also on the paper). He then handed me another piece of paper, and I was shown the way out.
I got home around 2 pm.
So. All in all, a day well spent. :-(