topic To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss. in Multicultural experiences

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Donte — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 03:44:57 GMT

Hi all,

The other day our new HR manager asked all staff to complete a form disclosing any illnesses and conditions they have that could either impact on their work or at a time of emergency, the company should be aware of and/or inform the paramedics etc.

As I had health insurance refuse to cover me in the past due to the fact that I ticked 'Yes' to the 'Do you suffer from depression or other mental illness' box on the form, I hadn't disclose to my employer about my mental illness until now, even though, many colleagues, including my Coordinator are aware of my health issues.

Even though, my overall performance hasn't been compromised and I complete my tasks successfully, there are times where my depression and anxiety can get the best of me and/or my moods affect me. At those times it can be difficult to concentrate, and I feel tired, unmotivated and lacking energy.

So, when I was asked to complete this form the other day, I wrote down all my conditions and medications/treatments. Not sure why, this time around I felt the urge to disclose. Perhaps, because I feel sick and tired hiding. Or maybe, because I have seen the fear others display in telling the boss what's happening with them and struggle all alone due to stigma from our cultural background. I thought that maybe talking about my experiences might encourage others to be more open about mental health at work, as well as helping to change people’s attitudes. Also, being upfront about it might stop rumours spreading or people gossiping. (I had disclose to a colleague who's behavior towards me has now changed and have been worried that she might dob me in!)

Maybe being open and upfront will be helpful in case there is any dispute about my performance with my employer in the future.
I know there is legislation to protect me and I have a good network outside work that I can rely on and I’m not at a point where I need any additional support, but I don’t want my boss/colleagues to think I’m weak or not pulling my weight.

However, I’m not sure it will stay confidential. I’m comfortable talking to my boss about this but don’t want anyone else to know and I don’t want it going on my employment record. I have been worried that if people found out they could use this against me somehow or that I might be discriminated against.

How has your experience been? Have you disclosed at work? In your community? If yes, how did it go? If no, why not?

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

white knight — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 00:47:48 GMT

Hi Donte

I have a friend. He was 21yo when, with several debts, he declared bankrupt. That was 1980.

Since then he has always ticked the box "yes" when applying for a loan "have you ever declared bankrupt".

He had waited 3 years for the period of bankruptcy to end. He paid his penalty.

When an ex prisoner applies for a loan no such questioning is asked eg "have you ever robbed a bank".

When I renewed my drivers license I declared my bipolar and depression. My truck linence was wiped off my licence. I could no longer drive a fire truck in our country town.

In your situation I feel you are still worried about the stigma. I take the view that all humans are imperfect and if others gossip, judge me, its their problem. My illnesses are out in the open, there's are not.

Google

Topic: so what are their mental illnesses?- beyondblue

Other workers will have quirks, poor punctuality, slow pace, gossiping, not completing their tasks...that will be far more contributing towards loss of production than your moods etc.

So a health problem should be declared with "confidential" written on it then forgot about it because it might never be read again, stuck in a file.

Fear can be worse than reality.

Topic:guilt the tormentor- beyondblue

Tony WK

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

geoff — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 02:32:11 GMT

Hi Donte, to follow on from what Tony has said, I also had a friend who had to declare himself bankrupt, the time has elapsed now, but it's still on record and when applying for a credit card the bank can still look at his history and decide whether or not to provide credit to him, they may or they may not, but if they do it's bare a limit of $1000.

This topic has been discussed before many times before and my answer once again is NO.

Geoff.

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Donte — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 12:01:47 GMT

Hi Geoff,

In 2006 I declared bankruptcy. It was when my divorce took place and lost three properties and a couple of million dollars in the process. That lasted seven years but I haven’t had the need to get a loan or a credit card since so I’m not sure if that will affect me one day.

Aa for my illnesses, it’s alloyt in the open now. Let’s see what will happen. 🙂

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Donte — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 12:05:43 GMT

Thank you White Knight,

I agree. Fear can be worse than reality.

I went on the BeyondBlue website and found a section where people can get support to make a decision in regards to disclosing to their employers. It’s such a fantastic tool! Highly recommend it for anyone thinking about the pros and cons of disclosure.

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

blondguy — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 12:23:59 GMT

Hello Donte

Beyond Blue do have a good advice about the pros and cons about disclosing any mental health issues.

