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Do I tell?

Nausicaa

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I will be put on insulin in 2 weeks (as well as my tablets) do I tell my employers? Obviously they already know I'm a diabetic but is there any benefit to them knowing? I know I will need to tell the first aiders on my floor (just in case) but they are employed by a different company - we office share with our clients. All confused with this new status!!
 
It would be in your best interests to let everyone know.

I hope insulin therapy allows you to get better control of your diabetes
 
IJP66 said:
It's worth telling as if you need help say with a hypo. people maybe able to know which help you need quicker if for instance the first aiders are unavailable.
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I agree with IJP66, I informed my employers when I started on insulin and first aiders on my floor (sent them the web link to this website page 'on treating hypos').

Many people don't because they feel it could harm their promotion prospects but if something happened and you hurt yourself or others, there could be health and safety and insurance implications.

P.S. Don't forget to inform DVLA if you drive, serious implications if you don't.
 
It is better to tell your employer that you are diabetic. You need support from your team, if they don't know -they can't help. Don't put yourself in danger.
 
How can you expect your boss to provide duty of care when they are not in the knowledge of the full facts.
Not sure if their liability insurance is valid when not disclosed?
 
The more people that know, the better....
 
Not sure why you would not tell them. In the early days controlling your diabetes might be tricky and having your colleagues aware will help you and then if you do have a severe hypo. Good luck with it.
 
I've never told my employers I'm a Type 1 - have informed some co-workers however, because I got tired of giving my shots and testing in the washroom. For me personally - I was concerned about being discriminated against. Now that I'm in my mid 50s it doesn't seem to matter as much but it was a concern for me when I was younger.
I suppose you will have to weigh your employers intelligence fairness and compassion - and based on that come to a decision. Good luck!
 
I discreetly revealed it to my manager after he was being nosy and asked why I never eat pizza every time that's ordered for a group lunch. He was completely understanding. Now he always asks if I'd like something different when they're ordering pizza, pasta, or similar "difficult to manage" foods which is very nice of him. Also one day I was late and missed a meeting because I had a bad hypo on my way to work, and I was able to comfortably explain this to him. So yes, I think it helps to tell and I felt much better after my manager was informed. Just be discreet and professional about it.

Any decent work place should have no problem knowing and if they do you probably don't want to work there.
 
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I love this post, your Manager asking why you don't eat pizza as if that in itself was rather odd! Diabetic or not I don't join in these work pizza fests and I don't need an excuse (albeit I have a good one)!
 
You could tell HR so they can put it on record if any emergencies should occur but I don’t see a need to tell anyone else.
 
poots said:
You could tell HR so they can put it on record if any emergencies should occur but I don’t see a need to tell anyone else.
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I've agreed because line managers don't stand up to confidentiality. Let HR impose it. Their job.
 
If your body cannot handle lows well I would tell some others around you. This way they can tell first responders if you are unconscious. If you get confused or start acting strangely they can get suggest some juice or check your BG level.

Beyond that I don't see another reason to tell unless you feel like sharing. It's not something you should feel ashamed of. I find many people ask follow up questions after this with some odd notions or myths that we can explore and educate.
 
It depends on your job, and your conscience.
If you're sitting in a chair all day, it's only going to affect you.
I know some lads on the wagons that are, they are still good to drive, but that could be a mess if it goes wrong side up.
 
I agree with the majority view on here: let your employer know. It shouldn't be a problem for them and it may well be that they will want to sit down with you and work out if there are any adjustments that need to be made to your working routine to accommodate your condition (such as providing facilities for testing and suchlike, or flexibility in working routines if you have Hypos). Most employers want to help, in my view, and won't be fazed by it. I worked in HR for many years and employed quite a few people who were T1 or insulin-dependent T2 so I guess your employer will have had similar experiences, and will know that, normally, there are few, if any, problems.

Just one note of caution: from a discrimination point of view, Diabetes is usually regarded as a disability, particularly if you are insulin dependent. This gives you protection against discrimination but bear in mind that it is not a "get out of jail free" card. Discrimination only exists when you are treated differently because of a disability (or because of race, sex, sexual orientation, etc.). So, for example, if your attendance at work is erratic because you are off sick frequently, and your employer takes action against you, they will only be discriminating if they act unreasonably and/or treat you differently to anybody else with an erratic attendance record. Not everyone realises this.
 

I've always wondered about this as i am shortlisted for a interview in a local pet store. (Still need to call them back to arrange a time) but when i go. Should i mention in the interview that i'm T1D?

ps or if i was low and ended up being late because of this? couldn't this make me not successful in the interview. If i turned up late.

If diabeties is a diassbility is it regarded under the Dissability act?
there's always something that makes me think that people will confuse type 1 with type 2 (Like back at school and college people did when it's different)
 
It's very much a personal choice. I would tell them about your diabetes, because if you don't tell them, and they subsequently find out (which they almost certainly will), they may think you've been dishonest. That's the last thing you want when you're working in a shop and - presumably - handling money. Similarly, if you have a hypo and you're going to be late for the interview, I'd let them know about it and explain why. That's far less likely to prejudice them against you than if you turn up late without any explanation.

When you go for interview, I'd just say to them that you need to explain that you have Type 1 Diabetes, that generally speaking it doesn't prevent you doing anything, but that you need to check your bloods from time to time and sometimes inject insulin (or are you on a pump?) for which you'll need a bit of privacy, but that in general it doesn't prevent you from leading a perfectly normal life. Maybe also explain that you may occasionally have a hypo, explain what happens and what they might need to do, offer to talk it through with their first aider (who will have been trained about it anyway), etc. I would say that the more you make it clear that you have thought it through, and tried to inform them about what they need to know, the more likely they are to be impressed by you. It's also clear from some of your previous posts that you love animals, and that's got to be important as well, I'd say

Before all this, you need to ring them up and arrange the interview, so get on and do that Good luck.
 
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