Disability and Non-Dislosure of Duties

[Kat2Wolf]

I am from Wisconsin. I was unemployed for 8 months and finally found a job with a national finance company. Before I was hired, I was never informed that I would be required to travel. Had I been informed, I would have not accepted the job because I suffer from Fibromyalgia. I would have been able to finish collecting my remaining unemployment checks and continue my job search. A couple of weeks into the job I learned I would have to make a trip 3 hours away (fortunately, that meeting was rescheduled to be held in the city I work in). I didn't know what I was going to do. Then, a couple of weeks after that, my boss told me to clear my calendar because I have to go to Chicago March 30-31. I am very upset because I was not told of this requirement. I received a note from my doctor stating that I should not drive for more than 30 mins. outside of my city due to illness.....please accommodate. I have not given this note to my boss yet, because I don't believe I will be accommodated because the trip is required and has to do with policy and compliance. I cannot believe the position this company has put me in. I am a single mom and have no other support so I cannot quit and when the March trip comes up....I know I will be fired and I won't have enough work hours in for a new benefit year for unemployment. Not all disabilities can be "seen." I can't believe they wouldn't mention the travel requirements to a potential employee because that would be an issue with many people...not to mention someone with an illness or disability. On my application I stated I wouldn't be willing to transfer to other locations if the job required it. I stated that I would consider it depending on the location and timing. You would think my boss would have mentioned something about travel after my remarks on the application. On my application I stated that there wouldn't be any reason I couldn't perform my duties because I wasn't told about the traveling. I am able to do all of the things I was told that was involved with the job. I knew I would have to drive to the bank to deliver deposits, but that is local. Do I have any recourse if I get fired due to my illness? It's not my fault they didn't disclose that I would have to travel to Chicago and these other periodic meetings.
Cathy

 

[Beth3]

You need to tell your boss about your condition and restrictions. If you wait until the day of the trip and refuse to go, I expect you can almost certainly expect to be fired - whether for refusing or not informing them in advance that you would be unable to go.

Yes, good hiring practices dictate that an employee should be informed of all the requirements of a job. Why they failed to do so, I don't know. Perhaps it was just an oversight. But you have a responsibility to yourself and to your employer to tell them about the situation now. It will allow them an opportunity to see if there is a solution or accommodation that can be made. Perhaps teleconferencing is an option or someone else can make these trips. I can't predict what they will do when you tell them but I can tell them if you wait until the last minute and then tell them, they are going to be VERY unhappy. The only choice you have to make is whether to tell them now or tell them later. Either way, you're going to have to tell them.