Regarding the disclosure of your condition.....
This depends on a few factors.
1) Job/Company - are you good with them? Big? Small? Corporate?
2) State Laws
3) Federal Laws
I am very personal. Down to even notifying that we were expecting or even my birthday. I do not even really socialize with anyone at work, go to work related events, invite people over etc. Basically I am at work to work not make friends. And being that I am young and have several business ventures outside of work which have been a blessing, I do not like people to ask questions and so forth.
As far as work...I could not keep it a secret any longer. People noticed when I started walking with a limp and sometimes had to use a cane. They noticed when I parked my vehicle in the "designated" spot in the parking garage.....I have a very jealous co-worker who often tries to antagonize me. Needless to say, he made a big deal out of it (yes, out of jealousy) and so I showed up the next day with my handicap sticker.....which accused me of forging looool.
I couldn't keep it a secret. People noticed that I wasn't as sharp as I used to be. Not that I was slow or lacking...but they noticed I had lost my "mojo" so to say. I was just not interested in going the extra mile whereas before I was jumping all over situations.
Speaking to HR was inevitable. I had to change work schedule so I would not come into contact with this individual any longer. I blame him for stress that caused me to have 2 major relapses. I am not working remote and he is still snitching on me for things in absentia!!!
It was not my choice but when I requested to have a schedule change i was denied. When I requested to not be forced to take a lunch break because I haven't in the past decade...I was denied. I bought up state and federal law and they said it's company policy. Although Federal law does not state they are required to give me lunch. It is my choice. However, they said that it would then make others want to do the same. I work 10 hours each day. They want me to take 30 min. of unpaid lunch. That is 10.5 hours. It take me 45 min to drive to work one way. So that is 1.5 hours both ways. So that is 12 hours per day!
Keep in mind...for 10 years I have not taken a lunch. It was only because of Mr. Snitch that they even asked me to start taking a lunch. Unbelievable.
So I had no choice to break out the trump card.
Within 6 mo. I was hospitalized and on LTD indefinitely. As I previously stated, the MRI pre-Copaxone showed how i felt...not so bad. Post-Copaxone showed nearly twice as many lesions and how I felt....12 relapses in the 1.25 years on Copaxone vs. No relapses for 1.5 years prior to Copaxone.
I started solu-medrol iv and then Tecfidera. After 6 weeks I went back to office provided I work virtual. (ironically after 4 mo. on Tecfidera, 2 relapses requiring iv steroids within 45 days of each other....NO MORE Tecfidera for me..poisons)
HR has been extremely helpful in working with me. So I feel that depending on your company, fill them in. This way you tie their hands to fire you or reprimand you for 'Poor Performance.' I live in a 'Right-to-Work' state...or as I say 'Right to Fire' state, and if you make them aware it puts up certain barriers. Besides that, if the Company is IPO, with the use of Mass Communications...Media, Social Media etc. I am sure they do not want bad PR. It's definitely something that can be done very fast and effective and send a company to its knees. So you sitting there even collecting a salary while doing NOTHING is far better for them than the bad PR. It is such a thing that can break a company's backbone.
If you work in such a company, have a sit-down with your management and HR. Explain to them what MS is (because not many people know) and how it affects you, what you go through and how they may be able to accommodate you. I do wish you the best in your endeavors.
This depends on a few factors.
1) Job/Company - are you good with them? Big? Small? Corporate?
2) State Laws
3) Federal Laws
I am very personal. Down to even notifying that we were expecting or even my birthday. I do not even really socialize with anyone at work, go to work related events, invite people over etc. Basically I am at work to work not make friends. And being that I am young and have several business ventures outside of work which have been a blessing, I do not like people to ask questions and so forth.
As far as work...I could not keep it a secret any longer. People noticed when I started walking with a limp and sometimes had to use a cane. They noticed when I parked my vehicle in the "designated" spot in the parking garage.....I have a very jealous co-worker who often tries to antagonize me. Needless to say, he made a big deal out of it (yes, out of jealousy) and so I showed up the next day with my handicap sticker.....which accused me of forging looool.
I couldn't keep it a secret. People noticed that I wasn't as sharp as I used to be. Not that I was slow or lacking...but they noticed I had lost my "mojo" so to say. I was just not interested in going the extra mile whereas before I was jumping all over situations.
Speaking to HR was inevitable. I had to change work schedule so I would not come into contact with this individual any longer. I blame him for stress that caused me to have 2 major relapses. I am not working remote and he is still snitching on me for things in absentia!!!
It was not my choice but when I requested to have a schedule change i was denied. When I requested to not be forced to take a lunch break because I haven't in the past decade...I was denied. I bought up state and federal law and they said it's company policy. Although Federal law does not state they are required to give me lunch. It is my choice. However, they said that it would then make others want to do the same. I work 10 hours each day. They want me to take 30 min. of unpaid lunch. That is 10.5 hours. It take me 45 min to drive to work one way. So that is 1.5 hours both ways. So that is 12 hours per day!
Keep in mind...for 10 years I have not taken a lunch. It was only because of Mr. Snitch that they even asked me to start taking a lunch. Unbelievable.
So I had no choice to break out the trump card.
Within 6 mo. I was hospitalized and on LTD indefinitely. As I previously stated, the MRI pre-Copaxone showed how i felt...not so bad. Post-Copaxone showed nearly twice as many lesions and how I felt....12 relapses in the 1.25 years on Copaxone vs. No relapses for 1.5 years prior to Copaxone.
I started solu-medrol iv and then Tecfidera. After 6 weeks I went back to office provided I work virtual. (ironically after 4 mo. on Tecfidera, 2 relapses requiring iv steroids within 45 days of each other....NO MORE Tecfidera for me..poisons)
HR has been extremely helpful in working with me. So I feel that depending on your company, fill them in. This way you tie their hands to fire you or reprimand you for 'Poor Performance.' I live in a 'Right-to-Work' state...or as I say 'Right to Fire' state, and if you make them aware it puts up certain barriers. Besides that, if the Company is IPO, with the use of Mass Communications...Media, Social Media etc. I am sure they do not want bad PR. It's definitely something that can be done very fast and effective and send a company to its knees. So you sitting there even collecting a salary while doing NOTHING is far better for them than the bad PR. It is such a thing that can break a company's backbone.
If you work in such a company, have a sit-down with your management and HR. Explain to them what MS is (because not many people know) and how it affects you, what you go through and how they may be able to accommodate you. I do wish you the best in your endeavors.
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