Aa
Finding a new job with MS -
Or keeping the old one!
They just came around and laid off 45 more people from my job. I feel lucky that I'm still around, but I think my days are numbered. Sure, they need good designers, but they haven't been making smart choices lately.
So I went to one of my managers (who will be out of a job come the 20th) and asked her straight up if I should tell my new manager about my diagnosis. Her advice was to keep my mouth shut. One of my other coworkers has been laid off, and he's had a lot of sick time/short term disability lately. Granted, his productivity has been down - partly because of his health issues - so I'm not real sure why he was one of the ones who was laid off.
My fear is that with all the stress, my gall bladder issues, the MS, and who knows what all else, that I will end up getting sick/having a flare/abducted by aliens, and I won't be able to contribute effectively. I would like to make sure my new manager knows what she's getting into, but I don't want to risk my job.
And then there's the issue of letting my new employer know that I have MS. To make matters worse, I'm not really sure whether employer-based insurance can deny you because of a pre-existing condition. That would suck - find a new job with insurance, and they won't insure me because both me and hubby have pre-existing conditions.
Any ideas? I have enough stress already without this going on!
They just came around and laid off 45 more people from my job. I feel lucky that I'm still around, but I think my days are numbered. Sure, they need good designers, but they haven't been making smart choices lately.
So I went to one of my managers (who will be out of a job come the 20th) and asked her straight up if I should tell my new manager about my diagnosis. Her advice was to keep my mouth shut. One of my other coworkers has been laid off, and he's had a lot of sick time/short term disability lately. Granted, his productivity has been down - partly because of his health issues - so I'm not real sure why he was one of the ones who was laid off.
My fear is that with all the stress, my gall bladder issues, the MS, and who knows what all else, that I will end up getting sick/having a flare/abducted by aliens, and I won't be able to contribute effectively. I would like to make sure my new manager knows what she's getting into, but I don't want to risk my job.
And then there's the issue of letting my new employer know that I have MS. To make matters worse, I'm not really sure whether employer-based insurance can deny you because of a pre-existing condition. That would suck - find a new job with insurance, and they won't insure me because both me and hubby have pre-existing conditions.
Any ideas? I have enough stress already without this going on!
I thought about this today and I think when you're employed already and want to seek a new position elsewhere, no matter what disease it would be easier than someone who has been out of work for quite awhile then seeking a new job.
I know if I go to an interview, the employer will ask, "Why the gap between August of 2010 and now? I know I can be evasive by saying, "Had some personal things to deal with or needed the time to take care of family matters", but I would have a hard time saying that without giving myself away that I'm being evasive to begin with.
It will be hard IF and WHEN I decide I can return back to work as a RN. I don't know if I can do clinical nursing anymore and pull those 14.5 hour shifts the way I used to. (And even then I had a hard time doing 2 days a week -- took me 5 days in between to recover a 2 day weekend). I suppose I can look for other avenues, but Im not sure how upfront I should be myself as to why I was unemployed for so long.
It's definitely a sticky situation and one that I do not admire anyone to go through.
Good luck again jen!
I know if I go to an interview, the employer will ask, "Why the gap between August of 2010 and now? I know I can be evasive by saying, "Had some personal things to deal with or needed the time to take care of family matters", but I would have a hard time saying that without giving myself away that I'm being evasive to begin with.
It will be hard IF and WHEN I decide I can return back to work as a RN. I don't know if I can do clinical nursing anymore and pull those 14.5 hour shifts the way I used to. (And even then I had a hard time doing 2 days a week -- took me 5 days in between to recover a 2 day weekend). I suppose I can look for other avenues, but Im not sure how upfront I should be myself as to why I was unemployed for so long.
It's definitely a sticky situation and one that I do not admire anyone to go through.
Good luck again jen!
I can understand. It's really is a hard place for all of us to be in.
Jen, I hope if you decide to talk with your manager about it, that it all goes well for you.
Good luck!
Jen, I hope if you decide to talk with your manager about it, that it all goes well for you.
Good luck!
Hard place to be in. i have 27 yrs at the same place. i have watched and hurt when coworkers have lost their jobs. all the time it is more. we are in the red. I don't think i could get another job and keep it. I haven't let them know anything more then i have to. I use a cane so they know something. I try going without it some but then i fall. not good either.
I use annual leave for doctors appts. luckily i've been able to use annual leave when i was sick but that has changed. my supervisor isn't willing to cover it that way any more. Then again I'm in limboland still - so all I could tell them is its a neurological disorder. I work twice as hard just to keep up.
