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How much personal information am I obligated to share with my manager? [closed]
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If I have a family emergency and have to take time off work, how much information am I obligated to share with my manager about my personal problem? We have a very high volume at quarter end and I may have to take time off during this busy time at work to take care of my mom who lives in another state. What am I obligated to share with my manager? I don't want to share any personal information or problems with my manager as it is none of their business. How much am I obligated to share?
time-off
edited Feb 25 '14 at 20:25
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asked Feb 25 '14 at 19:50
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closed as primarily opinion-based by Jim G., Rhys, jcmeloni, CMW, user8365 Feb 26 '14 at 14:45
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
If I have a family emergency and have to take time off work, how much information am I obligated to share with my manager about my personal problem? We have a very high volume at quarter end and I may have to take time off during this busy time at work to take care of my mom who lives in another state. What am I obligated to share with my manager? I don't want to share any personal information or problems with my manager as it is none of their business. How much am I obligated to share?
time-off
edited Feb 25 '14 at 20:25
Laf
22239
asked Feb 25 '14 at 19:50
Need Help
272
closed as primarily opinion-based by Jim G., Rhys, jcmeloni, CMW, user8365 Feb 26 '14 at 14:45
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
3
Legal obligation depends on where you live (different laws in differnet places), but we can't really do legal questions anyway. Are you asking about "obligation" in the "expedient" sense -- how much do you have to share to protect your job?
– Monica Cellio♦
Feb 25 '14 at 20:02
1
If in the US, you may not have to give specifics to your manager, but you will have fill out paperwork for human resources. A doctor will have to fill out a form--not medical details, but how long, etc.
– mkennedy
Feb 25 '14 at 21:09
I will point out that if you are asking for an accomodation (ie to get time off) then it is your boss's business. You are asking for him to make a workplace change, you should provide information on why it is needed. And he is more likely to be helpful if he knows what is going on. This is a practical consideration not just a legal one. I have seen people try to hide problems and it usually ends up much worse for the employee than people who directly tell their boss what the problem is.
– HLGEM
Feb 26 '14 at 21:49
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
If I have a family emergency and have to take time off work, how much information am I obligated to share with my manager about my personal problem? We have a very high volume at quarter end and I may have to take time off during this busy time at work to take care of my mom who lives in another state. What am I obligated to share with my manager? I don't want to share any personal information or problems with my manager as it is none of their business. How much am I obligated to share?
time-off
edited Feb 25 '14 at 20:25
Laf
22239
asked Feb 25 '14 at 19:50
Need Help
272
If I have a family emergency and have to take time off work, how much information am I obligated to share with my manager about my personal problem? We have a very high volume at quarter end and I may have to take time off during this busy time at work to take care of my mom who lives in another state. What am I obligated to share with my manager? I don't want to share any personal information or problems with my manager as it is none of their business. How much am I obligated to share?
time-off
edited Feb 25 '14 at 20:25
Laf
22239
asked Feb 25 '14 at 19:50
Need Help
272
edited Feb 25 '14 at 20:25
Laf
22239
edited Feb 25 '14 at 20:25
Laf
22239
edited Feb 25 '14 at 20:25
Laf
22239
22239
asked Feb 25 '14 at 19:50
Need Help
272
asked Feb 25 '14 at 19:50
Need Help
272
asked Feb 25 '14 at 19:50
Need Help
272
272
closed as primarily opinion-based by Jim G., Rhys, jcmeloni, CMW, user8365 Feb 26 '14 at 14:45
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
closed as primarily opinion-based by Jim G., Rhys, jcmeloni, CMW, user8365 Feb 26 '14 at 14:45
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
3
Legal obligation depends on where you live (different laws in differnet places), but we can't really do legal questions anyway. Are you asking about "obligation" in the "expedient" sense -- how much do you have to share to protect your job?
– Monica Cellio♦
Feb 25 '14 at 20:02
1
If in the US, you may not have to give specifics to your manager, but you will have fill out paperwork for human resources. A doctor will have to fill out a form--not medical details, but how long, etc.
– mkennedy
Feb 25 '14 at 21:09
I will point out that if you are asking for an accomodation (ie to get time off) then it is your boss's business. You are asking for him to make a workplace change, you should provide information on why it is needed. And he is more likely to be helpful if he knows what is going on. This is a practical consideration not just a legal one. I have seen people try to hide problems and it usually ends up much worse for the employee than people who directly tell their boss what the problem is.
