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nicegirl
09-10-2007, 08:12 PM
I have recently been diagnosed with epilepsy and am currently looking for work. My question is, should I be disclosing the fact that I have epilepsy to potential employers and if so when should I be dislosing this. For the most part my condition is controlled by medication, however I do have the the occassional fit.

Many thanks
Debbie

Just a Dude
09-10-2007, 11:56 PM
If it will interfer with the role your doing (ie operating dangerous machinery) then yes. If not, its up to yourself, BUT from a personal note, its best to disclose this information. How the employer handles it is up to them, but the vast majority would not hold it against you.

Lynette
10-10-2007, 03:15 PM
Hi Debbie,

If it wil not impact on how you do your job then you are under no obligation to disclose it. For jobs that it will impact you will probably find that you will need to do a medical anyway. The way I feel about it is that if you do disclose it and are discriminated against as a result, you probably didn't want to work for that company anyway!

Lynette

erica
10-10-2007, 04:52 PM
How the employer handles it is up to them, but the vast majority would not hold it against you.

Hmm, I'm not so confident about that - discrimination is still very common.

Where does one draw the line with disclosing health issues ? How about if you are diabetic, or suffer debilitating migraines, perhaps you have a heart condition or get serious asthma attacks - should these things be disclosed at interview stage?

Debbie, providing your condition will not affect your ability to do the job and of course there are no significant safety risks (I'm assuming there will always be some), then maybe you should keep it to yourself, at least initially. It's possibly the best for both parties. It ensures you will not be discriminated against, either consciously or sub-consciously (at least for your medical condition anyway!), and it allows the employer to make an objective decision.

Once employed however, I think it is very important that you do disclose it and make sure the employer and your colleagues know what to do if you do have a fit.

This of course is just my individual opinion and it would be interesting to hear what others have to say!

Harold
10-10-2007, 06:56 PM
Very interesting topic.

Personally... I think to disclose it after being employed can be more damaging as the employer may feel as there has been a breach of trust that it was not disclosed prior to employment especially if she is in a senior positon (even though you are not legally obliged to disclose such information.)

I do not believe that any employer would take too kindly to a new employee approaching them in their first few weeks of employment and advising them that they suffer from such a medical condition. It would be in Debbie's best interest to disclose this condition prior to commencement of work and perhaps even to her recruitment agency rather than later as epileptic fits often occur or can occur as a result of stress and this may be brought upon with the first week of any new job.

However, as Erica mentions discrimination still occurs......

Just a Dude
10-10-2007, 09:51 PM
I didnt say that discrimination doesnt occur, as we all work in the industry and probably see it more often then we would like to admit.
I second what Harold has said in that it may be more damaging to your career if your employer finds out about it after you have been employed. Like all relationships, if it starts off with a lie, chances are its doomed to fail.

erica
11-10-2007, 12:33 AM
Very interesting topic.

Personally... I think to disclose it after being employed can be more damaging as the employer may feel as there has been a breach of trust that it was not disclosed prior to employment especially if she is in a senior positon (even though you are not legally obliged to disclose such information.)

Why would it be a breach of trust ? Is there some new requirement for us to bear our souls at job interviews?

Assuming Debbie's condition did not affect her ability to do the job, why as her prospective employer should you be told about her condition?

How would you use that information at an interview?

Are you as the employer going to give a 'warts and all' disclosure about the company ? Like the real reasons they last person left ?

If I applied for a job with you and you knew my prospective boss had epilepsy, would you tell me that at interview?

Frankly, the only reason Debbie would want to disclose her condition once she had been employed, is for her own safety, and so her colleagues can be given some instructions on what to do if she ever has a fit at work.

Harold
11-10-2007, 06:43 AM
Frankly, the only reason Debbie would want to disclose her condition once she had been employed, is for her own safety, and so her colleagues can be given some instructions on what to do if she ever has a fit at work.

