I have just got a new job (I teach) but they hae given me a health form to complete. Now I am clear of any other conditions it mentions, such as heart problems, epilepsy etc,
However it does mention- muscoskeletal issues such as impaired limb function, chronic back pain, arthritis… etc
I do have psoriatic arthritis and I take methrotrexate but this means it doesn´t stop me doing things really.
Should I mention this on the form or leave it? I obviously don´t wan them to say you cannot have the job anymore.
I’d always advocate telling and explaining. Here in the UK the law protects employees with chronic illnesses and/or disabilities. But other countries might not be so nice. It might be worth you while asking an employment specialist for some quick advice.
I have declared so far, but can’t guarantee I always will.
Although I dont know the legislation there, I’d be surprised if it is substantially different to ours in Australia. They really can’t deny you the job, especially if they’ve already offered it, unless the condition substantially impacts your ability to do your job - so if there is any issue, you just need your doc to verify it doesn’t (hey, there has to be a silver lining to the fact that many of the docs minimize the severity of the pain and fatigue, doesn’t there ).
So far I’ve had a senior executive job traveling in the remote regions of West Africa whilst on Humira, and one traipsing up and down mountains in 43 deg C in northern Australia 12 hours a day. They even made me do a physical with push-ups and all! (They even did an illicit drug test - but not for prednisone, and no one asked if I’d taken steroids first )
Only you know your situation, and what’s best for you. I was incredibly apprehensive about declaring and doing the physical (actually I was more apprehensive about declaring depression and anxiety - I work in the mining industry where there is still a huge taboo on this - there’s no question that at best, these are considered a weakness that deserves sympathy) . I made some vague reference to my arthritis to my employer 6 months later, and he was completely flummoxed! I’d passed the medical so he hadn’t even read it! By then they’d decided I was pretty useful though, so I wasn’t even slightly worried.
Saying all that, I will reiterate, you need to do what’s best for you. Discrimination does still exist (though I think our fear of it is worse than the actuality), follow your instinct and do what is right for you.
And a huge congratulations on the job offer! Go you
I would suggest it’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t scenario. They might be asking those questions so that they can provide you with anything you need, such as special chairs etc, or accommodate any other needs that you might have. On the other hand, they might not! I’ve had this issue for the last twenty-odd years with bipolar. Declare it or don’t declare it! Luckily, for most of that time I’ve been working at a university who are very accommodating on the whole - but employers in a more cut-throat industry might not be.
I was supposedly healthy when I was teaching. PsA was creeping up on me but I didn’t know it. However another teacher, a good friend of mine, had serious health issues which she had to declare as she wouldn’t have been able to do without a supportive chair and certain other adjustments. She got the main kit and modifications to her working day that she needed without any problems.
There came a time when ‘rationalisation’ was in the air and it coincided with her condition worsening. Despite the fact that redundancies were being considered she requested not to be sent to the other side of the building with 2 minutes in which to get there due to the fact it was physically impossible. The deputy head told her ‘if you can’t do the job you shouldn’t be here.’ She replied ‘fine, give me a redundancy package’.
No redundancy package materialised. She was just too good a teacher to lose. She never complained but she stepped up and asked for reasonable adjustments as and when necessary. I think her matter of fact approach to doing what was best for her was mirrored in her approach to teaching, so straightforward and clear-sighted. If you love what you do & you’re good at it, and if the law is on your side, then being clear about your situation from the outset might be the best thing for your self-respect as well as making the job as easy as possible in the circumstances.
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