Managing Personal Information

What kind of information do you want to share with your employer?

The purpose of this form is to help you and your ES decide if, and how much of your personal information will be discussed with employers. This may include information about yourmedical or mental health history. In some cases, members have decided to discuss legal issues with employers as well. How much of, or whether any of this information is related to a future or current employer is entirely up to you. In some cases, people merely state that they have come to Thresholds to receive help with improving theirmental health,to reclaim their life, and to become part of their communities again.

What are some of the pros and cons about letting employers know that you receive Thresholds services?

Advantages:

  1. Employment Specialists (ES) can advocate for you and help you job hunt by going to employers and talking about why they should hire you.
  1. ES can come to the job site and talk to the employer once you are hired if you are having a problem and need support.
  1. You may be able to receive some accommodations for your mental or physical health issues. Your ES can help you figure out what these may be. You cannot get accommodations if you do not tell an employer that you have a disability.

Accommodations are not just for people with physical disabilities, you can also get them if you need certain allowances to perform the functions of the job. For instance, if you need occasional time off to see a doctor or a therapist, or if you need to move your desk to a quieter place because you have some trouble with concentration, you can ask for allowances to be made.

Some common accommodations are,

  1. Flexible scheduling or part time work.
  2. Your ES being involved with helping you retain your job.
  3. ES comes to the job site for support.
  1. People sometimes feel like they are carrying around a big secret when they do not tell employers and/or coworkers about their illness or disability. This can impact their work experience in a negative way.
  1. People report feeling that their supervisor is much more supportive when they tell them about their illness or disability. People also say that they may get more support from co-workers.

Can you think of any other advantages for you? List them here,

______

Disadvantages:

  1. People sometimes report that after they identify as someone diagnosed with a mental illness, they feel that they can’t have a “bad hair” day. People have reported feeling that coworkers will attribute a bad mood to the illness, rather than the average responses to everyday stressors that many people experience.
  1. People can feel that they are not taken seriously for promotions.
  1. People report they sometimes feel that they are under more observation than their co-workers.

Can you think of disadvantages that concern you? List them here,

______

What happens if you do not want to let employers know about your connection to Thresholds?

If you decide not to let your ES tell employers about your involvement with Thresholds, that’s fine and we will still help you look for a job. Your ES will bring the idea of disclosing information up again in a few months if you are having trouble finding work.

What your ES can do for you if you do not disclose your involvement with Thresholds,

  1. Help you narrow down your job search to jobs that really seem to fit your preference.
  1. Help you find job openings in the paper and on-line.
  1. Suggest companies to approach about work.
  1. Go with you to places to fill out applications for interviews. ES can also wait outside and help you rehearse what to say when you go in, and talk to you about how it went when you come out.
  1. Meet you before or after work, or at lunch off-site to give you some support in keeping your job.

When should I tell an employer about personal information?

If an ES is working with you and advocates for you with a potential employer, discussionof your illness will happen at that point. The ES may speak with the human resource department and your direct supervisor. You need to let the ES know if want your personal information to be known only to your supervisors and the employer’s human resources department, or if it will be shared with co-workers.

If you are willing to discuss personal information and are making the contact yourself, this can be a way to cover gaps in your work history. If there are many years where you have not worked, you can bring up in an interview the fact that you have had certain problems. Again, your ES can work with you on how to present that information in a professional manner.

If you do not discuss certain issues when you first get a job, you may decide it will benefit you later in your work experience. If you find that you are having problems on the job related to your personal factors, the ES can advocate for accommodations to be made. Even if you do not want the ES to come in for this meeting, you can discuss any issues, and ask for accommodations on your own. Your ES can work in the background with you to explore potential accommodations that would be beneficial.

List reasons for choosing a particular time to disclose:

1.______

2.______

3.______

To whom do I disclose?

If the ES has opened the way for you at a particular company, the ES will let you know who knows about your illness. At that point, it is up to you who you should discuss your information with at work. Like many situations, it might be better to wait until you are comfortable with people to disclose any personal information.

If the ES has not opened the way for you, it is up to you to decide to whom you may want to discuss personal information to. As mentioned above, it is necessary to notify a supervisor of a disability if you are having difficulties with the job, and whether you need some accommodations to be successful.

List the people you would like to disclose to,

1.______

2.______

3.______

What will I disclose?

As you are getting to know people, it is important to make sure that you trust them with any of your personal information and that you will not regret what you say. As mentioned above, the ES will say to a prospective employer that you are a client at Thresholds and have had some mental health issues with which you are getting help. Often that is enough to say when you are first getting to know people.

Write a few phrases telling an employer or co-worker about your mental illness,

______

Where will I disclose?

If you want to have a talk with a supervisor for the first time, it is important to talk to them when they are not busy and have time to listen. It would be good to ask if you could talk to them privately and in a quiet place.

If you decide that you want to tell a co-worker with whom you feel comfortable, make sure that you have time to talk and answer some questions they may have. A noisy cafeteria with many people around may not be the best place to have that conversation!

List a few locations before, during or after work that you could disclose to someone,

1.______

2.______

3.______

Would I like someone there for support when I have this conversation?

If you decide that you want to have a discussion about personal information with a supervisor after you have been hired, and need some advocacy about accommodations or just some added help with your employer, talk to your ES about your decision. They can help you plan and rehearse what you want to say, and can ever be present for the conversation with the employer.

For now, what is your preference about approaching employers?

____I don’t want my employment specialist to talk to employers.

____I am not sure right now and I would like some more time to think about this

and receive some more information.

____I don’t want my employment specialist to share information about me with

employers. However, if my employment specialist is talking to an employer who has

the type of jobs that I like and s/he hears about a good job lead, I’d like to hear about

that. Maybe I’ll decide to disclose for that employer.

____It’s fine with me if my employment specialist talks to employers on my behalf.

______

Client Date

______

Employment SpecialistDate

White- Master File- L2Yellow- Employment File

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