Mark's story (part 2)

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 It is nearly the end of the three-hour team meeting at Focus on the Child and Pete asks whether there is any other business. It has been a difficult meeting as he's given the team a lengthy briefing about the new IT policies set by head office after the fiasco of the missing laptop earlier in the year. They knew the change was coming but didn't realise they would have so little time to get their heads around them before the audit next month.

AOB 

Mark clears his throat and says that he has an item he wants to raise. He's been practicing what he wants to say over the weekend with his wife. He just wants to clear the air and move on.

Pete is frustrated, why is Mark making this meeting longer than it has to be? "Quickly then, we only have a couple of minutes". Everyone shuffles in their seat, keen to get some lunch.

"The last six months have been really hard for me, the hardest time of my life, I've really missed you all and being here, the cards and presents you sent meant a lot to me and Paula. I am really glad to be back at work but I am still the same person, please treat me as the same Mark you did before the accident."

There is an uncomfortable silence in the room. Pete says "er, yes, thanks Mark. We'll do all we can." Everyone gets up. Mark is last to leave the room. Back in the office everyone seems to have disappeared, either out for a smoke or to the café to get a sandwich.

Back in the office

Mark sits back at his desk. Did he do the right thing? It didn't come out quite the way he'd planned it and didn't get the reaction he'd hoped. It seems very lonely in the office now. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything, maybe it was too soon to come back, maybe he shouldn't have come back at all. Why did all this have to be so hard?

All afternoon he sits quietly at his desk. There is a general hush in the office. Eventually he goes into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Glenn is there too. "You made quite a splash in the meeting." Mark sighs, "what's going on Glenn, what am I doing wrong?"

"People are angry about all the changes they are having to deal with. You're just getting the brunt of it." At that moment Sara comes into the kitchen, "I've had to give up my place by the window because your desk was moved. I need the light cos of my SAD, I really don't know how I'm going to cope when the winter comes." Tom overhears the conversation and joins in "I've been asking for a new chair for years. My back is only getting worse. It's not fair that you got all your kit so easily."

Glenn says, "the last six months have been hard for us too. We've had to do all your work and now we're having to work extra hard to keep up with the new IT policies. It's all too much to take in. Pete is no use - locked in his office dealing with all the stuff from head office. He isn't noticing that we're so unhappy."

Back at his desk

Mark feels like he's been slapped. He'd no idea that all this was going on. Why hadn't anyone said anything before? Don't they realise that he had to work really hard to get his Access to Work assessment sorted, Pete was little help? Why can't they understand what he is going through? He has lost an eye afterall! This is meant to be a caring organisation.

He goes back to his desk. He thinks, "I need to do something to clear the air with everyone. Maybe they need some sight loss training or a relaxing day trip on the river? I could ask Pete to move my desk back to my old spot - it's not great sitting next to the toilet anyway!" He vows to work out how he can sort things so life can get back to normal.

Have your say

•  What should Mark do to make things better?
• Should it be Pete who sorts things out?
• Was Mark being too self-centred?
• What would you do in this situation?

Have your say on the Millcaster Tales forum.

Useful links

• Access to Work scheme (DirectGov) 
• Adapting to sight loss (RNIB)
• What is SAD?

Other episodes

Missed Mark's story (part 1) - read it here.

Catch up with past episodes.