Should I self-identify as someone with a disability?
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Anonymous
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An email came out from HR asking us to voluntarily self-identify as having a disability, if applicable. We’re a fed contractor company and they’re required to ask.
I’m bipolar. I’ve been with this company for just over 5 yrs and I’m very happy here. I’ve been on lithium and it works well for me, but my kidneys are showing some toxicity, so I have to try a new med now. I’m worried about how this will affect me. Would self-identifying as someone with a disability give me any protection in the months to come where I am adjusting to a new medication? Any other tips? I have a very good reputation at work and I want to keep it that way. Thank you!! |
Anonymous
| I would not specify my exact diagnosis. Just say you are changing meds for a health problem under the supervision of a physician. They can’t ask what the illness is. |
Anonymous
| I’d bet the employer wants this to show favorable diversity statistics that include the disabled. In other words it’s all about them and not about you. PP was correct about what the HR person is permitted to ask, but they might be curious, nosy or whatever. Will it protect you later? Who knows? There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are at least that many and probably more to fire somebody while complying on the surface with legal protections. |
Anonymous
| Yes, only in the spirit of representation. As PP says, won’t cover you from discrimination, etc. For that you’d have to talk with HR and specifically discuss your diagnosis and what kind of accommodation you might need. |
Anonymous
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I work with someone who has a disability that was impacting their work. They only told me because I was noticing some real issues with work performance. I told this person that they should tell HR, but they refused for fear of being fired. I told them that if their manager and HR is not made aware of the issue, they will get fired anyways because their work product is impacted by their disability.
Several months later, this person was fired, and the person still refused to disclose the disability. I feel badly for the person, but if people don't know about the disability, then they can't accommodate you. |
Anonymous
| When people tell you not to be afraid is when you should be afraid |
Anonymous
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Practically every job application has this question now. It goes with other reportable categories.
1) Veteran Status. This one is easy 2) Disability Status - and they provide a long list that would be included. I struggle whether to answer this or not every time. I have one but dont want to be disqualified for it. 3) Specific Sexual orientation. I am horrified to see this and decline to answer it. None of their effing business. 4) Gender and Ethnicity. Fine. I answer these. |
Anonymous
I’ve sometimes gotten that sexual orientation as a “are you literally anything that’s not straight” question (not requiring you to specify) which I think is better. I usually answer that honestly on the theory that I if someone doesn’t want to hire me if I’m out, I don’t want to work there. But honestly all of these questions can be fraught for someone. I also decline to answer on my kids’ race since they’re mixed race but I’m white and they don’t really have a relationship with their dad’s family (long story — and it’s the long stories that these reductive questions can make hard). |
Anonymous
| I would say I had a disability but not which one. |
Anonymous
| NO |
Anonymous
| No, I always decline to answer any demographic questions. |
Anonymous
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I have anxiety/ocd that I take meds for. I work for local government. I put it down as a mental health condition but not a disability.
I wouldn’t call bipolar disorder a disability personally. If you need time off for a medical issue you can take SL or FMLA if it’s at that point. |
Anonymous
I agree. I would mention that I have a medical condition that requires routine treatment and may require out-of-office visits to health professionals to handle. I would mention that you are changing treatment plans and that you may require additional out-of-office medical leave based on the treatment transition. You don't have to include specifics, but giving them the general description should make it easier for you to request leave if you are having adverse reactions to the change in medication or whether you require additional healthcare visits. It might also help to explain if your behavior changes in the office. One of the signs that certain medications are not good for patients is when there are unexplained changes in behavior. My wife has a medical condition and keeps her employer and coworkers informed that she has a medical condition that requires medication treatment so that in the event that she has behavioral changes, they can comment privately to her. Over the years, there have been a couple of medications that she had to abandon because of behavioral changes. One was marked by a behavioral change (minor memory lapses) that were more evident in her work setting than at home where I could observe. It was first called to attention by a co-worker who she had worked with for several years, telling her that her missing X was unlike her and they had a discussion about it. That's when we started tracking and realized that it was more pervasive than either of us noticed on our own and she was able to get the medication changed to another alternative. |
Anonymous
| DH had an employee go off his meds. No one knew. And no one knew this employee had really endangered himself. And the employee messed-up his career big time with some of his behavior. I think anyone, or even if it had been just one person who knew, would have stepped-in and helped. They certainly wouldn't have stopped the employee from doing as much damage to the company and damage to his career. |
Anonymous
| would have |