Should I tell my employer?

It is really up to you whether to tell your employer, although there are certain jobs where, for insurance reasons, you should tell your employer.

Also, if your disability actually affects your way of working, you should talk to your employer and to your colleagues about it if you want a reasonable adjustment to be considered. If your employer doesn’t know that you are disabled, they may not have to make changes that could be of help to you. However, if, for example, your condition gets worse and you feel you may need a reasonable adjustment to help you at work, you can change your mind and tell your employer at a later date. From that time onwards, your employer may have to take some action.

Disclosing your diagnosis is a very personal thing. People differ in timing of disclosure for a variety of reasons:

• Employers or colleagues may have noticed changes in you and have guessed there is something wrong.
• Employers and colleagues may be an additional source of support.
• Sometimes it can take time for the diagnosis to sink in so that you understand it before telling anyone else.
• Some people felt that generally the response was better than they imagined.
• There have been mixed reactions to the disclosure from employer and colleagues. 
• It helps to remind people about the areas that you are not having difficulty with and remind them that the social aspect of work is still important.

You can talk through your options by calling our free and confidential Helpline on 0808 800 0303.