Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion Careers, Jobs & Spondylitis tell HR or don't tell HR?

I've had trouble getting into work on time and mentioned the trouble I have sleeping due to AS.

My boss said he needed a doctor's note on file with HR for that to count.

Is it better to go on record with HR as having this disease and gain...what exactly? Or is it better to just get negative performance appraisals?

Thoughts?

Employers are required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other legislation designed to protect people with disabilities. This includes providing reasonable job accommodations to people with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations can include an adjusted job schedule. There are many other accommodations that can be provided, depending on the nature and severity of the disability.

So the advantage of informing your employer is that you would be able to take advantage of the ADA provisions.

The disadvantage is that if you have an unscrupulous employer, they could hold your condition against you and you would have to fight for your rights.

Here's some information:

https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/disability (also check the subtopic links on the right)

http://askjan.org/

Thanks for the response.

I'll have to look up what's considered "reasonable" for ankylosing spondylitis.

curious what you decided to do and how it turned out. Perhaps I'm in a pessimistic mood, but I would guess that for this supervisor it wouldn't matter if they were told and it wouldn't work out in the long run. People either 'get it' that people are human or they don't.

I never did look up what's considered "reasonable" for AS.

I'll probably just try harder to get to sleep early and get to work on time. I moved closer to work so I'm only 10 minutes away now, which makes things a lot easier. (Do commutes kill anyone else? Not sure how tired a normal person is after a commute, but I'm sapped of energy.)

Considering the amorphous benefits of consulting HR, I don't see what there is to gain. I'm kind of cynical about HR, so the less interaction I have with them, the better, I think.