Breaking the Silence: Disclosure in the Workplace

For a large percentage of people living with chronic conditions, disclosing their condition in the workplace is attached to negative experiences and reactions. I get it, disclosing a chronic condition that others could perceive as a weakness or limitation is daunting.

But for me, disclosure was always an important piece of owning my narrative. From my first internship at the very beginning of my career to today as an entrepreneur, I have always disclosed my autoimmune diagnoses at work.

By owning my narrative and disclosing my diagnosis, I avoided having to scramble to explain why I needed a day off every six weeks for infusions. No one ever questioned how I could come to work one day and seemingly look fine, then be bedridden the next.

The key for me was framing my autoimmune diseases as a strength that set me apart from other candidates.

Your Secret Sauce

Admittedly, because I was working in healthcare communications, it was relatively easy for me to draw direct parallels to how my diagnoses would serve as a strength in the role. I often spoke of how my passion and lived experience would be an asset – allowing me to connect authentically with patient partners and be uniquely invested in the work.

This is what I like to call my “secret sauce,” and it applies to any career path, not just those working in healthcare.

People with chronic conditions develop a powerful set of traits and skills that come as a result of their health experiences. Living with chronic conditions requires a whole lot of strength and resilience, traits that many employers value in their employees.

If you’ve spent years navigating the healthcare landscape, you’ve probably honed your ability to be flexible, because let’s face it, life with chronic conditions is not linear. We expect the unexpected, and we know how to adapt.

If you’ve had to juggle scheduling appointments, remembering to take medications, and tracking symptoms, surely you have valuable organizational skills.

I challenge you to think about the traits or skills you have acquired through your experiences navigating chronic conditions. They undoubtedly can be applied in the workplace.

These skills can be a wildly valuable asset to a company, especially a growing startup or non-profit where folks are tasked with wearing a lot of hats.

In an interview, frame this as your secret sauce. Disclose your diagnosis, talk about how you learned to adapt from it, and then if you have an example, share how that has served you in previous places of work.??

You just flipped the script. You owned the narrative. Your lived experience is an asset to the company.

Our World is Evolving

I would be remiss if I didn't note that the long overdue push for diversity, equity, and inclusion is moving full steam ahead across industries, and more conversations are transgressing on why hiring people with disabilities is good for business. We still have a long way to go, but this is a promising start in changing the narrative of disability in the workplace and allowing us to confidently own our stories. Remember that without disclosure, there can’t be appropriate accommodations.

To Each Their Own

This is the way I have chosen to handle disclosure in the workplace. It’s not for everyone. To each their own! But for those who are questioning how you can disclose in the workplace while framing your condition as a value-add…I hope this helps.