Disclosing that you have a mental illness to people at work is a personal choice. You are not legally obliged to tell anyone about your illness, unless it is likely to affect your performance or ability to meet the requirements of the job, including your ability to work safely and ensure the safety of co-workers. If you do disclose, the person you disclose to has a legal obligation to keep your disclosure confidential, unless you provide written permission for them to share the information.
Deciding whether or not to disclose
You should carefully consider reasons for and against disclosure. You may wish to brainstorm your own lists of ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ with a trusted friend, or case worker, and weigh them up.
Reasons for disclosing a mental illness include:
- disclosure generates trust and an open relationship with your employer and allows you to discuss the most effective workplace adjustment strategies
- you can deal with misconceptions and show how the impacts of working with a mental illness can minimised
- if you become unwell then work related adjustments can be made quickly
- if your illness impacts on your job, an employer may perceive this as poor work performance rather than considering the impact of your illness
- if symptoms of your illness could reasonably be seen to cause a health and safety risk for other people in the workplace, failing to disclose that risk could be a breach of your obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Reasons for not disclosing include:
- your illness may have no effect on your ability to do the job
- people might respond in stigmatising ways, due to lack of understanding about mental illness
- disclosure may provoke unnecessary curiosity, concern and insensitive questions.
What information to disclose
If you do choose to disclose to your employer, determine exactly what information you will provide to them. When considering what information to disclose, remember that the only information you need to disclose about your disability relates to:
- any adjustments required to ensure a fair and equitable selection process
- how your illness may impact on some aspects of the requirements of a job and
- any adjustments that may be required to complete the requirements of the job.