There are many posts from asking the same question. I have been in senior management with a background in human resources for many years.

Until we stop the stigma re mental health the chances of gaining employment are significantly reduced especially with the bulk of the private sector having their gross/net profit as their primary focus

To answer your thread topic question : No

I have faith though Donte......If anyone has declared their mental health status on a job application and succeeded in obtaining employment it would be great to know 🙂

Stopping the Stigma

Paul

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Donte — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 21:58:21 GMT

Thank you Paul,

Time will show if my disclosure will affect my current employment or the renewal of my contract post 2019 when my current funding ends.

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Summer Rose — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 13:40:59 GMT

Hi Donte

Have you ever considered volunteering to become a mental health first aider at work? One of my employees disclosed her past experience with depression to me (business owner) and expressed a desire to gain the accreditation. We did the course together. Nobody knows why, nobody has ever asked. She turned it into a win and the business is better for it. Just a thought.

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Ru_ — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 14:23:00 GMT

Hi Summer Rose,

I didn’t even know a mental health first aider was a thing! That’s sounds like a really great qualification to get. Thanks for bringing it up.

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Donte — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 15:30:17 GMT

Thank you Summer Rose,

I am already a ‘Mental Health First Aid’ staff as I do this training every couple of years. One of my roles has been Community Education. However, this is the first time since the 2000’s that I have formally disclosed and signed and dated a declaration form stating my mental illnesses. I guess that’s the difference. It felt right at the time but now I have second thoughts about it. Nothing can be done of course as the email has been sent and submitted and received acknowledgement from HR. Just dealing with my own anxiety now. X

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Donte — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 15:33:08 GMT

Hi Ru!

Yes, you can do a two-day course and receive a certificate plus the Mental Health First Aid book.

Every few years you can do a refresher, similar to First Aid course.

It’s a very detailed and great course that provides very useful skills.

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Summer Rose — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 21:50:04 GMT

Hi Donte

I think disclosing was an important step in your journey. It's about being comfortable with who you are and walking the bb talk. Took courage. No reason yet to expect anything but the best.

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Donte — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 23:49:05 GMT

Thank you Summer Rose,

I was just talking about it with Counselors from Beyondblue, Lifeline and Crisis-line last night and one of the conclusions was that I finally had the courage to formally disclose to my employer after having worked there for almost 15 years. This is indeed a huge step for me as I am combating my own internalized shame and stigma and hope that my own perception will change and this will be an empowering thing for myself and others in the same boat who are still hiding out of fear. X

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

geoff — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 18:12:23 GMT

Hi Donte, you may or may not be lucky that your employer accepts your disclosure, sometimes it could work in your favour, while other times it could run through with your workmates knowing.

A pecking order is then formed.

Employers may seem to be friendly but deep down are the opposite and will find another way to get rid of you.

It's happened to me but I do wish you luck.

My answer is still no.

Geoff.

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Donte — Mon, 14 May 2018 11:32:22 GMT

Well, luckily, one and a half months later, no one has said anything and all seems normal. It goes to show, most of our fears are in our own heads. Or, nobody reads the forms we sign. Or cares. 🙂

To tell or not to tell? Disclosing your mental illness to your boss.

Donte — Fri, 18 May 2018 23:35:29 GMT

Since my disclosure I have felt on one hand a big weight coming off my shoulders as I don’t need to be spending emotional energy trying to hide and ‘fitting in’. It’s been great in this regard as I feel more real and visible and can now concentrate on doing my work instead of worrying about others.

On the other hand, there has been an element of anticipation, especially during the first days when my anxiety went rampant and I was expecting the worst. However, once a bit of time has passed, I feel much better about it. No point worrying about something I cannot change.

A couple of other positives: I started counseling again and this time focusing specifically on my anxiety and the way it manifests at work and the fear of possible consequences from my disclosure.

Also, since I disclosed formally on paper to HR I have felt more at ease to talk to other staff about it and I have been overwhelmingly supported. This has given permission to others to open up about themselves and their issues too. So, not only I feel the benefit, but have encouraged others too in the process.

I think so far, the positives overweigh the possible negatives and this has given me a sense of peace and stability and has calmed me down. 🙂