Posted by shellie on October 16, 2000, at 21:07:14
In reply to Re: Thank you, Snowie, posted by stjames on October 16, 2000, at 19:43:34
I hope I'm not being too contraversial or nonsupportive here, but owning a business has given me a different perspective than I used to have.
Actually, I don't have any employees--I contract out. But when you are running a business you make promises to people and they have to be met, or the business will not succeed. I guess my take would be to accomodate an employee as much as possible, e.g., absences for appointments, extra sick leave, etc., as long as the time is made up.
However, it would seem to me imperative that an employee be able to carry out his or her responsibilities while on the job. In your case, Christina, if you told them about your depression, what would be your expectations? Would you be expecting them to accept your lower productivity? Or would you be trying to work out a plan to increase your productivity, e.g., working part-time instead of full-time, flexible hours, etc.
I think with any illness, if someone cannot handle the responsibilities of their position, they must be willing to make a change. Like take a leave of absence, cut back on their hours, accept a less demanding position, or do something that prevents a compromise of the company or organization's productivity. And likewise, the company must be flexible to support their employee to be as productive as possible within the limits of their illness.
Worst case scenario (which I have done in the past) is quit the job and apply for social security disability. But I think that is a definite last step-- when you feel you are unable to work at all, until your depression is treated.
(god, I am actually sounding like a capitalist)
Maybe my bottom line is about deciding why you would be telling your employer about your depression, before you actually make the decision.
shellie
poster:shellie
thread:1121
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20001011/msgs/1154.html