Workplace Rights
From a privacy point of view you are under no obligation to tell your employer that you have a mental illness and if you do this, information must remain confidential and cannot be used to discriminate against you.
However, from an occupational health and safety perspective, if the symptoms of your illness and/or any associated medication you are taking have the potential to put yourself or others at risk in the workplace, you are legally obliged to tell your employer about your illness.
It can make good sense to tell your employer that you have a mental illness as they are obliged under the law to make reasonable adjustments to the workplace to accommodate your illness. ‘Reasonable adjustments’ are explained more fully on the Job Access website.
You may also like to read the Australian Human Rights Commission publication 2010 Workers with Mental Illness: A Practical Guide for Managers. This fact sheet can be found on the Fact Sheets section on the right of this page.
For more information on how to deal with privacy in the workplace and your rights refer to the beyondblue’s factsheet > Do you have to tell your employer you have depression? This factsheet outlines legal obligations and provides tips on how you can tell your employer about your illness.
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