I work in manufacturing and hurt my right shoulder on the job about two years back. They didn’t think an MRI was necessary since the insurance said it wasn’t needed. They gave me temporary restrictions, and I was moved to a desk job for a bit. Eventually, I got cleared by a doctor, but I asked to switch roles because my shoulder was still feeling weak. Since then, I’ve been working different jobs around the plant, but my shoulder started acting up again. My boss recently asked me to go back to the job where I originally got injured, and after that, my shoulder pain came back. Now HR is saying I can only do two jobs here, both repetitive and boring. This decision was made without any doctor’s note or restriction. Is this even allowed?
Sounds rough! If there’s no doctor saying you’re limited, I don’t see why they should be restricting you. It’s like they’re going off what your boss thinks, not actual medical advice.
KateMelon said:
Sounds rough! If there’s no doctor saying you’re limited, I don’t see why they should be restricting you. It’s like they’re going off what your boss thinks, not actual medical advice.
Exactly! It feels like it’s just her trying to get rid of me, and it doesn’t seem fair. 
KateMelon said:
Sounds rough! If there’s no doctor saying you’re limited, I don’t see why they should be restricting you. It’s like they’re going off what your boss thinks, not actual medical advice.
Maybe ask HR to write down why they’re restricting your job options. It could be helpful later on if you need it.
@Zander
Good idea, I’ll see if I can get something in writing. Right now, it’s just been verbal.
If there’s no medical restriction, it doesn’t make sense they’re limiting you. Seems like your boss might just have it out for you.
Shan said:
If there’s no medical restriction, it doesn’t make sense they’re limiting you. Seems like your boss might just have it out for you.
Yeah, and if they’re doing this just because of your boss’s opinion, it could be seen as retaliation or even discrimination.
Shan said:
If there’s no medical restriction, it doesn’t make sense they’re limiting you. Seems like your boss might just have it out for you.
I worry about that too, especially since I have family who works here and I don’t want to cause more trouble.
If you’ve been cleared by a doctor and have no restrictions, they shouldn’t be keeping you from doing other jobs. Maybe it’s time to talk to someone with legal knowledge.
Vega said:
If you’ve been cleared by a doctor and have no restrictions, they shouldn’t be keeping you from doing other jobs. Maybe it’s time to talk to someone with legal knowledge.
Right? If there’s no medical reason, then they’re just making things harder for no reason.
Honestly, if your boss is just using their opinion to limit you, that sounds sketchy. Document everything they say to you—it might help if you decide to take it up with HR or someone else.
Monroe said:
Honestly, if your boss is just using their opinion to limit you, that sounds sketchy. Document everything they say to you—it might help if you decide to take it up with HR or someone else.
Good advice. I’ve started keeping notes, but maybe I need to be even more detailed.
Monroe said:
Honestly, if your boss is just using their opinion to limit you, that sounds sketchy. Document everything they say to you—it might help if you decide to take it up with HR or someone else.
Yeah, if they keep pushing, you might have grounds to file a complaint.
If they’re doing this without a legit reason, it could be something you can bring up with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Ari said:
If they’re doing this without a legit reason, it could be something you can bring up with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Thanks for the idea! I’ll keep that in mind if this keeps going on.