Working and Lupus

I’ve been working at my current place of employment since 2003 and have worked in the same position for that period of time as well. After having gone to school for Human Resources (I have a few courses left that need to be fulfilled before I can graduate), I’m pretty eager to get a position within my company in HR.

If I do that, that will mean a few things for me. In all of my years of working for this company, I do not ever recall seeing a position posted in HR that was a part time position. I wonder if my body is ready (or even able) to work a full time position. I do, however, have hardly any problems sitting at my computer for hours at a time…but then again, I’m usually (almost always) on my bed and in a very relaxed position. I don’t think most places of employment have workstations or desks as comfortable as my bed, nor do I think they allow time for naps. Hehe.

At the same time, I’ve managed to work part time (20 hrs per week) while taking 6 courses(1 course = 3 hrs of class)…and managed to be very successful in all of my classes. I don’t imagine working full time being much different…except for the fact that I won’t have any homework (well, except for the homework that I’ll have for the classes that I am yet to finish…and that’s it!)…and I’ll have weekends off!

But, before we even get into all of that…there is a very important matter to be considered. Even though I already work for the organization that I want to do HR in, I would obviously still need to be interviewed for the position. I would imagine (and hope) for privacy reasons, if I did get an interview and the HR rep spoke to my manager for references purposes, my manager would not disclose any of my health issues that she has become privy to over the past few years to the other manager. But assuming my manager does not disclose any information, how does one deal with whether or not to disclose the details of their chronic illness to whoever is interviewing them for the new job?

Well, I know here (Canada), legally, a manager cannot ask you any questions pertaining to your health during the interview process. The person with the chronic illness has no obligation to volunteer such information either…unless, of course, a certain degree of health is required as a bona fide occupational requirement However, eventually, it might be necessary to disclose such info. For me, I wonder if it would be a good idea to disclose such information prior to a job offer…perhaps, say, at a second or third interview. I think it might be wise to at least inform your new employer when a job offer has been given and papers are now being signed. This doesn’t mean that you have to get all specific with them and provide them with your medical history, but you should advise them of any particular accommodations you might need and how the employer can support you during your employment.

I’m still a little nervous about the whole issue. I just don’t want anything (like my health) to upset my chances of getting a position that I really want/like, nor do I want anything (like my health) to interfere with my career, period.

I wonder how other people deal with chronic illnesses and job interview/new jobs..