Do I tell my boss ?

[TripleC]

 I work at a company who has very strict attendance guidelines and my boss is very much " Company First " mentally.  Up to this point, I have been able to make all my Dr. appt and tests without affecting my job.  Unfortunately, I have an appt. in April with Rheumy and probably every three months after that. I know this will conflict with the work schedule and I will be forced to take days off.  Do I tell my boss the reason why, I know she will give me a hard time asking for these days off... or would it be easier just to call off sick.

I need to work for the health insurance.  What are your experiences ?

[eye2dry]

TripleC, good evening.

I work for a dermatologist, so being a doctor he is understanding of appts. for my rheumy. I also do work part-time and try to schedule appts on my days off , it at all possible.

Do you have an employee handbook that discusses a topic like  this? I have always worked in the medical field so I am not sure how to go about talking to a boss that probably has no clue on SJS. I would talk to my boss in advance of my next appt and explain my situation. Knowing what I know now, I would never have told co-workers of my diagnosies but felt they were "on to me" and did not want them to think I was old and incapable (at 54!), or on drugs,etc...

I'll bet someone will come forward on this forum and have just the answer to help you.

Good luck and hang in there.

eye2dry

[cargillwitch]

this is timely as I just  last week  met with my executive director and told her of my diagnosis. I am a nurse myself , co-ordinating prenatal nutrition programs. Some of my co-workers knew I was having some health concerns over the past year and I had told my assistant.Thankfully she( my ED) was very supportive( she had cancer  as a child) and just asked that if I needed to take an extended period of time off to lay out a plan to cover my program. I am so very thankful I have saved so much paid sick time over the last 11 years, but wonder if the sympathy will wear thin if I really start to take time away.
I would really love to hear others experiences as well- have your coworkers been supportive ?

[Joe S.]

If you are in the US, apply for FMLA. This is your protection.

[Autoimmunity]

Depending upon the number of employees in the company, FMLA may also be an option for you.  If you work for a larger company, you can have your doctor fill out the FMLA paperwork for you and you cannot be fired for taking time off for doctors appointments or sick days related to your FMLA condition.  It has literally saved my job.  When I was diagnosed last year, I was tremendously ill and missed quite a bit of time - I still do for the constant stream of doctor appointments that I have 

[voiceteacher]

I have not told my employer and think that as long as you can, you shouldn't.  Legally they can't do anything to you but a mean boss can make life miserable!  I'd just call in sick if I were you (:

Voiceteacher

[engy]

I don't have any good advice other than I would get a doctors note every time you go in case you are asked. That way you have proof of a legitimate absence if you tell them or not .  You do not have to tell them why you went even if they ask.

Carie

[topping21]

FLMA has alot of loopholes in it that do benefit the company.  It says it can protect your employment.  The company can replace you for another effective person and then place you somewhere down the list which basically screws the person receiving FMLA.  It mainly just protects a job when you return.

There is a clause that states if you position is valuable to the company and by you leaving it could cause detrimental damage to the company they can replace you.  That is not the exact wording but that is the interpretation of it.   I got this from my HR person who is very good and knowledgable about this stuff.  I told here it was for someone else and did not mention my name...

I suggest you do not let them know the more they know can benefit them.  I am on the same boat my Executive Director is old school and is all about the Company!!!

[warmwaters]

My two cents - if your health is not impacting your daily ability to do your job, and you don't need any special accommodations at work, I'd probably do just go to the boss and say "I have a medical condition that requires me to visit a doctor every three months for followup. I can take that under FMLA - let's figure out the right paperwork to do that". In other words state as fact what you need, what the solution is, and engage the manager. You'll probably be asked what the problem is, but you don't have to say - you can simply say that at this point, this should have no impact on my work, but it needs routine monitoring. Once you've sorted it out, followup with an email summarizing the plan (so you have it writing).

However, if your health is impacting your daily ability, or may soon, you need a different approach.

Best of luck

I work at a company who has very strict attendance guidelines and my boss is very much " Company First " mentally.  Up to this point, I have been able to make all my Dr. appt and tests without affecting my job.  Unfortunately, I have an appt. in April with Rheumy and probably every three months after that. I know this will conflict with the work schedule and I will be forced to take days off.  Do I tell my boss the reason why, I know she will give me a hard time asking for these days off... or would it be easier just to call off sick.

I need to work for the health insurance.  What are your experiences ?

[Pisces24]

Don't you get Vacation TIME!!   I would just say I need a vacation day on those days. For gosh sakes, three months is way enough time ahead.

Also I don't know how your company is set up but HR would be the 1st place I'd go. There are laws about keeping medical issues confidential. They in turn will talk to your boss and they would be talking to him from a position of authority where you yourself talking to him would not.  Talk to HR about your situation. HR should keep a record and you too of the conversation.

I work for a very strick company too on any unscheduled time off. But if you let them know 2 wks in advance it is scheduled time and no problem. But as to unscheduled time off (like when you suddenly get sick) we only get 5 per rolling calendar year. After 5 we start getting written up and 8 we are out the door.     That is why I got FMLA because I had a particulary bad year once and I caught the H1N1 (the whole 9 yrds - no hosp thankfully) and they threatened me with a reprimand if I didn't come in. I didn't use the FMLA the other times I was sick and I really didn't want to use it then but my gp got so mad he insisted I do the FMLA. It is there to protect you.

Hey - Read the FMLA - I am pretty positive it covers no reprimand for dr visits for a chronic illness. They can't dun you for that. I;d check with your own dr too and dr is on your side.

[slccom]

I wouldn't tell the boss unless you need accommodations to actually do your job, either. It is quite possible to make your life a living heck, or to suddenly start with bogus write-ups that get you fired after a while. Or to have you suddenly not invited to team meetings that you used to go to, and ease you out of things while doing bogus write-ups, giving you impossible projects with impossible deadlines, etc.

Take a half vacation day, or something. Or say your child or other family member has a health condition. "Ask your doctor to schedule the visits not exactly every three months apart, and on different days of the week and different times of the day.

Under the ADA, and FMLA, they can't legally do the above. That doesn't seem to stop them, and trying to fight them legally is a horrendous experience that takes years. Best to head it off.

[eyeamdry]

A day or half day off every 3 months is nothing that should bring attention to anyone.  People do take vacation days, personal days and so forth.  I used to use all of my days as I had them available.  If I had lots of vaca time, I'd use that.  Dr and dentist appts don't take that much time, UNLESS SOMEONE IS WATCHING YOU.  That would be someone who has not too nice opinion of you.  There are things to protect you, even though they are less than perfect.

Be sure and keep your own personal file about bullying, hassles etc that are out of the ordinary.  Lucy

[LisaMarie]

My boss knows.  Fortunately, we have sick days, vacation days, and a personal day a year.  So my time off is "earned."  However, I'm quickly dwindling down my sick day balance (you can build them up and use them when needed). 

The one affect I've seen just yesterday with my job...pay raises.  Most of my direct colleagues got a bigger pay raise than I did.  I can understand why.  My work in the past year has not been up to par.  It has been decent but not great.  Recently I've been feeling like my old self more (thanks to plaquenil and neutorin(sp) and restasis).  I've been getting great sleep, more alert, and whipping out code up to my usual self.  I've been able to take charge of what I need to do.   So I'm hoping I can maintain my ol' self without complications and continue so I can show them that this is the real me.  I took this job two years ago and believe that I was well into a flare up at that time but didn't know anything about sjogren's and auto immune diseases.  They never got to see the real productive me.

I still get tired some but it is more like a normal person.  I still will not spend a lot of time at my husband's business like I used to because I need to focus on my job since it pays the bills.  I still will not commit myself and my time to any outside activities such as appointments that are not needed.  I hate the thought of committing myself to helping someone and then having to cancel.

But it is different for me - I can tell my boss that I'm feeling better and the new medicines seem to be working because they are.  I can give them reason for hope versus before I felt funny saying, "I'm sick and hoping to get help."  I also have the ability to get help with FMLA if need. 

It is amazing though the difference when you get the right combination of medicine and start to feel good.  I feel blessed right now.