I try not to get into the my days are numbered. I do my best each day, I don't offer any info. that's just me and the place I work.
hard choice. whatever you decide good luck.
I use annual leave for doctors appts. luckily i've been able to use annual leave when i was sick but that has changed. my supervisor isn't willing to cover it that way any more. Then again I'm in limboland still - so all I could tell them is its a neurological disorder. I work twice as hard just to keep up.
I try not to get into the my days are numbered. I do my best each day, I don't offer any info. that's just me and the place I work.
hard choice. whatever you decide good luck.
I've acquired the knack to tell everything about myself to anyone and anything. (I realize this is not the greatest of traits). I'm sure along my path of employment it has bit me in the ***, but I know IF and WHEN I'm ready to go back to work, I will be informing them of any diagnosis I may have. To me, it will be up to them to decide to hire me or not. If not, then I go elsewhere. I like to be truthful about who I am and what I am, even if it is not in the best of my interests.
I think you need to do what you feel comfortable with.
@LuLu: That is great that you're in a situation such as that.
I think you need to do what you feel comfortable with.
@LuLu: That is great that you're in a situation such as that.
J - You know your situation best. I immediately told my coworker and supervisor. The precendent for people with MS working at my institution was set because the former president has MS, was dx'd in 1989 and is still at work there. If he could be open about his condition, I felt secure in disclosing mine.
Good luck with talkign with the manager.
best, L
Good luck with talkign with the manager.
best, L
Thanks, Opie! That does help.
Kelly, I'm going to have to do some more research. I work for a newspaper, and as far as I know, they're extremely compliant with ADA and all government regulations that ensure equality and non-discrimination in the workplace. This is why I was taken aback by my manager's assessment.
Personally I think I'm SPMS. Things have been amazingly stable (knock on wood!) for the last couple of years. I have to be careful not to do too much, because it'll knock me out for a day, but if I behave myself, I do all right. As long as I've got a desk job I should be okay. I do have disability - short and long - with this job. Although now I'm afraid to take it!
If I'd had to find another job right after I was diagnosed, I would have opted for disability instead. I wasn't able to function, I was barely able to track from day to day what was going on, and I was sleeping 12 hours out of every 24.
At any rate, I think I'm with Kelly - my manager deserves to know my condition, and it would be unfair to broadside her with this if things go haywire.
Kelly, I'm going to have to do some more research. I work for a newspaper, and as far as I know, they're extremely compliant with ADA and all government regulations that ensure equality and non-discrimination in the workplace. This is why I was taken aback by my manager's assessment.
Personally I think I'm SPMS. Things have been amazingly stable (knock on wood!) for the last couple of years. I have to be careful not to do too much, because it'll knock me out for a day, but if I behave myself, I do all right. As long as I've got a desk job I should be okay. I do have disability - short and long - with this job. Although now I'm afraid to take it!
If I'd had to find another job right after I was diagnosed, I would have opted for disability instead. I wasn't able to function, I was barely able to track from day to day what was going on, and I was sleeping 12 hours out of every 24.
At any rate, I think I'm with Kelly - my manager deserves to know my condition, and it would be unfair to broadside her with this if things go haywire.
Hi Jen,
From what I've seen, the ADA can cover you only up to a point. I think mostly it covers reasonable accommodations and accessibility. However, if you are unable to perform your job, then I don't think it would cover you for that. If you think that you are going to disclose that you have MS, I would definitely set-up FMLA first, so your job is somewhat protected. With this economy, I think I'd try to stick it out as long as you can at your current employer.
I was also afraid to let my company know that I have MS. We go thru a lot of phases of laying off and putting people on furlough for X amount of time. I just had FMLA set up a month or two ago. I was hoping the neuro would put on the form that I may miss work because of fatigue. Instead, they just put on there that I may be out for X amount of days if I have a flare and need IV steroid treatment. Now, if I'm out for anything related to the FMLA, I need my neuro to fill out a form that says that I'm OK to return to work. My company seems alright with everything so far. And they seem to be pretty flexible with me. ie offering for me to take naps at work if I want (which I won't) and not giving me too much new software/project stuff to learn right now. But I am afraid that now that they know, and they do layoffs, that I may be top of the list to be cut.
I don't really know what the best choice would be - to disclose or not to disclose. And that would be for your current employer or a new employer. However, if you think that you are going to miss a lot of work, I think you probably should disclose that you have MS and get the FMLA set-up.
