“What does a Yukon government employee of 20 years have to do to get some respect?”

That’s the question one woman is asking, after months of frustration from dealing with the government and Yukon Employees Union (YEU) to find a replacement position that suits her psychiatric needs in the wake of a brutal sexual assault.

The woman says she was raped in her home early in July 2014 after letting her roommate’s friend into the apartment. She wishes to remain anonymous for the purposes of this story.

“I knew when I opened the apartment door, something was going to go wrong,” she told the Star in an interview Thursday afternoon.

The RCMP have laid charges against a man, she said.

Since the attack happened in the middle of the summer, taking time off work was not an option at the time, as she is both single and a seasonal worker for the government.

Upon returning to work, the anxiety she felt was immediate.

Her roommate was a co-worker, and did not believe her claim that an attack had occurred.

“By the end of July, (there) was full-on harassment,” she said.

Women she worked with made jabs at her “promiscuity.” They poked and prodded at what she was wearing and asked why she was always so depressed – it had a quick crippling effect.

Once the bullying started popping up on Facebook in September 2014, she had had enough; she went to the human resources manager in her department.

“I didn’t think I’d be able to return to my workplace the following year, so I asked them what could be done.”

She said was directed to a representative at the YEU, who came back with two options: she could request a transfer through the public service commissioner, or go with an “accommodation.”

The government’s accommodation program works to find modifications – which can include a move to a different job position – to help employees to work to the best of their ability.

By law, the government is obligated to accommodate the needs of employees with disabilities.

Having been advised that a transfer is “almost impossible,” she decided to go with the accommodation.

“I knew the day I had to sign the accommodation that this was the wrong idea, but I didn’t know the process.”

So, she went along with the accommodation.

With a recall date of April 21, it was still unclear as to where she would be working once her work term started.

She was told in a meeting with human resources that they did not have a position for her yet – so she was tasked with filing paperwork on her start date.

Once the filing was finished, she was moved to a different department to help plan a convention that was coming to town, with work wrapping up by July 5.

She recounted that job as having a “loving environment” and the added bonus of lovable colleagues.

“I fell in love with them all. Nobody knew why I was there except the person who I answered to.”

The one good thing came to an abrupt end when she was told what the next job placement would be.

She was to be relocated to a former workplace of hers, which she had allegedly left due to “workplace politics.”

“I immediately expressed apprehension about that,” she said.

“It caused me a lot of anxiety and stress .... I didn’t feel that it would be right.”

Not being able to properly disclose the circumstances of why she had previously left made things worse.

Nigel Allan, a spokesperson for the Public Service Commission, told the Star this morning that employees are offered a “reasonable” accommodation. If they reject it, they need to say why they can’t take it.

The disability management unit’s website indicates that employees have the responsibility to “communicate openly with their employer” and “accept reasonable offers of accommodation.”

Effective disability management, the website states, requires timely action.

The department told her that the position was “reasonable” for her.

If she wanted to dispute it, she was told, she would have to get a psychiatrist to provide written reasoning why she couldn’t work there.

With the government’s three-week deadline for the psychiatrist’s written diagnosis, the crunch was on.

She said her psychiatrist barely made the Aug. 14 deadline, but wrote a note that said something along the lines of, “(While) it may seem reasonable that she work here, due to her past history with this place, I do not support her working here.”

This past Monday, she presented the note in a meeting with the Public Service Commission’s disability management unit, human resources and a YEU representative.

“They said, ‘It’s not good enough. It’s just an opinion and we don’t work with opinions,’” she said, letting out an exasperated sigh.

Not understanding the government’s process for handling these sorts of situations contributes to her frustration – she claims there was no way of knowing that her psychiatrist’s diagnosis would not be good enough to get her moved to a different job.

Allan said today that to plan a proper accommodation, the department needs a clear objective and specific restrictions as to what the employee can or cannot do.

“This information is provided by a medical practitioner,” Allan said.

“In some situations, we might request an independent medical examination ... (By a) practitioner identified by the Yukon government.

“All we want are the restrictions and limitations, not personal medical details.”

The next day, the woman went to see the same psychiatrist in town.

“In all of the jurisdictions where he has worked, he said he has never seen anything as difficult as this government,” she said.

The next day, she agreed to go to Vancouver to see a psychiatrist chosen by the government – a suggestion that had been made to her at the end of July.

At the time, she had been hesitant to go without the authorization from her own psychiatrist.

But now, having not been paid since the convention job ended in July, she’s at the end of her rope.

The bright light in her life right now is the prospect of a career change; she applied and has been accepted to study justice at university.

“I really would like to work with women and children overseas some day.”

The first instalment of tuition had been due last Friday – she had a friend help pay the amount due.

The institution estimates the cost of this degree to be $14,730.

Her dependence on having a five-month work season is pivotal.

“I didn’t ask to be assaulted. I didn’t ask to be harassed. There isn’t a resource I didn’t tap. This is the most frustrating thing I’ve ever encountered,” she said.

While specific details of the woman’s case were not discussed with the Public Service Commission, the department indicated that workplace accommodation requires the employee’s full participation.

“Depending on the situation, it can be reasonably complicated,” Allan said.

“At the end of the day, it’s important to find a reasonable accommodation (placement), but it does require them to participate in the process; otherwise, it makes it difficult.”

It’s easy for a listener to see the woman’s bewilderment at the lack of solution to her situation – she is meticulous, having a penchant for archiving her life. She scribbles down dates as she is being interviewed.

The easiest way to explain the situation, she said, is that no one knew what to do.

She talked about her travels overseas during previous winters when she hasn’t been working, calling herself a “vicious traveller,” walking with self-assuredness that would let potential criminals know they can’t rob her; they can’t touch her.

She fought hard against her attacker that night, she said.

And it’s clear she’s ready to continue the fight for her place in the workforce.

No one was available to speak on the YEU’s behalf this week.

The director and manager of the disability management unit were also unavailable to comment on the woman’s experiences.

See letter.