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amermonstarsgir · Aug 26, 2008, 05:43 PM

Hi I've got a question. Can a doctor tell your employer to switch your work shifts if it deals with your health? The reason I am asking is that my fiancé has been at this factory for a while now and lately had to switch doctors. The new doctor took him off his sleep medicines and refused to give him anything. With no sleep he had to go to second shift because he was starting to be late all the time and going to work on a daily basis with only 1 or 2 hours of sleep. Now he is on second shift in a completely awefull part and I think is about ready to have some sort of mental breakdown. He has an appointment with a sleep specialist in a couple of weeks but I don't think he can't wait that long. Can your doctor tell your employer to put you on a certain shift if your health is involved?

hkstroud · Aug 26, 2008, 08:33 PM

No. Tell your friend to go to bed at a reasonable hour, get up and be at work on time. Else his employer is going to tell him to not bother coming in at all.

CESElizabeth · Aug 27, 2008, 01:09 AM

Originally Posted by amermonstarsgir

Hi ive got a question. Can a doctor tell your employer to switch your work shifts if it deals with your health? The reason I am asking is that my fiance has been at this factory for a while now and lately had to switch doctors. The new doctor took him off his sleep medicines and refused to give him anything. with no sleep he had to go to second shift becuase he was starting to be late all the time and going to work on a daily basis with only 1 or 2 hours of sleep. Now he is on second shift in a completly awefull part and I think is about ready to have some sort of mental breakdown. He has an appointment with a sleep specialist in a couple of weeks but I dont think he can't wait that long. Can your doctor tell your employer to put you on a certain shift if your health is involved?

If your friend's medical condition falls under the American with Disabilities Act, a Doctor can request reasonable accommodation by changing his shift.

Frankie

amermonstarsgir · Aug 27, 2008, 04:55 PM

Thanks for the responses, He has seen a sleep specialist that said that he definitely had legitimate sleep problems. I forget the exact things he said but he told us that he definitely had all the symptoms of sleep apnea due to his sinuses not working correctly and that he was a light sleeper because when he did finally fall asleep that he would wak up every hour among other things. The doctor has made him an appoinment at a sleep clinic to be hooked up to the machines and his sleep monitored. His dad was killed in an accident when he was 6 so he doesn't know them at all but we have been told that that whole side of the family all have sleep problems but never went to the doctor they just drank alcohol and finally would get drunk and fall asleep. So there is something wrong with him. Its just gotten bad here recently, he is 27 but really has always had a messed up sleep pattern. I don't know what else to do. He was doing fine on the 1st shift except for when the doctors took him completely off his sleep aid medicine and that made him start being late for work. He was pretty much forced to go to the later shift. That shift is still hard for him but he goes in at 3:30 pm and its easier to wake up on time for that shift.