Good luck, Kelly
From what I've seen, the ADA can cover you only up to a point. I think mostly it covers reasonable accommodations and accessibility. However, if you are unable to perform your job, then I don't think it would cover you for that. If you think that you are going to disclose that you have MS, I would definitely set-up FMLA first, so your job is somewhat protected. With this economy, I think I'd try to stick it out as long as you can at your current employer.
I was also afraid to let my company know that I have MS. We go thru a lot of phases of laying off and putting people on furlough for X amount of time. I just had FMLA set up a month or two ago. I was hoping the neuro would put on the form that I may miss work because of fatigue. Instead, they just put on there that I may be out for X amount of days if I have a flare and need IV steroid treatment. Now, if I'm out for anything related to the FMLA, I need my neuro to fill out a form that says that I'm OK to return to work. My company seems alright with everything so far. And they seem to be pretty flexible with me. ie offering for me to take naps at work if I want (which I won't) and not giving me too much new software/project stuff to learn right now. But I am afraid that now that they know, and they do layoffs, that I may be top of the list to be cut.
I don't really know what the best choice would be - to disclose or not to disclose. And that would be for your current employer or a new employer. However, if you think that you are going to miss a lot of work, I think you probably should disclose that you have MS and get the FMLA set-up.
Good luck, Kelly
It depends a lot on the employer and the industry. I work in IT for one on the largest IT companies in the world. They have very strict policies in place preventing the consideration of disabilities in Hiring, layoff and promotion decisions.
Obviously, productivity is an issue, but if you have an ADA accommodation in place, the productivity has to be viewed in light of that accommodation.
Bob
Obviously, productivity is an issue, but if you have an ADA accommodation in place, the productivity has to be viewed in light of that accommodation.
Bob
No ideas, but just wanted to throw in some hugs and positive vibes! I hope things work out for you, my friend.
Deb
Deb
I have the same fear. I work for a Federal grant funded program. We are in the last year of this grant cycle and just submitted our new grant. We haven't yet heard if we will be refunded yet. The rumor is that we will hear in the next week or two. A more depressing rumor is that they are only going to fund 40% of the submitted grants. I don't have a Master's degree so it's going to make getting a job difficult to impossible for me without relocating to another state and then there is the problem of insurance. Will I be able to get it with a pre-existing condition and what do I do in the interim while I am unemployed with no insurance.
J - You are in a bad place, but it sound like you already know that. Have you looked yet for a new job? That can be awfully stressful, too.
Perhaps for now you might want to think through some coping skills that could help in your present employment situation. Going in every day has to be a difficult feeling.
As for telling the new supervisor about your MS - I don't know that I would do that unless I wanted to also go to HR and file the papers to be covered under FMLA and protected by ADA laws. Depending on the size of your company, even that might not apply.
To be sure about all of this, how about contacting your local NMSS office and talk to one of their advisors?
good luck with this,
L
Perhaps for now you might want to think through some coping skills that could help in your present employment situation. Going in every day has to be a difficult feeling.
As for telling the new supervisor about your MS - I don't know that I would do that unless I wanted to also go to HR and file the papers to be covered under FMLA and protected by ADA laws. Depending on the size of your company, even that might not apply.
To be sure about all of this, how about contacting your local NMSS office and talk to one of their advisors?
good luck with this,
L
Employer insurance can deny coverage of a spouse for the existing condition for one year, but the employee is covered from the first day. Hope this helps!
Quite a dilemma you are in as many here went through this themselves or are about to. I would not say a word to the new manager. Not until I find out what my legal rights are as an employee after disclosing my disease. I know there's a law against discrimination of someone with a disability but I would dig out the information from a lawyer or google or ask anyone else in this forum (as you just did) and see what they know as far as that is concerned.
I don't know how you're doing it with all your issues. Really I don't. I'm afraid to go get a job for fear that I'll end up calling in sick two days later after starting, then subsequent absences just to end up being terminated due to excessive absences. The stress you must be under is insurmountable in my opinion.
I dont think employer based insurance can deny you knowing you have a preexisting condition. But again that is something I would find a lawyer and talk to them about. These are important questions you have here and decisions you must make prior to saying anything.
Good luck and I wish I had an answer for you.
Lisa
I don't know how you're doing it with all your issues. Really I don't. I'm afraid to go get a job for fear that I'll end up calling in sick two days later after starting, then subsequent absences just to end up being terminated due to excessive absences. The stress you must be under is insurmountable in my opinion.
I dont think employer based insurance can deny you knowing you have a preexisting condition. But again that is something I would find a lawyer and talk to them about. These are important questions you have here and decisions you must make prior to saying anything.
Good luck and I wish I had an answer for you.
Lisa
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