Recently i got a new job and they’ve sent me out all the contract policies and all that stuff.
They also sent me out a “health questionaire”
One of the questions is
"do you have any underlying condition or disability that may affect your ability to do your job and wish to discuss with an OH
advisor"
It also says
"by completing this document, i declare that all of the foregoing statements are true to the best of my knowledge. I fully understand that if information is withheld,supressed or diliberately misleading or false, then i will, if employed by
******** be liable to dismisal or have other disaplinary action taken against me.
What do i do? seems like if i dont tell them and then they find out, like if i have to go to an appointment, then im eligible for the chop? Is this right?
Does this mean that if i tell them i have ms, then they will let me go?
Hi No, they can’t let you go if you tell them you have MS at this stage but as you are signing an employment contract they can then dismiss you in breach of that contract if you do not disclose on the health section that you have MS and it comes to light, for whatever reason, at a later date. Honesty is the best policy when it comes to a variable condition such as MS plus you may well need their help at some point in the future should you have a relapse or need adjustments at work. Hope this helps Xx
from a health and safety point of view i think yes they do need to know and i think should you have a serious accident attributed to an underlying condition that comes out you could be in bother.
Although
Unless there are specific safety reasons for you not being employed then they cannot discriminate against you for having this illness. For me it depends upon the job you have applied for. I could comment better if i knew the position?
On the notifying of appointments, you only need to tell them if you wish to do this in work time with a local agreement etc for working the time back, if you are on leave it is no ones business but your own.
The disability policies regarding discrimination are there to give you a fair crack at working with an illness. It also depends on your current diagnosis stage also. I have had personal expierience of both sides of this story and wished i had told someone earlier about my condition also. Like i say depends on your employer , your role and your current condition.
the job is for british gas, i’ll be employed as an electrician, installing boilers, i am currently RRMS.
Working in the construction industry i usually omit details like this from my employer. i never tell anybody i work with about it cause i dont like the idea of people running their eye over me.
But it looks like i may well have to tell them.
I just want to be treated the same as everybody else, up to this point in my working life with MS i have never had a problem with a any job due to my condition
I don’t read there as being anything compulsory about this question. If you DO have a condition, but do NOT wish to discuss it with an advisor, then the truthful answer is: “NO”.
I don’t see how they can sack you later, when the question is not: “Do you have a condition?”, but: “Do you have a condition you want to discuss with someone?”
How could your answer to a question about what you want ever be false? If there’s ever any problem later: “Well no, I didn’t want to speak to anyone about it at that time, so I answered ‘No’.”
Nevertheless, it might well be in your interests to say “YES”, and speak to the advisor, regardless that they can’t sack you for it later, whatever you say. I can’t think the advisor’s role will be anything other than helping you to to the job safely. It won’t be part of their remit to withdraw offers that have already been made.
Remember, you can’t claim the protection of the anti-discrimination laws, if you haven’t disclosed anything is the matter!
IF things should take a turn for the worse, and there start being any attendance or performance problems at work, you won’t have any protection, unless they know the reason.
I would think of telling them as a form of insurance policy. With a bit of luck, you might not have any problems for years. But we know it’s a degenerative condition, and it’s likely to rear its ugly head at some time. Personally, I think it’s better to pave the way a bit, than wait 'til there’s a serious problem, and only then spring it on them you’re ill.
For a start, it’s more credible if they’ve always been in the picture. They won’t be thinking: “WHAT? He’s surely making this up!” But also, you might not feel up to the bureaucracy of explaining, if you’re already in the midst of a bad relapse. If it’s already on file, you won’t have any explaining to do; they’ll be aware such a thing might happen.
The said company is a very well known company and im sure must adhere to various policies on equality and diversity, again same boat as i was, do you or dont you. If you do and they employ you, you will have the piece of mind that they know and no stress of worrying constantly about what if they find out. For me stress really aggrivates my MS and even though you get the job the constant worry could make you worse. Really dont want to steer you either way this has to be your choice but wiegh up the alternatives.
Whichever way you turn good luck mate and think about joining a trade union to support you, not only can they provide practical help, they can support you should your condition worsen.
Oh and totally agree with the other comments from Anitra
This is always a mindfield and as i say is only a decision you should take that your happy with and after carefull thought.
Difficult one this. I stared at this question for about 10 minutes trying to decide what to answer. First job I put yes. county council job so was called for a medical which I passed, so no probem. Noone at work knew about my condition and I kept it quiet.
Second job I put ‘no’ as the MS didn’t affect my ability to do the job. I did later disclose my condition and it hasn’t been a problem.
I’m with Tina on this one. The way you’ve typed the question it’s asking you if you want to discuss any medical condition - you don’t so you can honestly put ‘no’!
If there is a full stop after the 'do you have a medical condition? Do you want to discuss it? ’ You would have to put ‘yes’ to the medical condition and ‘no’ to the discuss !
Put yes then no ! ha ha that’ll confuse them. If you do discuss it will be confidential so you can keep it quiet.
no its just wrote exactly the way i posted it, it is a strange question, coz it does have 2 answers. The only thing that worries me is having to go to hospital appointments and people wondering why im regularly at the hospital
Logically, if it’s a two part question (“Is it A AND B?”), but only room for one answer, then if the answer to either A OR B is “NO”, then so is the answer to the whole thing!
It doesn’t change my advice, though, that whilst you don’t have to answer yes, there could be sound reasons to consider it.
What a weasel-worded bloody form. Basically, this seems to be saying, ‘Don’t feel obliged to tell us, but we’ll sack you if you don’t.’
For sure, if you decided that you did not want ‘advice from an OH advisor, blah blah’ and decided to keep your MS to yourself, you would risk being done up like a kipper by the ‘suppressed/deliberately misleading’ clause if the wheels came off and they found out what was the matter later on.
I’m afraid you have to tell them now: no question.