The Forums › Forums › The Workplace › Who to Tell? › I "came out" to my employer › Re: I “came out” to my employer
Hi, Stargoop!
It sound to me that boundaries have to bet set regarding what is appropriate and not appropriate to say in your workplace about your ADD. This all should have been confidential, so for a management team to freely discuss your disability, especially when you ‘re not here to defend yourself is unethical to say the least.
In addition to all of the above, there are relevant provincial/state labour laws or human rights codes that usually have specific language about harassment and bullying.
The bullying aspect is now becoming more and more of an issue in the workplace and many jurisdictions are enacting anti-bulling legislation. And it seems that there is a lot more of this happening because many employees don’t have unions now, so companies can basically stomp on your rights any time they want, in my opinion. Now before this gets into a “unions protect lazy workers, promote mediocracy and aren’t needed anymore” debate, they are usually more aware of human rights and are in a better position to protect your rights. I can say this because I have been on both sides of the fence and my life was generally better when a union member. If you are a member, let them fight that battle for you.
And as everyone has indicated here….do not trust your HR department. They are not your friend and are really the “blunt object of corporate policy”. Avoid them.
Another option might be contacting a labour lawyer just to get a reading on what can be done in your case. Sometimes just a letter from a lawyer to your HR department can prevent further bullying by your superiors.
The tape recording works, too. In my case I asked my supervisor during a “performance improvement plan” if I can tape the meeting “because having ADD means I have poor short term memory and can’t always remember what we said”, well, he went pale. Because he knew he had crossed the line several times.
The last thing you may consider should you decide to go the HR route, is to avoid the low-level flunkies and go right up the chain of command to the manager, director an present your concerns directly to him/her. The flunkies will do the least amount to address your issues hoping you’ll go away. Sometimes the HR head have a little more knowledge of the impact of bulling and harassment in the workplace and be in a better position to help you. Hopefully.
Hope this helps…and good luck.
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