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Something I’m curious about is how folks handle depression and its impacts with their employers/bosses. For context I am generally a high performer who is now o

Something I’m curious about is how folks handle depression and its impacts with their employers/bosses. For context I am generally a high performer who is now on my second bout of below standard performance since the pandemic. A few thoughts I have: * I am getting help (again), it didn’t feel like the last therapist I had understood or empathized how this was affecting my work performance so trying elsewhere * I believe the job itself is both a cause and effect. I’m reevaluating what I want out of a job in terms of fulfillment. I also moved from a technical to more people facing role, good during good times but not good during down times. Finally I’ve come to terms with the job itself may not be a good fit for me, but finding a new one is especially exhausting when dealing with depression/anxiety * I’m not choosing to mention any of this to my manager - my below standard appears to be around average or at least acceptable for my position based on feedback/reviews, the biggest consequences are lack of new opportunities and slow erosion of trust over past couple of months It doesn’t seem like there’s a playbook on this so would love to hear others’ thoughts.

joshgrib 5y ago
Can't give any great advice here, but my intuition is that it's going to depend a lot on the company. I have friends that have worked retail jobs where they aren't going to care at all and will probably use it as an excuse to fire you. I work at a company where a coworker was fired and afterwards told some of us that they were dealing with mental health stuff causing it, and I think my company would have been more helpful if they brought it up earlier by perhaps helping to find a therapist through the insurance or changing their roles for a while. For example if the frustrating part of coding is tough to get into, maybe switch to building out documentation so you have something you can see tangible progress on daily/hourly, and would still let them add the same amount of value if not more.
InfiniteRand 5y ago
The big rule on this is that you should not out-and-out lie about your condition, but that doesn't mean you need to explain things. Like I've taken days off and explained to my boss that I have a personal medical condition that needs taking care of. This is usually fine for an occasional absence or down day. For complex situations where your boss may want to know what's going on so that he can plan critical activities, there's not a simple answer.

joshgrib 5y ago

Can't give any great advice here, but my intuition is that it's going to depend a lot on the company. I have friends that have worked retail jobs where they aren't going to care at all and will probably use it as an excuse to fire you. I work at a company where a coworker was fired and afterwards told some of us that they were dealing with mental health stuff causing it, and I think my company would have been more helpful if they brought it up earlier by perhaps helping to find a therapist through the insurance or changing their roles for a while. For example if the frustrating part of coding is tough to get into, maybe switch to building out documentation so you have something you can see tangible progress on daily/hourly, and would still let them add the same amount of value if not more.

InfiniteRand 5y ago

The big rule on this is that you should not out-and-out lie about your condition, but that doesn't mean you need to explain things. Like I've taken days off and explained to my boss that I have a personal medical condition that needs taking care of. This is usually fine for an occasional absence or down day. For complex situations where your boss may want to know what's going on so that he can plan critical activities, there's not a simple answer.