Do you share your medical information with your boss?

@alive I think maintaining medical privacy in the workplace is a good idea. You don't need to tell them why you are requesting a day off. Don't feel you need to explain, and ask for time off early enough that you have ample time for scheduling changes with your medical providers. If your employer is paying your health insurance, it is possible that they are self funded which means your employer directly pays the bills but would not know what it was for. If they deem you to be an "expensive" employee, it may lead to discrimination in your employment opportunities because a company puts profits at the top of the priority list. HIPPA rules are in effect for a reason, and your employer should not expect you to tell them your medical information as long as you can do your job and do not need an accommodation from your employer to do the job. Even sharing information with co-workers can get back to your boss as people repeat what they've heard. Don't let your supervisor intimidate you. Be confident in the way you ask for time off and make sure your body language is also confident. It isn't her business, so just smile and say, yes, it's just routine and not to worry. Don't explain. She isn't just worried about you, she's worried about protecting the company from expense, and she's also being judged on her performance in her job.

I have not had good experiences with bosses. Meaning, I have not found bosses to be particularly devoted to honest and fair dealings. So, I would be extremely cautious about all interactions with bosses.

Anytime we get in difficult situations, if we can afford it, counseling is a good way to go. Helps us deal with the stress. And then we can also brainstorm with the therapist.

There are also a lot of books out there about dealing with the workplace, with bosses, with bad bosses.

Many of the better books have a wide range of excellent suggestions.

@alive I have never told my boss anything about any health issues I had. The only information I have provided to my company is the information required by Human Resources for FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) approval. Sharing any more than that with anyone outside of Human Resources personnel could become prejudicial information used against you. Even though that would be illegal, some bosses find a way to do that and get away with it. As long as you are able to perform your job in a satisfactory manner, nothing further is required.

That's a really good question. I'm self employed with three business partners. I have chosen to conceal my condition from my clients and most of the people who work in my office. I did tell one partner because I need him to be able to set in to my job if things don't go as I hope they will. Im don't want my clients to know because I was really sick 2 years ago for a different condition and I was out of work for 10 weeks. I don't want them to be looking for another adviser.

Because I'm self employed I didn't have to ask off work. If I were employed I would have had to tell my supervisor but I would have asked her to keep it confidential.

Like I said it a good question.

@denisestlouie I didn't include this in my earlier post but I also didn't share my health information with coworkers or anyone else who was in any way connected with my place of employment. That's because, even when you tell that information in confidence to someone like a coworker, it sometimes has a way of "getting out." There's no guarantee that what you tell in confidence will remain confidential. So, I never took chances.

I'm lucky in that I'm an exception to this rule. My manager ALWAYS stressed that personal health and safety are the number one priority. I felt completely comfortable talking to her. I didn't go into any gory details, of course, but told her I was undergoing prostate cancer treatment and would need to take sick leave at least once a month for various medical appointments, and that I might need to adjust my hours to take a nap in the early afternoon.

She's been 100% understanding through the entire thing and has never questioned me or asked for more documentation or anything like that. She shared that her brother went through prostate cancer and periodically does a general check in and just asks how I'm feeling.

It really depends on your manager IMO.

@scottbeammeup That's a great manager! And managers like that are few and far between. On the other side of the coin I have a friend who has been going through family health issues and her own health issues which, of course, required her missing some days...although it's not like she missed time from the office because she works from home , so she has a lot of flexibility. Last Sunday her husband ended up in the emergency room and had to have emergency surgery the following day on Monday. Of course, she has to attend to him. Well, like I said, she works from home, so she's not tied to an office. So, trying to be responsible and proactive she called the manager to discuss a work plan while tending to her husband. (She wants to work...and has always been a faithful and hard worker for this company....working long hours even after normal business hours.) In response to my friend trying to work out a plan/schedule, the manager asked my friend NOT to work...that she would bring in a consultant. How's that for gratitude for faithful service rendered for years! So, now, on top of everything else my friend has been and is going through (including not being fully recovered herself from an illness that hospitalized her for a few days a couple of weeks ago) she now has to look for a new job. If anyone has a manager like you have, I hope they truly appreciate him or her. Again...you are very blessed to have the manager that you have.

I am in this situation myself . Was great to see this raised. Yours is an excellent overview including your closing comments. These are very complex situations. For example, how much time off does the employee have per their employment status such as sick days, vacation days, flex time or the like. Within that, how much flexibility does the employee have such as when they can take vacation days or flex days. Your comment: "as long as you can do your job and do not need an accommodation from your employer to do the job" is salient. Who decides that? With all due respect, MDs or medical facilities may not always have a great deal of flexibility themselves to accommodate the patient's requests. MDs may well only see patients on certain days. Agree 100% about not sharing more than necessary.

@joaf37 I mentioned accommodations in order to be able to do a job, and that may be something related to a disability. Just as a simple example, I broke my ankle badly a few years ago, and I know I would not be able to do a job that required me to stand on my feet all day long. If I was doing a job that could be done while I was seated, that would be a reasonable accommodation. As an example, many store checkout clerks stand and are not allowed to sit, but I have seen a few who are allowed to sit on a tall stool. I'm not a store clerk, but I thought this may explain the meaning of a workplace accommodation. States do have laws about accommodating disabilities in the workplace. Sometimes that is an easy conversation with an employer, or it may not be if the employer starts asking a worker to see doctors they choose to render a decision. That puts the employee in a position where they have to share medical information. You're right, there are many issues to consider.

Wow, that's horrible. Yeah, I'm very lucky. I work remotely also and have specific projects with deadlines. My boss doesn't care if I want to work 12 hours one day and 4 the next or not work Friday and work Sunday or whatever as long as the work is done on time or I let her know, well in advance, of any problems that might cause it to be delayed.

The thing is, this approach to management has made me willing to go above and beyond whenever required because she's shown me so much latitude and grace that I *want* to show her that her trust and kindness to me is appreciated.