> To whom it may concern:
>
> I am a psychiatrist treating Mr. Smith. He tells
> me that he has chronic back pain (“lumbago”), and
> asks to be allowed to bring in his own chair to work.
>
> Yours,
> Dr. Alexander
I think it's a good hack. What I imagine is happening is
that someone has gone to a medical professional with a
problem, and this note documents - the person, the
problem and the date. If there's a lawsuit in the
future a lawyer could refer to this note saying "on
this date your employee had a condition that you
didn't address". So HR caves.
My last employer allowed every employee to have a combination sitting/standing desk if they financed it or brought in a doctor's note.
I have a history of back pain, and my physician gladly wrote me a note, and billed me their time. And since my insurance covered it, in the end my employer (and the taxpayer) paid for it.
That was the most roundabout way to waste 5 people's time (the HR person who came up with the policy, the employee, the doctor, someone greenlighting the charge at the insurance company, and the HR person greenlighting the doctor's note).
All to "save" money by buying normal desks instead of flexible ones.
Which now meant that whenever I moved, I had to label my desk specially and have it moved separately, instead of just switching to the desk that was already there, causing me downtime, and the company extra moving cost.
And I'm sure someone somewhere was proud of their idea.
