Q: I've been a caregiver with my current employer — a nursing home — since the beginning of 2012. That July, I took a maternity leave and returned only on a part-time status in May 2013. Last month, our management team changed. There is now a new manager and deputy manager.

My baby caught German measles and was sick for a week. I tried to make him happier by carrying him around for nearly the whole week, which resulted in bad back pain. I called in to say I couldn't make my shift due to the pain, and I was told to call in during office hours, which I did. When I talked to my manager, I told her I would be OK to work my shift the next day and that my back pain was an exception. She didn't seem interested in listening. Instead, she cancelled me working that following day, sent me to a doctor and told me to call her on Monday to tell her what the doctor said. She told me that if it is still bad, I won't be able to move patients.

This may sound reasonable, but I know my back better than she does and better than my doctor, who sees me once a year. I am 39 and feel as if I've been treated like a child who doesn't know what's good for her. Is her decision abusive?

A: Your manager is not treating you like a child, nor is she abusive. She is protecting the company against a potential workers' compensation claim. She is responsible for her employees getting hurt on the job and allowing a person with a bad back to do any heavy lifting would be irresponsible. You're talking about lifting and moving patients; it's likely that most of your patients are at least 100 pounds.

No one "knows" his or her body's resiliency to injuries and healing, no matter how minor or serious the injury seems. If people knew the condition of their body parts, accidents would not exist. People would do only what they were capable of, and that "knowing" would eventually put certain types of health professionals out of business. Having a bad back in a profession where lifting is required may very well put you out of a job.

When companies make legal accommodations for employees with disabilities, those employees are still required to perform their jobs. The accommodation simply makes working possible for that person. Last but not least, if you were a manager, you would not allow a worker who gets hurt while carrying a baby to lift an adult out of bed into a wheelchair.

Bad backs plague many workers, and even though you can be helped through physical therapy, you might want to consider finding another profession that has no physical strength requirements. Aging is a unique process for all, though you may soon find out that as people age, they need to work a bit harder every year to stay physically fit. Like it or not, your manager's job is to protect the company; your job is to protect yourself.

IGNORE FRIENDS WHO IGNORE YOUR WISHES

Q: My friends continue to text and call me at work. I told them to stop, but they are in the "take any job" mode, so they don't care.

A: Turn off your cell phone at work or hit the ignore key when it rings. Just because a friend calls or texts doesn't mean you have to respond. Whether forgetful or intentionally disrespectful, if you want a certain result, you have to make it happen.

Email all your questions to workplace expert Lindsey Novak at [email protected]. She answers all emails. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2013 CREATORS.COM