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Boss disclosed personal medical info. to co-workers

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petersnessa

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? I live in California...
I was out of work on disability due to acute anxiety and depression. The day that I left work because I was having a horrible anxiety attack, I was too embarassed to tell my boss, so I told her I had a bladder infection just so that I could go home. The next day I returned to work to deliver my doctors note stating that I would be off of work for 2 weeks. My boss was horribly upset and worried about me and she even cried to me that I was such a valuable asset to her team, and she would be OK with losing anyone else in the department. Just not me. She showed me my review that she had been working on which stated all of the same feelings she had about me as an employee, and she also gave me a 5% increase, which is 2% above what was allowed. I assured her that I wasn't planning on leaving, but that I was just depressed and unable to sleep or eat and that I just needed to begin taking medication. She was still, at this point, under the impression that I had the "bladder infection". One of my co-workers decided to send out an email later that day to everyone to let them know that I was sick and would be out for the rest of the week and that if anyone wanted to pitch in to send me flowers to let her know. That was the extent of the email. When my boss saw this email, she yelled at my friend saying that she should n't have done that becuase "maybe she doesn't want everyone to knwo that she's sick and now everyone is starting to ask questions". So my bosses answer to that, was to send an email around to most people in the company letting them know that I had a bladder infection and had to take very strong medication that was making me tired and depressed, so my doctor wanted me to take time off from work to get back on track. She ended the email by telling everyone that I am a single mother of 3 children and that it's not easy. She did it with good intentions, but now people are starting to treat me differently. Her included. She changed my review and told me that I was making mistakes and that she needed to see improvement within a month. She has been taking work away from me because she thinks I can't handle it. Alot of my friends at work are no longer talking to me and if they do, they treat me as though I am "fragile" and they have to be gentle with me. I really feel as though this has hurt my outstanding reputation at this company and also hurt any potential I may have had for advancement, since this email was sent to VP's in the company and in our parent company, and even to the secretary of our CEO.
I just went back out on disability about 2 days ago, this time for a month. I am scared to death that they will try to fire me when I come back from my medical leave. From a legal standpoint, is there anything I can do about the fact that she disclosed all of this personal info. via email to my co-workers?
 


Beth3

Senior Member
From a legal standpoint, is there anything I can do about the fact that she disclosed all of this personal info. via email to my co-workers? No. Nothing that your supervisor put in her email falls into the category of protected information.
 

petersnessa

Junior Member
So then am I to understand that an employer has the right to tell anyone in the company the exact nature of another employee's illness? That just doesn't seem right!
 

Beth3

Senior Member
Yes, that is correct. If an employee tells me she has Herpes, I'm free to announce it over the PA if I wish to. The plain fact though is that the overwhelming majority of employers would do no such thing. Most employers treat personal and medical information an employee shares with them very confidentiality. The law doesn't require that but good sense and common courtesy dictates that an employer do so.

In this situation, the supervisor was simply misguided. Nothing was shared with any intent to harm you. It was unfortunate but not illegal. Given your present medical status, it's also possible you are overly sensitive to the situation and misinterpreting how others are acting.
 

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