– HLGEM
Feb 26 '14 at 21:49
add a comment |Â
3
Legal obligation depends on where you live (different laws in differnet places), but we can't really do legal questions anyway. Are you asking about "obligation" in the "expedient" sense -- how much do you have to share to protect your job?
– Monica Cellio♦
Feb 25 '14 at 20:02
1
If in the US, you may not have to give specifics to your manager, but you will have fill out paperwork for human resources. A doctor will have to fill out a form--not medical details, but how long, etc.
– mkennedy
Feb 25 '14 at 21:09
I will point out that if you are asking for an accomodation (ie to get time off) then it is your boss's business. You are asking for him to make a workplace change, you should provide information on why it is needed. And he is more likely to be helpful if he knows what is going on. This is a practical consideration not just a legal one. I have seen people try to hide problems and it usually ends up much worse for the employee than people who directly tell their boss what the problem is.
– HLGEM
Feb 26 '14 at 21:49
3
3
Legal obligation depends on where you live (different laws in differnet places), but we can't really do legal questions anyway. Are you asking about "obligation" in the "expedient" sense -- how much do you have to share to protect your job?
– Monica Cellio♦
Feb 25 '14 at 20:02
Legal obligation depends on where you live (different laws in differnet places), but we can't really do legal questions anyway. Are you asking about "obligation" in the "expedient" sense -- how much do you have to share to protect your job?
– Monica Cellio♦
Feb 25 '14 at 20:02
1
1
If in the US, you may not have to give specifics to your manager, but you will have fill out paperwork for human resources. A doctor will have to fill out a form--not medical details, but how long, etc.
– mkennedy
Feb 25 '14 at 21:09
If in the US, you may not have to give specifics to your manager, but you will have fill out paperwork for human resources. A doctor will have to fill out a form--not medical details, but how long, etc.
– mkennedy
Feb 25 '14 at 21:09
I will point out that if you are asking for an accomodation (ie to get time off) then it is your boss's business. You are asking for him to make a workplace change, you should provide information on why it is needed. And he is more likely to be helpful if he knows what is going on. This is a practical consideration not just a legal one. I have seen people try to hide problems and it usually ends up much worse for the employee than people who directly tell their boss what the problem is.
– HLGEM
Feb 26 '14 at 21:49
I will point out that if you are asking for an accomodation (ie to get time off) then it is your boss's business. You are asking for him to make a workplace change, you should provide information on why it is needed. And he is more likely to be helpful if he knows what is going on. This is a practical consideration not just a legal one. I have seen people try to hide problems and it usually ends up much worse for the employee than people who directly tell their boss what the problem is.
– HLGEM
Feb 26 '14 at 21:49
add a comment |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
5
down vote
For US employees, the Family and Medical Leave Act requires employers to permit you unpaid time off, up to 12 weeks, to take care of a parent (with a fairly wide range of definitions - not just biological). See this Department of Labor flyer for details. You may need to provide evidence of the malady, though for specific legal advice please consult an employment lawyer; see this text from the above flyer:
An employee asserting a right to FMLA leave to care for a parent who
stood in loco parentis to the employee may be required to provide
notice of the need for leave and to submit medical certification of a
serious health condition consistent with the FMLA regulations.
(The flyer was specifically addressing non-traditional relationships, but in this case it is suggesting the requirement is the same for both.)
answered Feb 25 '14 at 20:11
Joe
8,0322046
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
It is going to depend on what type of leave you are looking for. If you qualify for FMLA then you can follow that procedure to get time off regardless of your managers preferences or the company needs. There is a very specific set of information you will need to provide for FMLA, but that is all that you are required to share with your company. See section 103 of the linked document for all of the details on what you may be required to provide. It is also possible that your employer will not require that you provide that certification.
That said if you go around your manager and submit a FMLA Request to HR then your manager may take offense at your not letting them know directly. Most of the time the manager is not going to want to know most of the specifics. If you talk with you manager providing just the details you feel comfortable with, and communicate to them that you realize that the time frame is not the greatest for the company, your manager is more likely to be sympathetic to your cause. In this case the repercussions of taking the leave will probably be significantly reduced. While your manager is not allowed to hold FMLA against you in a review, there is quite a bit of subjectivity to most criteria. And there are usually some tasks that are less enjoyable than others, they fall into your normal job tasks so assigning more than the normal share to you because you are the one best suited for the task this time, is not punishment, even though you know it is. Eventually you climb out of the dog house, but if you talk with your manager ahead of time you will find it is probably far less painful.
answered Feb 25 '14 at 21:07
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
If you're dealing with US rules, it's often the case that you don't need to tell your manager much of anything - you could just say "I'm taking FMLA", but you may have to prove something to the administrator, which often comes with a promise of confidentiality. It's understood that for serious medical conditions, the nature or severity may not be something you want to share, but there can be a process to proving the severity of the situation - so there's often an intermediary.
