Decision-Support for Communicating about Invisible Disabilities that are Episodic (DCIDE ) is a free tool that aims to help workers consider whether or not to share some personal health information with others at work.
People living with episodic health conditions often grapple with the complex decision of whether or not to tell their employer about their disability. For most people, it means thinking about not just their health and any difficulties they may be having at work, but also their goals, their personal preferences—and what their workplace is like when it comes to supporting workers with personal needs.
There isn't one right answer, and only the person living with a chronic health condition can make the choice that is best for them.
The DCIDE tool has been designed to help you consider some of the key issues for you in making this decision by asking you to respond to questions in five different areas that are often important when deciding whether to share some personal health information with others at work.
- Your needs: Why are you thinking about whether to share some personal health information at work? What is happening now that is making you think about sharing?
- Your goals: What goals are important to you when working with a health condition? Do you feel that sharing personal information with others would help you meet your goals?
- Your communication preferences: How comfortable are you sharing information about your health with others? What benefits or downsides do you think might result from your sharing?
- Your work supports: Does your workplace have benefits, sick days or other policies that can provide support to you?
- Your work culture: How supportive are others in your workplace? Are there benefits or downsides to sharing personal information with others at work?
DCIDE summarizes your responses to the questions and provides you with tailored advice to help you think about whether or not to disclose.