Inform work about chronic illness?

M

Mel

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If an employee is diagnosed with a chronic long-term illness that doesn't involved being signed out sick by their GP to recover (as would not necessarly help) but which does affect energy levels, concentration, and ability to perform duties, is it in their interest to inform their employer of it? Would it allow the employer to assign work / schedule help / understand poorer than usual performance accordingly, or would it more likely work against the employee in the long-term?
 
Mel said:
If an employee is diagnosed with a chronic long-term illness .... would it more likely work against the employee in the long-term?
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My advice would be to tell the employer. It will be to the mutual benefit of both parties.

I have a chronic neurological disorder which, luckily, has been in remission for the past few years. It affected my mobility etc. I had to tell my employer, a multinational at the time. The HR Manager and my manager were great. As long as the duties of the job can be carried out under health and safety conditions then most employers will be accomodating.

Regarding
Mel said:
... concentration, and ability to perform duties, .....
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A couple of tips which may be useful:
  • I bought a good chair from the Back Shop (http://www.back-shop.com/)
  • I got a disabled parking badge from Dublin Corporation.
  • Nowadays, if you have broadband (ADSL), it is easy to work from home, if even for part of the week.
Remember, employers are finding it hard to get good workers nowadays! If the employer cannot accomodate this, then I suggest that the person should go on certified long term sick leave.
 
It's not an obvious type of thing, but a condition that will remain and require medication for life and is difficult to regulate, therefore there will be good times and bad... But it is affecting my performance, and I'm finding it harder and harder to cope with the workload, and even to find the energy to interact effectively with my colleagues, and I know that it will be noticed sooner rather than later, if not already.
I'm hesitating because what I did mention this to the manager of the project I was on at the time I was diagnosed, to be met with ''oh ya, my mother has that'' and I was then cut off short. My direct manager has very little to do with my day-to-day work, and I can't see any huge benefit in telling him either. I also want to avoid a situation where I am by-passed for certain projects or responsibilities as a result, but then, if I don't let anyone know why I'm coping less well than I used to, that it may be interpreted as just having a bad attitude.
 
Mel,

Sorry to hear about your condition.

A few more suggestions.

Is there an association for people with your complaint? If so, then they should have a support line or forum. You can also contact others who have coped with your condition.

Does your employer have an employee assistance program. This is usually run by an outside company and is confidential. They would point you in the direction of other agencies who can help.

This is a HR issue. If your employer has a HR Dept., then contact them. Sometimes managers, especially those in technical areas e.g. IT, while good managers do not have the best interpersonal skills.
 
Thanks Carpedeum -
I'll have a chat with HR and see what they say about approaching my manager. We aren't big enough to have an employee assistance or anything like that, at least I'm not aware of it if there is one.
I'll put the working from home to them, even a day or two a week would make a difference.
Did you find there were any changes in attitude once you'd spoken to your manager/hr?
 
Mel said:
Did you find there were any changes in attitude once you'd spoken to your manager/hr?
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Hi Mel,

Yes I did and for the better. Some colleagues weren't helpful, but, I learnt to ignore them! You can bury the hatchets.... in their backs... later! As an old mentor manager taught me to do years ago, f*** the begrudgers!

Don't worry. The fact that you still have the work ethic and want to cope with this hurdle shows that you will get there... wherever we go!

Best of luck.
 
Hi Mel,

Carpedieum has given you some very good advice and is obviously very sensitive to your plight. So am I, but fortunately, she/he has been lucky in so far as they've had an understanding employer. Unfortunately, not all companies are the same, but for your sake, I do hope this works out for you. One of the things thats a problem in situations like this, is that you feel so alone and afraid to speak to anyone in work about whats going on with you. If you don't want to approach HR yet (although you will have to at some stage) but want someone to talk to that can keep your confidence and give you information for your particular situation, how about you speak to your Health & Safety Representative. By law all places are supposed to have one now, and if your company does, this person will have received training and will be able to get you information from the Health & Safety Authority.

Again, I hope it all works out ok for you.
 
Sorry guys, I started writing and by the time I'd posted mine , you each had 1 more done, so mine crossed.
 
Thanks TDON - that's what I'm worried about, getting written off because I'm not up to scratch anymore... where I work is great, but I don't know how they will treat something like this.
I had a look at the health and saftey policy just now, and all it says about personal illness is that the manager must be informed of any condition that makes the employee unsafe in the workplace.
 
Mel said:
Thanks TDON - that's what I'm worried about, getting written off because I'm not up to scratch anymore... where I work is great, but I don't know how they will treat something like this.
I had a look at the health and saftey policy just now, and all it says about personal illness is that the manager must be informed of any condition that makes the employee unsafe in the workplace.
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But the thing is, does it make you unsafe in the workplace? I mean you know that better than anyone. It's a horrible situation to be in and you really need to sit down and talk to someone that knows the whole story with your working environment. If in your place of employment, someone has been elected as the staff Health and Safety representative, the HSA will have a record of this, because by right (in a perfect world anyway), they would have sent them on training courses. So maybe you should ring them up and ask them, do they have a record of any such person in your place of employment. If not, tell them you have a problem which you do not wish to speak about over the phone and is there anyone that they could set up an appointment with, to give you advice pertaining to your situation.

I know other people will tell you that you must approach your HR dept to advise them of your situation, and that is true, you will have to do it at some stage. But if it were me, I'd be going forearmed, knowing what my entitlements were. As nice as everyone is, the bottom line is businesses are in business for profit and you need to think about how you will approach this, so that you won't be seen as a "drain" (for the want of a better word) in their eyes. You might be the most intelligent, diligent, loyal employee they have, but unfortunately the hard truth is they won't consider you indespencible. I know this sounds hard and I'm sorry for that. But the thing is you have to put yourself first as much as they will, when this all comes out. So, phone the HSA today and see what help they can give you.
 
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TDON said:
If in your place of employment, someone has been elected as the staff Health and Safety representative, the HSA will have a record of this, because by right (in a perfect world anyway), they would have sent them on training courses. So maybe you should ring them up and ask them, do they have a record of any such person in your place of employment.
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The HSA don't provide direct training - they will refer you to their [broken link removed]. Even if they did provide such training, they could not release information to a caller about attendees as this would breach Data Protection laws.

To get back to the original question, I think the OP should think carefully before approaching HR. Once you speak to HR, your condition will be 'on the record'. You can't 'take it back' at a later stage (presuming that your condition is permanent). There is no such thing as an 'off the record' discussion with a HR person - their first duty is to their employer.

If your condition meets the definition of 'disability' under the Employement Equality Acts, your employer has a legal obligation to provide any 'reasonable accomodation' that you need. This could include break periods, reassignment of work, assistive technology, equipment such as desk or chair etc. FAS operate a grant scheme that would cover costs of equipment and supports for the employer.

If you need your employer to do something for you, then I think you need to come clean. If you don't, I'd keep schtum.
 
RainyDay said:
The HSA don't provide direct training - they will refer you to their [broken link removed]. Even if they did provide such training, they could not release information to a caller about attendees as this would breach Data Protection laws.
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The HSA used to, so sorry if not as up to date as Rainyday on that one. However, each place of employment by law, is supposed to display their Safety Statement in a place for all staff to see. If there is a staff H&S representative, (which there should because that is also the law) that person's name is supposed to appear on the Safety Statement. The HSA will have a record of this Safety Statement on file from your employer, which also gives the name of your staff representative. So this is about giving you the name of the person that appears on your safety statement and not the names of people who are attendees on courses. They won't have a problem with that.

However, on the other hand, if your employer has not bothered to display a Safety Statement and elect a Safety Representative, to even give a nod, (just even for looks sake, as it were), to the HSA, then the chances of them being reasonable concerning your health are a bif iffy. It's a tough one and I'm sorry I can't help you anymore, but if you want, feel free to pm me.
 
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TDON said:
[The HSA will have a record of this Safety Statement on file from your employer, which also gives the name of your staff representative.
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Can you confirm your source for this? I can't see any mention of the requirement to file a Safety Statement with HSA on their website or any other site covering H&S matters?
 
There is no requirement to 'file' a safety statement with the HSA under any h&s legislation. Every employer in the country must have one, so that's a lot of paper.

There is no legal requirement on employers to have safety reps in the workplace - employees have a right to elect them - there is a difference. However the HSA will strongly reccomend that you do.

By taking the safety route in approaching your employer you are IMHO admitting to your employer at a very early stage that your condition may make you unsafe to work with, and this could be the information that they could use to place you on health and safety leave. If your doctor certifies you as fit for work with this condition then there is not a lot from a safety point of view that the company can do.

In cases like these I have found that the best approach is to go to HR and discuss the problem and perhaps see the company's OH consultant. He or she will certify you as fit for work; unfit for work; or fit for work with restrictions. The company, if they are any way reputable, will take any advice on board and help you deal with the situation. By not informing them your reduced concentration may appear as laziness giving them a reason to let you go. At least if they are aware of the illness they can help you deal with it.

I hope it works out for you.
 
Thanks for the replies all.
I'm not unsafe, just not very productive at the moment. I'm at a desk, but if I was to be sent to site it might be different story alright. I'm inclined to say something for the reason that cruchan09 gives; i don't want people to get the impression that i'm just not bothered.
I'm due some test results again this week, so will see how that goes and what my doctor thinks, and then speak to HR i think.
 
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