It's worth asking about the process and the rules.
From the perspective of being a good employee while you are also trying to be a good family member, one reasonable point of guidance for talking with your boss is:
- provide what you feel comfortable with as the absolute final rule.
- provide what you might want to know from common empathy - for example, if a parent of yours has died, the boss want to send you a sympathy card or the office may send flowers to the funeral. Nobody wants to be an insensitive jerk when a fellow office mate is having a rough time.
- provide what you can to facilitate getting the work completed given the circumstances. For example, if you must leave ASAP, can you package notes and send them later? Can you work remotely for short time spans? Are you available for phone calls? Is the situation so difficult and upsetting that you really cannot be in charge of work responsibility right now.
You don't necessarily have to say why, but it can be helpful to say "I have a medical situation that lets me work part time, but I may have odd and irregular appointments that I cannot miss, and from time to time I will be ill enough that I cannot take calls." (That's a fine way of describing chemotherapy for example) or "I'm not ill, but a family member is - I'll be taking care of them, so I don't know quite what my hours will be because I don't know quite how they'll respond to treatment." Keep it centered on work and the ability to do it, or the need for accommodation. If you can give a time frame, do so.
In some legislation, medical issues, vs. grief, vs. calamity of a non-medical nature may have different rules, where it's important to be clear what help you're asking for, so that the proper channels can be tapped. Short term disability, for example, has specific rules for engagement.
answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:36
bethlakshmi
70.3k4136277
add a comment |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
5
down vote
For US employees, the Family and Medical Leave Act requires employers to permit you unpaid time off, up to 12 weeks, to take care of a parent (with a fairly wide range of definitions - not just biological). See this Department of Labor flyer for details. You may need to provide evidence of the malady, though for specific legal advice please consult an employment lawyer; see this text from the above flyer:
An employee asserting a right to FMLA leave to care for a parent who
stood in loco parentis to the employee may be required to provide
notice of the need for leave and to submit medical certification of a
serious health condition consistent with the FMLA regulations.
(The flyer was specifically addressing non-traditional relationships, but in this case it is suggesting the requirement is the same for both.)
answered Feb 25 '14 at 20:11
Joe
8,0322046
add a comment |Â
up vote
5
down vote
For US employees, the Family and Medical Leave Act requires employers to permit you unpaid time off, up to 12 weeks, to take care of a parent (with a fairly wide range of definitions - not just biological). See this Department of Labor flyer for details. You may need to provide evidence of the malady, though for specific legal advice please consult an employment lawyer; see this text from the above flyer:
An employee asserting a right to FMLA leave to care for a parent who
stood in loco parentis to the employee may be required to provide
notice of the need for leave and to submit medical certification of a
serious health condition consistent with the FMLA regulations.
(The flyer was specifically addressing non-traditional relationships, but in this case it is suggesting the requirement is the same for both.)
answered Feb 25 '14 at 20:11
Joe
8,0322046
add a comment |Â
up vote
5
down vote
up vote
5
down vote
For US employees, the Family and Medical Leave Act requires employers to permit you unpaid time off, up to 12 weeks, to take care of a parent (with a fairly wide range of definitions - not just biological). See this Department of Labor flyer for details. You may need to provide evidence of the malady, though for specific legal advice please consult an employment lawyer; see this text from the above flyer:
An employee asserting a right to FMLA leave to care for a parent who
stood in loco parentis to the employee may be required to provide
notice of the need for leave and to submit medical certification of a
serious health condition consistent with the FMLA regulations.
(The flyer was specifically addressing non-traditional relationships, but in this case it is suggesting the requirement is the same for both.)
answered Feb 25 '14 at 20:11
Joe
8,0322046
For US employees, the Family and Medical Leave Act requires employers to permit you unpaid time off, up to 12 weeks, to take care of a parent (with a fairly wide range of definitions - not just biological). See this Department of Labor flyer for details. You may need to provide evidence of the malady, though for specific legal advice please consult an employment lawyer; see this text from the above flyer:
An employee asserting a right to FMLA leave to care for a parent who
stood in loco parentis to the employee may be required to provide
notice of the need for leave and to submit medical certification of a
serious health condition consistent with the FMLA regulations.
