remark about how hard he has been working and he is so tired and his poor back etc....
Does he have back problems? If so, that should be given some consideration. I've had debilitating back problems for the last 28 years - since I was 20. The pain can be bad enough without having people treat you like you're just "lazy" or "seeking attention". Because of the nature of my work I was also unable to work more than 40 hours a week. I eventually retrained and found work that isn't hard on my back. I also dumped the people in my life who were unwilling to accept me along with my limitations. Life has never been better.
W