Work Conversation

[Aliceshea]

Hi everyone

this is my first time posting. I’ve been struggling with anxiety and depression for some time now. I’ve recently started antidepressants medication.

im concerned about work. I’m considering having a conversation with my manager about what to do with work. Although I don’t know if I should wait and see how I cope with the medication or if it is worth having the conversation. I’m wondering if anyone one here has had this kind of experience?

i also was wondering what kind of things to say or how to start the conversation?

thanks everyone

Alice

[white knight]

Hi Alice, welcome

I'd ask yourself- what is the purpose of informing your manager of your condition?

I say that because it can backfire. We often take extra sick days off and no matter the organization, they cant afford to lose so many days of labour. Then you put a spotlight on yourself, often your are the first casualty.

However, if you feel there is a need then I'd ask him/her for a closed door meeting where you can keep everything confidential. Start with something like this- "I'm meeting with you now to give you a heads up on a condition that has effected my working performance- anxiety. I hope it wont impact harshly on the dynamics of the workplace but its best I think that you know about it and I just hoping I'll get a little understanding when the need arises while I'm working.

I hope that helps

TonyWK

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Aliceshea,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for being here.

Kudos to you for being proactive with your doctor and getting on medication; I hope that it's useful for you.

While I agree with TonyWK that sometimes it can backfire, sometimes telling your manager can be very helpful. You do have rights at work with a mental illness, which includes taking leave and making requests for adapted work; so please don't be afraid to find out about these or ask about them.

If you do decide to tell, it might be worth thinking about what you feel is important to say. How much do you want to tell your manager about what you're going through? What sort of help do you think you might need? Do you have wiggle room in your responsibilities/hours that might help?

Here's a site from BeyondBlue about talking to an employer that might be useful too - https://www.headsup.org.au/your-mental-health/talking-about-a-mental-health-condition-at-work/should-i-tell-my-employer

and one on how to plan the conversation - https://www.headsup.org.au/docs/default-source/resources/bl1390-having-the-conversation---telling-someone-at-work-about-your-mental-health-condition.pdf?sfvrsn=bf4a564d_20

Hope this helps

[Summer Rose]

Hi Aliceshea

Welcome to the bb forum.

I am a business owner and the HR manager within our family business. We have some 200 staff, so it's not surprising that I have had many people approach me for flexibilty and support when dealing with a health issue. It's okay to ask for support at work.

Some people like to share a lot of detail about their health issue, others don't. How much you share is up to you. And it really depends on what you want and/or need from your manager.

For example, if you need time off to attend appointments, it's enough to say that you are dealing with a health issue and will occaisionally need some time off for a period of time.

If you want to reduce or change your workload or hours or change your role, you will probably need to talk about why this is important to your health. If you feel you are going to need some mentoring or extra peer support, again it would be helpful to explain why.

My best advice is to be direct and clear about what you need and to really think about how much you need to share to get it.

In a perfect world you wouldn't need to be cautious, but unfortunately Tony is right. Despite the legal obligations, not all employers meet them.

I wish you the best of luck

[geoff]

Hi Alice, thanks for posting your comment.

This is a topic that is asked a few times and people have different ideas, the suggestions from those above have been great, and it is good that you're taking medication, however, it depends on how long you have been taking the medication and how approachable your boss is.

If you do tell them about your anxiety and depression, as you've told us, then you might be blamed if something does happen, and if your workmates find out then you might be the centre of attention with gossip spreading around all your co-workers.

It is good to have a sympathetic boss who will understand what you are going through so please let us know.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

[Lis123]

Hey!

My anxiety went really bad about 6 months ago, and I seeked help and got started on medication.

Telling my work from the start was the best thing I could’ve done. They gave me a week off when starting my medication And they’ve been nothing but helpful since. I still have really bad weeks sometimes and they help with giving me easier tasks and shorter shifts in this periods.

If I hadn’t told them about my condition I think I would’ve been fired by now 😝

[Rubybleu]

Hi Alice,

A few years ago when I was going through infertility and recurrent miscarriages I developed depression and anxiety which really affected my work. I couldn’t concentrate, I felt sick all the time and I wasn’t being a positive attribute to my team. Luckily I had a good relationship with my boss and told her about this. I then had 3 weeks off at her insistence and she was happy for me to take leave for appts etc. So it can go well like in my instance but if you don’t have a good relationship with your boss I would think carefully about what you tell them. As said you can always just say you are going through a medical issue and need leave or will require hours off for appts.

Wishing you all the best 🙂