It can be easy to tell your boss that you have a cold and need to take a few sick days.
But what do you have to share about major surgery? Or chronic disease? Cancer diagnosis?
That could blur the line between a personal health battle and an obstacle at work, an area that even some officials in some of the nation's most prominent positions have struggled to navigate in recent weeks.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin alarmed US officials this week when it was revealed that the head of the country's $800 billion Defense Department had been hospitalized for several days in early January before reporting the matter to President Joe Biden. Austin's hospitalization, due to complications from prostate cancer treatment, unexpectedly left the deputy director running the Pentagon from a beach vacation in Puerto Rico.
The unprecedented lack of disclosure has drawn criticism from US lawmakers.
The incident demonstrates the discomfort many of us may feel about having our health compromised at work.
“A lot of people make the decision not to say anything [about a medical condition]said Monique Gignac, scientific director and chief scientist at the Institute for Work and Health in Toronto. “They wait until there is a crisis.”
But being transparent about health problems at work — especially those severe enough to impact your ability to do your best at your job — provides employees with the greatest legal protection from job loss and can offer the best chance of securing the accommodations they may need to succeed. Recruitment experts told MarketWatch.
It can also help foster a workplace environment that is open, communicative, and often more compassionate than we realize.
“I think nine times out of 10 people find out about it,” says Kate Bischoff, an employment lawyer and human resources consultant based in Minneapolis. “When you combine that compassion with legal protection, I think it's a winning combination.”
Am I required by law to tell my employer about my health condition?
US labor law provides protections for eligible workers who need medical leave from their jobs or accommodations due to a work disability.
Eligible employees are entitled to 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave “for a serious health condition that renders the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job,” according to the Department of Labor. Some local or state laws provide eligible workers with more comprehensive protections.
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities, unless doing so would cause an “undue hardship” to the company, such as a significant expense or difficulty. These accommodations can include changes such as a modified work schedule so employees with chronic illnesses can go to medical appointments.
But to be protected under these laws, you'll need to share at least some information about your health condition with your employer, said Edgar Ndjatou, executive director of the employee rights nonprofit Workplace Fairness.
This does not mean that you have to disclose a specific diagnosis. “But you should at least be clear about what the symptoms are and how they affect your ability to work,” he added.
How do you know if a condition is serious enough to consider sharing with your supervisor? It depends on your company policy and the state and local employment laws where you live, Ngatu said.
A good rule of thumb: If you know you'll be out for more than three days or it's clear that the health issue will affect your ability to do your job at full capacity — in the short or long term — it's a good idea to tell your employer.
“If you're going to be late for your doctor's appointments, and if you need something from your employer to be able to do your job, this is a good idea.” [to inform them]Bischoff added.
Another caveat: If your condition could threaten your safety or the safety of your coworkers (as in working with heavy machinery, for example), disclosing it becomes even more important, Gignac says.
If you share health information with your employer, they are required by law to keep it private and carefully protect it, Ngatu said.
But “if you do not follow company policy or your obligation under the law to participate [some information about your condition]“It could be grounds for losing your job or facing some type of discipline,” he said. “The law will not look at you favorably for not disclosing that information.”
Building trust in the workplace
Employment law doesn't always take into account the many complexities workers have to weigh when deciding whether to disclose a medical condition, Gignac said.
“People are often very concerned about gossip or stigma,” she said. “They are worried about the damage to their reputation even if they get support [like sick days or other accommodations] available.”
If employees don't feel they can share important information about the ways their health may impact their work, it often indicates a larger problem in the organization's culture, Ngato said.
This may be one argument for employees, especially those in leadership roles, to be more honest about the health challenges they face.
“Even sharing something incredibly private like cancer — if you can explain how that impacts your ability to do your job, that kind of transparency builds more trust and creates a healthier work environment,” Bischoff said.
The healthiest workplaces are those that recognize that challenges in our personal lives — whether it's health concerns, an aging parent, or having a child — are inevitable for every employee, Gignac said.
“Every one of us will have something — and maybe more than one thing — (over the course of our careers) where we need support from the workplace,” she said.
As for a mission like getting Austin into the secret hospital, “I don't recommend that,” Ngato said.
“I think it's a fair criticism that this is something that shouldn't have happened,” he said. “It's a microcosm of a lot of workplaces: When you have people in decision-making roles — whether it's a CEO, a CFO, or anything like that — your employees are at lower and higher levels, you have to know where you stand.”