(The flyer was specifically addressing non-traditional relationships, but in this case it is suggesting the requirement is the same for both.)
answered Feb 25 '14 at 20:11
Joe
8,0322046
answered Feb 25 '14 at 20:11
Joe
8,0322046
answered Feb 25 '14 at 20:11
Joe
8,0322046
answered Feb 25 '14 at 20:11
Joe
8,0322046
8,0322046
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
It is going to depend on what type of leave you are looking for. If you qualify for FMLA then you can follow that procedure to get time off regardless of your managers preferences or the company needs. There is a very specific set of information you will need to provide for FMLA, but that is all that you are required to share with your company. See section 103 of the linked document for all of the details on what you may be required to provide. It is also possible that your employer will not require that you provide that certification.
That said if you go around your manager and submit a FMLA Request to HR then your manager may take offense at your not letting them know directly. Most of the time the manager is not going to want to know most of the specifics. If you talk with you manager providing just the details you feel comfortable with, and communicate to them that you realize that the time frame is not the greatest for the company, your manager is more likely to be sympathetic to your cause. In this case the repercussions of taking the leave will probably be significantly reduced. While your manager is not allowed to hold FMLA against you in a review, there is quite a bit of subjectivity to most criteria. And there are usually some tasks that are less enjoyable than others, they fall into your normal job tasks so assigning more than the normal share to you because you are the one best suited for the task this time, is not punishment, even though you know it is. Eventually you climb out of the dog house, but if you talk with your manager ahead of time you will find it is probably far less painful.
answered Feb 25 '14 at 21:07
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
It is going to depend on what type of leave you are looking for. If you qualify for FMLA then you can follow that procedure to get time off regardless of your managers preferences or the company needs. There is a very specific set of information you will need to provide for FMLA, but that is all that you are required to share with your company. See section 103 of the linked document for all of the details on what you may be required to provide. It is also possible that your employer will not require that you provide that certification.
That said if you go around your manager and submit a FMLA Request to HR then your manager may take offense at your not letting them know directly. Most of the time the manager is not going to want to know most of the specifics. If you talk with you manager providing just the details you feel comfortable with, and communicate to them that you realize that the time frame is not the greatest for the company, your manager is more likely to be sympathetic to your cause. In this case the repercussions of taking the leave will probably be significantly reduced. While your manager is not allowed to hold FMLA against you in a review, there is quite a bit of subjectivity to most criteria. And there are usually some tasks that are less enjoyable than others, they fall into your normal job tasks so assigning more than the normal share to you because you are the one best suited for the task this time, is not punishment, even though you know it is. Eventually you climb out of the dog house, but if you talk with your manager ahead of time you will find it is probably far less painful.
answered Feb 25 '14 at 21:07
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
It is going to depend on what type of leave you are looking for. If you qualify for FMLA then you can follow that procedure to get time off regardless of your managers preferences or the company needs. There is a very specific set of information you will need to provide for FMLA, but that is all that you are required to share with your company. See section 103 of the linked document for all of the details on what you may be required to provide. It is also possible that your employer will not require that you provide that certification.
That said if you go around your manager and submit a FMLA Request to HR then your manager may take offense at your not letting them know directly. Most of the time the manager is not going to want to know most of the specifics. If you talk with you manager providing just the details you feel comfortable with, and communicate to them that you realize that the time frame is not the greatest for the company, your manager is more likely to be sympathetic to your cause. In this case the repercussions of taking the leave will probably be significantly reduced. While your manager is not allowed to hold FMLA against you in a review, there is quite a bit of subjectivity to most criteria. And there are usually some tasks that are less enjoyable than others, they fall into your normal job tasks so assigning more than the normal share to you because you are the one best suited for the task this time, is not punishment, even though you know it is. Eventually you climb out of the dog house, but if you talk with your manager ahead of time you will find it is probably far less painful.
answered Feb 25 '14 at 21:07
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
It is going to depend on what type of leave you are looking for. If you qualify for FMLA then you can follow that procedure to get time off regardless of your managers preferences or the company needs. There is a very specific set of information you will need to provide for FMLA, but that is all that you are required to share with your company. See section 103 of the linked document for all of the details on what you may be required to provide. It is also possible that your employer will not require that you provide that certification.
That said if you go around your manager and submit a FMLA Request to HR then your manager may take offense at your not letting them know directly. Most of the time the manager is not going to want to know most of the specifics. If you talk with you manager providing just the details you feel comfortable with, and communicate to them that you realize that the time frame is not the greatest for the company, your manager is more likely to be sympathetic to your cause. In this case the repercussions of taking the leave will probably be significantly reduced. While your manager is not allowed to hold FMLA against you in a review, there is quite a bit of subjectivity to most criteria. And there are usually some tasks that are less enjoyable than others, they fall into your normal job tasks so assigning more than the normal share to you because you are the one best suited for the task this time, is not punishment, even though you know it is. Eventually you climb out of the dog house, but if you talk with your manager ahead of time you will find it is probably far less painful.
answered Feb 25 '14 at 21:07
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
answered Feb 25 '14 at 21:07
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
answered Feb 25 '14 at 21:07
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
answered Feb 25 '14 at 21:07
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
43.9k1398188
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
If you're dealing with US rules, it's often the case that you don't need to tell your manager much of anything - you could just say "I'm taking FMLA", but you may have to prove something to the administrator, which often comes with a promise of confidentiality. It's understood that for serious medical conditions, the nature or severity may not be something you want to share, but there can be a process to proving the severity of the situation - so there's often an intermediary.
It's worth asking about the process and the rules.
From the perspective of being a good employee while you are also trying to be a good family member, one reasonable point of guidance for talking with your boss is:
- provide what you feel comfortable with as the absolute final rule.
- provide what you might want to know from common empathy - for example, if a parent of yours has died, the boss want to send you a sympathy card or the office may send flowers to the funeral. Nobody wants to be an insensitive jerk when a fellow office mate is having a rough time.
- provide what you can to facilitate getting the work completed given the circumstances. For example, if you must leave ASAP, can you package notes and send them later? Can you work remotely for short time spans? Are you available for phone calls? Is the situation so difficult and upsetting that you really cannot be in charge of work responsibility right now.
You don't necessarily have to say why, but it can be helpful to say "I have a medical situation that lets me work part time, but I may have odd and irregular appointments that I cannot miss, and from time to time I will be ill enough that I cannot take calls." (That's a fine way of describing chemotherapy for example) or "I'm not ill, but a family member is - I'll be taking care of them, so I don't know quite what my hours will be because I don't know quite how they'll respond to treatment." Keep it centered on work and the ability to do it, or the need for accommodation. If you can give a time frame, do so.
In some legislation, medical issues, vs. grief, vs. calamity of a non-medical nature may have different rules, where it's important to be clear what help you're asking for, so that the proper channels can be tapped. Short term disability, for example, has specific rules for engagement.
answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:36
bethlakshmi
70.3k4136277
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
If you're dealing with US rules, it's often the case that you don't need to tell your manager much of anything - you could just say "I'm taking FMLA", but you may have to prove something to the administrator, which often comes with a promise of confidentiality. It's understood that for serious medical conditions, the nature or severity may not be something you want to share, but there can be a process to proving the severity of the situation - so there's often an intermediary.
It's worth asking about the process and the rules.
From the perspective of being a good employee while you are also trying to be a good family member, one reasonable point of guidance for talking with your boss is:
- provide what you feel comfortable with as the absolute final rule.
- provide what you might want to know from common empathy - for example, if a parent of yours has died, the boss want to send you a sympathy card or the office may send flowers to the funeral. Nobody wants to be an insensitive jerk when a fellow office mate is having a rough time.
- provide what you can to facilitate getting the work completed given the circumstances. For example, if you must leave ASAP, can you package notes and send them later? Can you work remotely for short time spans? Are you available for phone calls? Is the situation so difficult and upsetting that you really cannot be in charge of work responsibility right now.
You don't necessarily have to say why, but it can be helpful to say "I have a medical situation that lets me work part time, but I may have odd and irregular appointments that I cannot miss, and from time to time I will be ill enough that I cannot take calls." (That's a fine way of describing chemotherapy for example) or "I'm not ill, but a family member is - I'll be taking care of them, so I don't know quite what my hours will be because I don't know quite how they'll respond to treatment." Keep it centered on work and the ability to do it, or the need for accommodation. If you can give a time frame, do so.
In some legislation, medical issues, vs. grief, vs. calamity of a non-medical nature may have different rules, where it's important to be clear what help you're asking for, so that the proper channels can be tapped. Short term disability, for example, has specific rules for engagement.
answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:36
bethlakshmi
70.3k4136277
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
If you're dealing with US rules, it's often the case that you don't need to tell your manager much of anything - you could just say "I'm taking FMLA", but you may have to prove something to the administrator, which often comes with a promise of confidentiality. It's understood that for serious medical conditions, the nature or severity may not be something you want to share, but there can be a process to proving the severity of the situation - so there's often an intermediary.
It's worth asking about the process and the rules.
From the perspective of being a good employee while you are also trying to be a good family member, one reasonable point of guidance for talking with your boss is:
- provide what you feel comfortable with as the absolute final rule.
- provide what you might want to know from common empathy - for example, if a parent of yours has died, the boss want to send you a sympathy card or the office may send flowers to the funeral. Nobody wants to be an insensitive jerk when a fellow office mate is having a rough time.
- provide what you can to facilitate getting the work completed given the circumstances. For example, if you must leave ASAP, can you package notes and send them later? Can you work remotely for short time spans? Are you available for phone calls? Is the situation so difficult and upsetting that you really cannot be in charge of work responsibility right now.
You don't necessarily have to say why, but it can be helpful to say "I have a medical situation that lets me work part time, but I may have odd and irregular appointments that I cannot miss, and from time to time I will be ill enough that I cannot take calls." (That's a fine way of describing chemotherapy for example) or "I'm not ill, but a family member is - I'll be taking care of them, so I don't know quite what my hours will be because I don't know quite how they'll respond to treatment." Keep it centered on work and the ability to do it, or the need for accommodation. If you can give a time frame, do so.
In some legislation, medical issues, vs. grief, vs. calamity of a non-medical nature may have different rules, where it's important to be clear what help you're asking for, so that the proper channels can be tapped. Short term disability, for example, has specific rules for engagement.
answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:36
bethlakshmi
70.3k4136277
If you're dealing with US rules, it's often the case that you don't need to tell your manager much of anything - you could just say "I'm taking FMLA", but you may have to prove something to the administrator, which often comes with a promise of confidentiality. It's understood that for serious medical conditions, the nature or severity may not be something you want to share, but there can be a process to proving the severity of the situation - so there's often an intermediary.
It's worth asking about the process and the rules.
From the perspective of being a good employee while you are also trying to be a good family member, one reasonable point of guidance for talking with your boss is:
- provide what you feel comfortable with as the absolute final rule.
- provide what you might want to know from common empathy - for example, if a parent of yours has died, the boss want to send you a sympathy card or the office may send flowers to the funeral. Nobody wants to be an insensitive jerk when a fellow office mate is having a rough time.
- provide what you can to facilitate getting the work completed given the circumstances. For example, if you must leave ASAP, can you package notes and send them later? Can you work remotely for short time spans? Are you available for phone calls? Is the situation so difficult and upsetting that you really cannot be in charge of work responsibility right now.
You don't necessarily have to say why, but it can be helpful to say "I have a medical situation that lets me work part time, but I may have odd and irregular appointments that I cannot miss, and from time to time I will be ill enough that I cannot take calls." (That's a fine way of describing chemotherapy for example) or "I'm not ill, but a family member is - I'll be taking care of them, so I don't know quite what my hours will be because I don't know quite how they'll respond to treatment." Keep it centered on work and the ability to do it, or the need for accommodation. If you can give a time frame, do so.
In some legislation, medical issues, vs. grief, vs. calamity of a non-medical nature may have different rules, where it's important to be clear what help you're asking for, so that the proper channels can be tapped. Short term disability, for example, has specific rules for engagement.
answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:36
bethlakshmi
70.3k4136277
answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:36
bethlakshmi
70.3k4136277
answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:36
bethlakshmi
70.3k4136277
answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:36
bethlakshmi
70.3k4136277
70.3k4136277
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3
Legal obligation depends on where you live (different laws in differnet places), but we can't really do legal questions anyway. Are you asking about "obligation" in the "expedient" sense -- how much do you have to share to protect your job?
– Monica Cellio♦
Feb 25 '14 at 20:02
1
If in the US, you may not have to give specifics to your manager, but you will have fill out paperwork for human resources. A doctor will have to fill out a form--not medical details, but how long, etc.
– mkennedy
Feb 25 '14 at 21:09
I will point out that if you are asking for an accomodation (ie to get time off) then it is your boss's business. You are asking for him to make a workplace change, you should provide information on why it is needed. And he is more likely to be helpful if he knows what is going on. This is a practical consideration not just a legal one. I have seen people try to hide problems and it usually ends up much worse for the employee than people who directly tell their boss what the problem is.
– HLGEM
Feb 26 '14 at 21:49