How much to disclose to supervisor?
juju
120 Posts
My boss and I are having a friendly disagreement on this topic. We have an employee who is not FMLA eligible, but is eligible for our company's medical leave of absence. Her doctor completed the FMLA HCP cert (we use that for medical leaves as well). The doctor did not state the diagnosis (which we don't need to know anyway). However, the employee has personally told us (HR) that she may have cancer, which is why she needs off for further testing.
Here's the disagreement: my boss feels we should let her supervisor know what she has told us (she may have cancer) or we would be withholding important info. I think all the supervisor needs to know is that she has a condition which qualifies her for a leave of absence. Chances are that she will tell her boss the diagnosis herself and we will be off the hook. But if she doesn't, or if we run into a situation like this again...
Regardless of HOW we know the diagnosis (written on form or told verbally) do we disclose to the supervisor or don't we?
Here's the disagreement: my boss feels we should let her supervisor know what she has told us (she may have cancer) or we would be withholding important info. I think all the supervisor needs to know is that she has a condition which qualifies her for a leave of absence. Chances are that she will tell her boss the diagnosis herself and we will be off the hook. But if she doesn't, or if we run into a situation like this again...
Regardless of HOW we know the diagnosis (written on form or told verbally) do we disclose to the supervisor or don't we?
Comments
This reminds me of an old saw: "I can keep a secret, it is all of the people I tell that cannot."
Do not disclose.
I must disagree with one thing you said in : "I agree with marc. If there is not a significant business need for a supervisor to know, such as emergency care or potential transmittable virus etc., the privacy/confidentiality should be maintained"
It does not matter if they have a potentially transmittable virus. You still cannot tell. You must train 1st responders on universal precautions, and bloodborne pathogens but you cannot violate their privacy letting people know say that they have AIDS.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman
instead of contagious. Thanks for setting me straight.
There is no reason for a supervisor to know about this employee's personal medical issues. This will only cause the employee to have to keep reliving the diagnosis over and over again as other people start asking questions.
Please respect this person's privacy and feelings.
I agree with the others - if the employee wishes to share the details with her supervisor, so be it. But it's not the place of HR or other management people to be disclosing an employee's personal medical situation to others for any reason. All the supervisor needs to know is that the employee will be off, and then kept up to speed on an anticipated date of return to work.
Putting myself in the employee's place, I'd not tell anyone unless I absolutely had to. When someone has a serious medical condition, the last thing they want is for everyone to know..have a million questions asked of them...etc. and so on. We have had several employees with cancer diagnosis and the last thing they want is to be the topic of conversation in the workplace. Let the employee tell who they want to know themselves and leave it at that. The only thing the supervisor needs to know is that this employee qualifies for a medical leave and it has been approved.
I have to think, however, if he is all of those things, he would be the last person in the building to suggest a supervisor has a need or a right to know of someone's personal medical information. Perhaps he missed that seminar.
Hopefully he will change his mind.
Cristina