Page 33 - OOHNA Spring-Summer 2017
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Helping employees with fibromyalgia manage their reputations through disclosure dances n ReseaRch
exposed to gossip about wheth- it felt like and the risks of disclo- to her supervisor. it also helped
er they deserved their accommo- sure, so they could be trusted. that her supervisor had an invisible
dations. one woman expected her these empathetic relationships chronic illness herself.
supervisor, with whom she had a helped the women stay at work. the third dance was one in which
good relationship, to be sympathetic as one woman with fibromyalgia some women revealed their impair -
to her accommodation needs when explained about her co-worker: ments selectively and partially. they
she told him (shortly after her proba- i have one workmate who i actu- told some people they trusted about
tion as a new employee ended) that ally think she has it, just the way their impairments and revealed
she had fibromyalgia and gave him she describes her pain and her more details to them. t o others, they
educational materials from self-help tiredness…She gets it, she totally revealed their impairments without
websites. the strategy backfired for gets it and that’s really nice. She’s naming their source as fibromyalgia.
her; however, when the supervisor my best friend on my team, and instead, they used commonplace
told her it was none of his business it’s nice having someone there. conditions that carried less stigma
and that she should speak to the on- By divulging their illness, partici- and were less likely to be subject to
disbelief. For example, one woman
site occupational health nurse about pants were looking not just for
it instead. She expressed disappoint- emotional support but for legiti- who taught piano at a music school
ment that he no longer seemed macy – recognition that their
told the owners that she got cold
easily and had frequent backaches.
supportive, and their relationship fibromyalgia was a bona fide
soured. illness. they also divulged their ill- they replaced her piano bench with
the second dance was one in ness to explain why they couldn’t a chair and brought in a heater,
which some women divulged their do certain job tasks at certain times without the woman having to ask
fibromyalgia to only certain people and to try to prevent co-workers for these accommodations. Similar -
at work, in certain circumstances. from resenting any accommo- ly, another woman, a teacher, told
Some told only a co-worker who dations they had received. one her students she had a “really bad
also had a chronic illness. Such a woman felt she was being “hon- knee.” this, she said, was easier for
person probably understood what est” by divulging her fibromyalgia them to understand than fibromy-
OOHNA JOURNAL n spRiNg/sUmmeR 2017 31
exposed to gossip about wheth- it felt like and the risks of disclo- to her supervisor. it also helped
er they deserved their accommo- sure, so they could be trusted. that her supervisor had an invisible
dations. one woman expected her these empathetic relationships chronic illness herself.
supervisor, with whom she had a helped the women stay at work. the third dance was one in which
good relationship, to be sympathetic as one woman with fibromyalgia some women revealed their impair -
to her accommodation needs when explained about her co-worker: ments selectively and partially. they
she told him (shortly after her proba- i have one workmate who i actu- told some people they trusted about
tion as a new employee ended) that ally think she has it, just the way their impairments and revealed
she had fibromyalgia and gave him she describes her pain and her more details to them. t o others, they
educational materials from self-help tiredness…She gets it, she totally revealed their impairments without
websites. the strategy backfired for gets it and that’s really nice. She’s naming their source as fibromyalgia.
her; however, when the supervisor my best friend on my team, and instead, they used commonplace
told her it was none of his business it’s nice having someone there. conditions that carried less stigma
and that she should speak to the on- By divulging their illness, partici- and were less likely to be subject to
disbelief. For example, one woman
site occupational health nurse about pants were looking not just for
it instead. She expressed disappoint- emotional support but for legiti- who taught piano at a music school
ment that he no longer seemed macy – recognition that their
told the owners that she got cold
easily and had frequent backaches.
supportive, and their relationship fibromyalgia was a bona fide
soured. illness. they also divulged their ill- they replaced her piano bench with
the second dance was one in ness to explain why they couldn’t a chair and brought in a heater,
which some women divulged their do certain job tasks at certain times without the woman having to ask
fibromyalgia to only certain people and to try to prevent co-workers for these accommodations. Similar -
at work, in certain circumstances. from resenting any accommo- ly, another woman, a teacher, told
Some told only a co-worker who dations they had received. one her students she had a “really bad
also had a chronic illness. Such a woman felt she was being “hon- knee.” this, she said, was easier for
person probably understood what est” by divulging her fibromyalgia them to understand than fibromy-
OOHNA JOURNAL n spRiNg/sUmmeR 2017 31
