Pre-employment health assessment questionnaire

slummymummy
slummymummy Member Posts: 69
Hi,

My contract finishes in August and I've been looking for jobs to apply for. I've got a telephone interview on Friday. On their website, the company say that they do Pre-employment assessment questionnaires. They say it prevents the company employing people who won't be up to the job. I had a look at these and they ask for every detail about your health. I'm worried that if I tell them the truth about my arthur, they'll turn me down.

Has anyone else had to fill in one of these? Should I refuse to do it? Isn't this close to disability discrimination?

By the way, I sent the company a CV which mentioned my arthur, and didn't hear anything for 8 weeks. When I sent a new CV, without mentioning arthur, I got invited for interview within 2 days!!!

Thanks for listening.

Comments

  • dorcas
    dorcas Member Posts: 3,516
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi slummymummy! nice to meet you :D

    Yes I did have to fill in a pre employment health questionnaire too.

    Your employer does have the right to send you out a health questionnaire and in fact would say that they are doing this as part of their pre-employment H&S procedures and is therefore justified.

    The questionnaire is sent to you but to be returned separately to OH and NOT the employer...so that they cannot discriminate against you during the interview selection process (or be accused of disability discrimination). Is that what you've been asked to do?

    What then happens (but usually only after a successful interview) is that if the health questionnaire flags up disability issues their OH department will assess your fitness for the post and what aids you need to help you in the job.

    Sorry. :oops: but to be honest, it's really better that they know you have a disability otherwise you could be asked to do tasks that are physically too demanding or make arther worse.

    Hope it all works out for you.

    Iris x
  • cthornley
    cthornley Member Posts: 627
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Its a toughie it depends on the company, some have more integrity than others
    If as Iris rightly says it is done properly and it cannot influence the decision making process then that is fine but I'm afraid that not all company's do this even though it is illegal to discriminate on these grounds.
    Whatever you do don't lie....in the end this will be more trouble than its worth. Just bite the bullet fill out the form, you don't need to elaborate more than you want but if there is an opportunity to put forward your abilities do this and focus on this.
    If you don't get a job because of this you have to ask yourself do you want to work for a company that discriminates.
    I had to do this once when I applied to what I though was my dream job and after being given the job , i was promptly reassessed when I mentioned that I had RA. At the time i was devastated, then angry and now reflective. I'm glad that i never ended up working for a company which had this attitude. Now I have a very supportive and understanding employer and I'm glad i came here as its a wonderful place to work and makes a difficult job manageable.
    Chrissie
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Always tell the truth on this one. It will no doubt result in fewer interviews etc, but, when you do get one, at least you know that the company is aware of your condition and the fact that they want to see you would hint that they are prepared to work with it which is much better for you! Good luck with it all. Dreamdaisy
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • oneday
    oneday Member Posts: 1,434
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    if you dont put it down and they find out it suggests your dishonest and they could use as an excuse to get rid of you. if you do put it they will have to make reasonable adjustments to your work..also and i know this isnt very pc but they might want to take on a disabled person so they can say they have fulfilled a quota so could work to your advantage.
    also if occupational health review your details they are more understanding as know you can work with adjustments in place..go for it...
  • markc1
    markc1 Member Posts: 253
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I am going to be honest with you.I told 4 potential employers the truth about my health and my medical retirement,result no job offers.I told 4 i took early retirement no issues result 4 offers of employment.
    What does that say?
    As for being guaranteed an interview,no thank you. :(
  • carolanivey
    carolanivey Member Posts: 64
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    markc1 wrote:
    I am going to be honest with you.I told 4 potential employers the truth about my health and my medical retirement,result no job offers.I told 4 i took early retirement no issues result 4 offers of employment.
    What does that say? :(

    That's really sad.

    I'm pretty sure that's not even legal here in the U.S., although these days many employers DO ask potential employees if they smoke, and won't hire you for a full-time position if you do. They're not supposed to discriminate based on weight, but my guess is that they do. Next year my husband's employer will start making employees submit to a health screening for smoking, weight, blood pressure and blood sugar before telling them how much they're going to have to contribute to their health insurance premiums. The better the employee's results, the less they'll pay. It's an ugly business, but that's the reality.

    As a contract tech writer, I never bring up my health in an interview, as it's never an issue in my ability to do my job and meet my deadlines. Then again, my work is generally short term/temporary, so my employers aren't required to deal with the whole health insurance thing. I'm covered through my husband's job, so knock on wood it will stay that way.

    In fact, I'm better off staying as a contractor, because if I take a full time job that offers insurance, I'll be required to take it even if it has worse coverage than my husband's. With multiple, high-maintenance diseases like mine, that would be disastrous.
  • slummymummy
    slummymummy Member Posts: 69
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks for your comments. I had the telephone interview last Friday and they were very happy and have recommended that I go through to next stage (although I still haven't heard from them yet).

    Fortunately they didn't ask any questions about health or sick leave. They only asked about my experience so far, in relation to the job. I didn't tell them I'm on sick at the moment, just said I'm contracted until August. I didn't mention anything about arthur, although at the next interview I might say something, especially if they ask. On the outside, I look well, and I hide the fact that I'm in constant pain from shoulders to toes.

    I got a call from the Enbrel nurse today to say that they're coming to start my treatment next week. Yippee!! I never thought I'd be excited about the thought of injecting myself with chemotherapy once a week.. hehe :lol: I can't wait, I'll be grabbing that needle off her as she walks through the door. :lol::lol: