I’ve been doing voluntary admin work from home for the past 7 years, but now have the opportunity to go after a paid role with the same company (also working from home).
I’ve never disclosed my MS to anyone there, figuring that as I was giving them my effort and time for free, it would be easier to co-ordinate the work around when I feel well enough to do it.
However, I’m wondering if I ought to disclose my MS if offered a paid role, and if so, at what point i.e. once the offer has been made? After the contract has been signed?
Does anyone have any advice regarding this please? I’m torn between continuing to keep quiet vs not being dishonest (I know there is no legal requirement to tell them, but it feels dishonest not to), just in case my health ever forces the issue of disclosure in the future.
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That is a really tricky one, isn’t it? As you say, the legal position is clear, but there’s a lot about relationships and trust stirred in there too and life is as usual more complicated than the legals suggest. Even though you are (as you have said) no more (or less) obliged to disclose than an applicant who has never met them, I can see that it won’t feel that way to you. It wouldn’t feel like that me to me either.
I don’t think there are any rights or wrongs here. If you don’t disclose, what’s the worst that could happen? You get the job, you find it’s too much and need to ask for reasonable adjustments and so you need to disclose then. Not the end of the world. People might feel a bit grumpy, but they know they’re not really supposed to. And the worst that can happen if you do tell them up-front? They don’t even bother interviewing you. Again, not the end of the world but in reality in the kind of organisation you’re talking about, how likely is that to happen? Or they offer you the job and then you disclose and they withdraw the offer and throw up their hands in horror at your duplicity in not disclosing earlier. Now that really is a fever-dream outcome and realistically is not going to happen. Another option is you decide not to bother with the thing at all and end up still volunteering for someone recruited from outside who turns out to be rubbish and also horrible to work for as a volunteer. And you never get to find out whether you would have got that job (and done it well). No right answers and no (realistic) terrible outcomes. Quite honestly, I would pour myself a glass of wine, write down my options and start tossing a coin. It can be a very good way of teasing out how you feel: if tails wins and you find yourself having a little heart-sink and wishing it had come out heads, that’s good intel about how you feel. Good luck.
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