Discrimination against men

[PrinceCharming]

What is the name of your state? NY

I work in a group home. In this group home, some residents are wheelchair bound and get fed through a feeding tube.

The ladies who work there NEVER have to take care of the wheelchair bound residents (because they cannot lift).

I complained that one resident makes me want to barf (especially when he has a bowl movement)

I told my supervisor that I would like to be excused from that one resident.

My supervisor told me that even if I had a dr.'s note, he would fire me if I was not able to help ALL the residents.

He smells terrible (not because he doesn't shower) and I have visited the dr numerous times ever since I started working there.

On a sidenote, the job does not provide masks.

 

[janimal]

What is your question?

 

[fairisfair]

and you do not provide your own mask because. . . . . . .???

 

[PrinceCharming]

The question is, is it legal for a an employer to make exceptions for women to accomodate their needs of not lifting and not making an exception for men to accomodate the needs avoiding getting nauseous to the extent of throwing up.

 

[moburkes]

The question is, is it legal for a an employer to make exceptions for women to accomodate their needs of not lifting and not making an exception for men to accomodate the needs avoiding getting nauseous to the extent of throwing up.

I'm not sure about the discrimination. However, if your job duties make you nauseous, then you need to find another job.

 

[cbg]

If a woman is not strong enough to lift the patient, no accomodation is going to make her strong enough.

You are not providing your own mask because...?

 

[Betty]

It's not illegal for an employer to have women & men do different jobs when there is a legitimate nondiscriminatory business reason for doing so - such as in this case the women not being strong enough to lift the residents. Can you not buy yourself a mask as asked by several other posters - I would think they shouldn't cost much.

 

[PrinceCharming]

Thank you Betty. I was ignoring the mask issue because the law may require my employer to provide me with a mask. In addition, I was asking for legal advice, not practical advice.

Think about it, if you were working in a hospital without gloves, would you buy your own gloves?

 

[ecmst12]

You want the mask for comfort. It is not required for safety, for what you are doing.

 

[moburkes]

Thank you Betty. I was ignoring the mask issue because the law may require my employer to provide me with a mask. In addition, I was asking for legal advice, not practical advice.

Think about it, if you were working in a hospital without gloves, would you buy your own gloves?

Yep, if the law didn't require my employer to purchase it, and I felt that I needed it.

 

[Mike Groaning]

What is the name of your state? NY

I work in a group home. In this group home, some residents are wheelchair bound and get fed through a feeding tube.

The ladies who work there NEVER have to take care of the wheelchair bound residents (because they cannot lift).

I complained that one resident makes me want to barf (especially when he has a bowl movement)

I told my supervisor that I would like to be excused from that one resident.

My supervisor told me that even if I had a dr.'s note, he would fire me if I was not able to help ALL the residents.

He smells terrible (not because he doesn't shower) and I have visited the dr numerous times ever since I started working there.

On a sidenote, the job does not provide masks.

So, you feel you are not being treated equally because your supervisor won't let you treat vulnerable adults unequal and give the ones who don't make you want to barf treatment, and leaving the smelly one for someone else to deal with?

I don't get it, because why can't you ask a female coworker for assistance? They don't have to lift, but maybe you could take turns wiping, removing clean linens, and so forth. The situation I work in is identical to what you are describing, yet for some reason we all manage to work together based on how we can get the job done the most efficient.

As far as making a formal complaint about the smell of a nonambulatory guy with a feeding tube... I mean, just.... hey-o!

 

[pattytx]

PrinceCharming (a misnomer if I ever heard one), I certainly hope you don't find yourself in a situation one day where you cannot take care of your personal needs. And if you do, I hope you find someone more compassionate than you are yourself. Do you know how humiliating it is to not be able to care of yourself, feed yourself, clean yourself, etc.? Do you think these individuals LIKE not being able to clean themselves? For Lord's sake. If you can't deal with this type of work with sympathy and compassion, then you shouldn't be in this type of job.

ok, off soapbox now.