Should you tell your boss about your anxiety?

Whispera, MSN, RN · Feb 5, 2009

"Everyone" has anxiety at times. "Everyone" has home stress. I don't think a boss needs to know as long as you are able to do your job. If you would tell your boss, it might lead the boss to think you might not be able to work correctly.

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Feb 5, 2009

sometimes the less work knows about you the better.

diane227, LPN, RN · Feb 5, 2009

Where does this anxiety occur? Is it simply work related or is it a chronic problem? Do you take medication to control your anxiety?

You really have to be careful about this. If you are simply having work related anxiety, you should discuss it with her. However, if you have a private anxiety disorder and it is not affecting how you do your job, I would keep it to myself.

iluvivt, BSN, RN · Feb 5, 2009

NO and a BIG NO. You need to deal with this privately. You can also seek the help of an EAP program. Most hospitals have employee assistance programs and you can confidentially discuss ANY problem you are having at work or at home. Once your boss knows something about you like this it may reflect on your opportunities and evaluations. Not every manager can remain impartial...some do judge you..and will remember this. You would think that nurses would have some empathy and compassion....Not all do!!!!

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Feb 5, 2009

I was very fortunate. My first boss was..........a grinch a lot of times, but very personalble and reasonable when you needed it.

I talked about OT in another post once and shared how I did TOO MUCH OT my first year in nursing. It was bringing me down. I gained weight, was short with family and started smoking again (and I have a thread going about how I recently quit). One day my boss called me in to ask if I could cover a midnight shift on my day off. It would have thrown my entire schedule the rest of the week into chaos.

I told her I wasnt doing so well at home and that I thought I was doing too much OT. She did not think I "looked weak". In fact, she went into a damage control mode. Didnt bother me about that midnight shift. Refered me to the employee help line that was designed to reduce stress.

Intellegent DONs realize, a stressed nurse will call off, not perform as well and perhaps breed ill feelings on the unit. I was not calling of, but my documentation had suffered. She didnt want another chronic calling off nurse to deal with. So she backed off the OT requests, prioritised them. I did much less OT the second year, but had a better review that year.

RNperdiem, RN · Feb 5, 2009

Dealing with the anxiety is your mission.

If for some reason the anxiety comes up before the manager you can say that yes you do have anxiety and here are the things you are doing to remedy the situation.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Feb 5, 2009

Are you suffering from anxiety attacks? Or are you anxious about work? And, are you a new nurse? I have occasional anxiety attacks and have taken medication for it. Only a select few are aware, and none of them are my superiors. As mentioned, negative repercussions can ensue if mentioned. If this is work related, like being overwhelmed, or new to the position, I would carefully share it, in hopes to gain support and guidance.

Mr Ian · Feb 5, 2009

Hi kambra

The decision to disclose really remains yours but that decision should be based on weighing up the issues.

1. Does your anxiety effect your work in ANY way? - eg making you late, distracting you at work, causing you to be over-anxious in your duties, etc

2. If you are having any medication, does it have any side effects that could impair your function? - eg sedation, vision problems, balance

3. Is your condition medically diagnosed? - at any time past or present

4. If you do not disclose a medically diagnosed condition that later causes you to be off work - you will not get worker's comp. if they find out it was a pre-existing condition. They can do this by reviewing any medical records (as allowed under HIPAA) if you claim.

5. Does your employer have a good Employee Assistance Program or Occupational Health service you can refer to?

6. If not already, is your condition ever likely to impact on your work?

7. Are there any company policies that state you should disclose and what the company will do about it when/if you do?

I'd like to state that your employer will be fully supportive of you if you did disclose etc etc - but as we know, they ain't always so.

In principle, you should disclose - but in principle your employer should also be supportive.

llg, PhD, RN · Feb 5, 2009

I'd read Mr. Ian's post 2 or 3 times before deciding.

Then ... if I had to disclose because it effected my work in some way, I would disclose only what I HAD to disclose and leave out the gory details. Try to maintain the appearance of being competent and capable of doing your job and being a valuable employee. If you need a little assistance from work (ie. some schedule considerations), emphasize that you will probably need them only a temporary basis until things get resolved. Offer to "make up for" any inconvenience to your coworkers if you are able to do so. etc.

You want to have an image of being a good employee -- even though you might be an employee who has a few special needs at the moment.

I'd also be very hesitant to disclose much about any problems that were due to work -- as in, "I am having anxiety because I don't think I can handle this job." Such a statement raises doubts about your ability to do your job and could remain a part of the leadership team's impression of you for a long, long time. You don't want to bring that kind of attention on yourself if you can avoid it. The "compassion" you receive in response to a confession such as that is tied to their desire to help you "out of their unit" in a graceful way if you show any signs that you actually can't handle the job.