Hi Samaa,

Thanks for writing to us and congratulations on landing the job! It sounds like a good fit and is great that much of the work is remote and works with your treatment schedule. I have sent your question over to our coaches who will be in touch soon.

In terms of disclosing your health information to your boss, this is a personal choice. Legally you don't have to share your diagnosis but in order to be protected by the ADA you may need to provide some information about your health though not necessarily an exact diagnosis. For more information on this, I recommend reading the Sharing the News section of the website: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/Sharing-the-News/should-you-tell 

I hope that this is helpful, please let us know if you have further questions.

Best,

Sarah, Manager of Programs, Cancer and Careers

Hi Samaa,

I echo Sarah's congratulations on your new job! I am so glad that you are able to work primarily from the comfort of your home. I am wondering how long your treatment will continue and if the inpatient chemo takes you away from your job for five days at a time, it seems that it would make sense to tell your boss about your treatment. 

Unless your work involves delivering results without extensive communication with your manager? If you are operating very independently and can stay on top of your email with your manager while you are in the hospital, then perhaps you don't need to tell him or her anything for now. 

Because you chose not to disclose your diagnosis and treatment while you were interviewing for the job, this tells me that your preference is to keep it this way. At the end of the day, you are accountable for delivering specific results for your employer and also fitting into their culture and the way they do things. If you can handle your treatment schedule and do these things, then by all means keep your situation to yourself. 

Good luck! 

Julie