I still think that whilst it is important to dislose her condition for her own and potentially other employees safety, it would be preferable to do so preemployment stage. If she were to do it post employment stage, it would be difficult for her to select an appropriate time to inform her employer about her condition without them feeling somewhat miffed and mislead. What if she has a fit on her first day at work due to the stress of being in a new work environment and whilst there may not be safety issues for herself due to the fact that she is in an office environment, the employer may feel that they had OH&S issues they needed to take into consideration (even though there may not have been any). These are things that I would want to be aware of from day one prior to any employee commencing with my company so that I can ensure that I have a safe company not only for a new employee but for my other employees.

erica
11-10-2007, 08:24 AM
I still think that whilst it is important to dislose her condition for her own and potentially other employees safety, it would be preferable to do so preemployment stage. If she were to do it post employment stage, it would be difficult for her to select an appropriate time to inform her employer about her condition without them feeling somewhat miffed and mislead.

A possible solution is for Debbie to tell the employer after they have made an offer but before she accepts. She could explain that she didn't mention it earlier because she feels it does not impact on her ability to do the job.

However, if the concern is purely one relating to safety, I don't see why the employer would be "miffed" or feel mislead even if Debbie told them at the beginning of her first day. They could only feel miffed if they would have not offered her the job had they known she has epilepsy, which of course is discrimination if the epilepsy doesn't affect her ability to do the job.

Surely they could only be mislead if they had asked the question "Do you have an existing medical conditions or disabilities?" and Debbie said "No".

Lisa-Jane
11-10-2007, 03:51 PM
A possible solution is for Debbie to tell the employer after they have made an offer but before she accepts. She could explain that she didn't mention it earlier because she feels it does not impact on her ability to do the job.

I believe the best course of action is the suggestion by Erica. I would definitely feel that a breach of trust had occurred if told within the first few weeks of a serious medical condition. I would also be thinking what else has she not told me.

By informing the employer after the offer, they are less likely to discriminate as they have already decided that you are the best candidate for the job

Harold
11-10-2007, 05:04 PM
Does this mean that she should have answered yes to the question posed by most recruitment agencies: Do you have any existing medical conditions or disabilities? If she were to answer yes, the chances of her being put forward and thus gaining employment in a very competitive environment would surely diminish considerably. Is it even legal for this question to be raised at the pre employment stage, especially as she says for the most part it is controlled by medication.

Would an employer not feel as though they have been "had" by her advising them post offer stage when they are have less legal recourse to retract any offers versus pre offer stage. If I were an employer, I would feel why did she feel that she had to wait until she had the offer in her hands and as such the legal backing to disclose this before feeling comfortable enough to discuss this with me.

Lynette
12-10-2007, 10:12 AM
"Where does one draw the line with disclosing health issues ? How about if you are diabetic, or suffer debilitating migraines, perhaps you have a heart condition or get serious asthma attacks - should these things be disclosed at interview stage?"

All these medical conditions could very likely impact on your working life. I personally suffer from migraines and to a certain extent it impacts on my job. Medical conditions will impact on any job of responsibility.

Do I give up a career because of this and some possibly discriminating people who don't understand the disease and have preconceived ideas as to what that means? The way I handle it is if asked in the pre offer stage I will tell them but I avoid this if at all possible. The question is rarely asked.

I always let my boss know once I have commenced the job and usually this is received very well. Only once has it not been received well and that manager used to comment in my hearing that she 'didn't believe in migraines' and that people who suffered from the disease were simply 'people who winged louder'.

The point of this story? Most people are very reasonable but to save yourself the stress of asking 'did I miss out on a job due to my medical condition?' I recommend not disclosing till after offer or you start in the role. For those who feel "miffed", "mislead" or "had" or that it was a "breach of trust", it is likely that they are the ones that were likely to discriminate. In such cases I would be unlikely to work for people like that for long (probably only as long as was necessary for my career progression) and quickly move on to someone who is likely to value me without prejudices becoming involved.

While I understand that epilepsy is a more serious disease than migraines, I do not see how it would have a greater impact on her work life other than her personal safety and the necessity of having informed work colleagues. Sadly for Nicegirl she will have to deal with this regardless of what job she is in. The last thing she needs at this point is to discover that her condition will also impact on her employability if disclosed early as there are still many people out there who are capable of discrimination!

Moz
12-10-2007, 02:34 PM
Well said Lynette!


Does this mean that she should have answered yes to the question posed by most recruitment agencies: Do you have any existing medical conditions or disabilities? If she were to answer yes, the chances of her being put forward and thus gaining employment in a very competitive environment would surely diminish considerably. Is it even legal for this question to be raised at the pre employment stage, especially as she says for the most part it is controlled by medication.

Recruitment agencies, or at least the people who work in them, would never ask that question.

They might ask;
"Do you have any existing medical conditions or disabilities which affects your ability to do the job? ", to which the answer would be "No".

The legality of asking questions about medical conditions or disabilities has nothing to do with whether a person's condition is managed with medication, again it depends upon whether it is relevant to the job!

HRbeat
15-10-2007, 09:50 AM
Wow! What a long debate! I hope Debbie is still reading the responses.

Employers would have existing recruitment and selection processes that assesses candidate fit for the role. If health is a criteria for the role and safe work environment, then employers would have pre-employment medical assessments (if physical) and would sometimes ask at interview stage.

There are industries where physical fitness may not be one of the criteria for the role, but by nature of the business and services it offers, other aspects of a person's well-being may be more paramount because the nature of services may create more risk to the person applying for the job. In this case, systems and procedures, or alternative roles may be considered for the person.

Employers may ask whether there would be any special arrangements or requirements for the person to perform the role. The approach is from a positive outlook where employers would try, where reasonable and practicable, provide for those special arrangements and requirements so that we still have the best person for the role. There are services offered by agencies to actually support employers in this area, and TOTALLY FREE TO THE EMPLOYER. You can visit www.jobaccess.gov.au if you're interested to know more about it.

Gail
15-10-2007, 03:01 PM
I think Debbie's dilemma was more pertaining to disclosure of her epilepsy which she says for the most part is controlled and when to do this. If her epilepsy is for the most part controlled by medication, then from my perspective there is not a requirement to disclose this at any stage, including pre-interview stage, job offer letter and after commencing work. Why would she want to do this, there is no legal obligation on her part to do this? I think she is potentially setting herself up to be judged and discriminated against. Even the www.jobaccess.gov.au website makes reference on how to manage the stigma in the workplace indicating that it is a difficult thing to deal with once she reveals it. Why make things harder for yourself in the first 3 months of employment when you already trying to gain the confidence of your colleagues, manager, and try and prove yourself in your probation period, when you can be let go at a whim. Would you disclose to managers prior to employment that you have children who get ill on a frequent basis and that you would need time off to take them to doctors every second Monday??

If I were Debbie, I would carry a medical card in my purse that reveals that she suffers from Epilepsy, the medication that she takes, the frequency and who to contact or what to do in the case of a fit, or alternatively I would wear a medical alert bracelet if she is concerned about safety.

Debbie does not state what kind of fits she experiences, many epileptics simply have fits whereby they experience momentary lapses of consciousness and then come back into consciousness without experiencing any physical symptoms. If this is what happens to Debbie then I would explain that away as a migraine at least with in the first 3 months of employment. If she has the physical symptoms then I would explain it as epilepsy if and when it occurs.

Why do you need to disclose this to your employer?? What am I missing here, provided she can do her job, I don't get what the problem is. If it is a matter of safety, she can carry a medical card or bracelet and I don't think there are any OH&S issues unless someone else disagrees in which case she will need to reveal her condition.

whohelps
18-10-2007, 10:13 PM
Does this mean that she should have answered yes to the question posed by most recruitment agencies: Do you have any existing medical conditions or disabilities? If she were to answer yes, the chances of her being put forward and thus gaining employment in a very competitive environment would surely diminish considerably. Is it even legal for this question to be raised at the pre employment stage, especially as she says for the most part it is controlled by medication.

Would an employer not feel as though they have been "had" by her advising them post offer stage when they are have less legal recourse to retract any offers versus pre offer stage. If I were an employer, I would feel why did she feel that she had to wait until she had the offer in her hands and as such the legal backing to disclose this before feeling comfortable enough to discuss this with me.


The overridding consideration in deciding this issue should be the impact that the disability may have on doing the inheent part of the job.If it might impact then disclosure prior to interview is suggested. Your personal safety may be another reason to disclose as early as possible. Its too risky to leave it until after you have been employed. The documents section of ths website has some useful information about disclosing disabilities which you may find helpful in making a decision