Talking to your employer

How can I tell my employer that I’m ill? What should I say?

Deciding to tell your employer that you have a mental illness usually requires preparation. Depending on the organization, you may want to talk to someone in the employee health centre, a job coach or therapist ahead of time to plan what you will say. Because people generally do not talk about their mental illness, and there are many stereotypes in society about people who have a mental illness, it can be hard to take the first step. However, since mental illness affects so many people, you might be surprised to find that once you talk about your own mental illness your employer or supervisor tells you about someone they know with a mental illness.

• Preparing to talk about your problem, step-by-step
• Example: what you might say

Preparing to talk about your problem, step-by-step

1. Decide how you will describe your mental health problem or mental illness. The decision about how specific you want or need to be is yours. If you feel it is in your best interest to say more about your mental illness, do so; otherwise, you can speak in general terms. Here are some examples of language you may choose to use: