Job offer / disclosure...?

[oh no_1]

Hi
I went for an interview and been offered a job.
Haven't yet told them about mental health.
I havent had any days off in this job in year and half.... it was my job before this that made me ill and was off work for few months after breakdown.

anyone had similar experience?
How did you tell new employer?
How do you about telling them?
What do u say/ not say?

anything would be helpful... please.

[MrAndy]

I was off for three months with anxiety I told my old employee but not my new one
I would keep it to yourself or at least until your feet are under the table

[Rennie1989]

Because I work for the NHS I had to disclose my health problems. I told them that I suffer from depression and they asked if it was a problem. Whilst it is at the time (obviously) I told them that it wasn't. Nothing else happened.

You only need to disclose a health condition if you need your workplace conditions changed to suit your needs. For example if you're wheelchair bound you need easy access to your desk, if you're hard of hearing then you need to be away from noise and have a telephone adapted. If nothing can be adapted around your depression then you don't need to disclose it. Sometimes it's not worth opening that can of worms.

[oh no_1]

But I need friday afternoons off for 'appointments' i told them.... which i see support worker and alternative fridays see cbt

[MyNameIsTerry]

There is a big difference between applying to a new employer and informing an existing one.

With an existing one, you only need to tell them if it could impact your work or if they can make any reasonable adjustments to help you. Reasonable adjustments could be applied even if your issues are outside of your workplace as it could help prevent you reaching any later absence states.

With a new employer, its a bit different because they make ask you to disclose your illnesses. This may be in an application form or after you get the job where you receive a form to update their occupation health team. If you don't disclose at this stage then if they find out later, they could want to determine whether you have breached your employment contract. Doing it in this circumstance is risky and if you are likely to disclose your GP's records to them later (something I never advocate!) then you could end up having to explain this to them.

If its because of a need for time off or a flexible arrangement then I would say yes, whether an existing employer or new one. They are not going to be happy to take someone on who then needs these arrangements if they asked for them to be disclosed at the interview stages.

[Rennie1989]

You didn't say that you needed time off for appointments. In that case MyNameIsTerry is right, this needs to be disclosed. They generally ask at interviews if you are flexible which gives you the opportunity to say 'Yes, but...' That way if they accept you they are accepting that you require that time off.

[Tessar]

i'm with the others in that it would need disclosing so that you get the flexibility from them to attend appointments. of course it will feel risky as its a worry it'll influence their decision but to say nothing and then need the time off, well they may react adversely to that. never an easy decision but sometimes if you are up front from the off, they'll respect that. if they don't respect it well, maybe theyd not be people you'd want to work for anyway.
my employers know about my depression. after a family bereavement I nee to see a counsellor. at first I tried seeing them after work but that was too much of a rush to get away and I couldn't focus for my appointments.
so then I changed it to early appointments before work. this necessitated coming in about an hour and a half late. so then I worked my lunchtime and a bit after work. I was told I didn't have to make the time up but I have always worked back. I did that s no one (not my bosses but other colleagues I knew might get funny with ne) could ever say I didn't do my hours.
ironically the bosses have never had issues but sure enough I had a colleague I anticipated would be problematical try to criticise me. so I referred her to the boss and said "i was told I never had to make the time but I have made all of it up". needless to say she didn't take the matter up with the boss because she knew I had always been very open about it. she had nothing to use as ammunition. she's an idiot anyway.
main thing is my bosses have always been absolutely find about it.
the big boss said only recently to me "you are looking after your health and that is something you must do".
hope it works itself out for you, oh no :-)

[oh no_1]

they have already offered me the job, i said i need friday afternoons off..... but i feel i need to tell them even thoigh it doesnt affect me at work and will tell them this, it just to ensure i stay well and seeing this support worker and doing courses off my own back...
yeh i havent said ill accept job yet but feel i want to tell them this before i do.

it so hard as it one major thing playing on my mind.

[MyNameIsTerry]

If they offer you the job under the agreement that you have Friday afternoons off, thats up to them. Whether you choose to tell them why, is really up to you because they don't seem to want to know if this is the case.

An employer would normally want to know why they are giving you time off so I would expect them to be asking.

[oh no_1]

well today the day i am going to my new nursery for the morning.....
bit nervous if they will ask etc and what i say .....

then the plan is to go to my work to hand in my notice after that

[MyNameIsTerry]

Good luck with it.

Have in your mind what you would like to reveal if it comes to it and write down any key points if you need to.

I would image that anxiety & depression are very common in that challenging sector so hopefully they will be educating on it.