One of the guys who works for me has revealed that he has an inoperable brain tumor. What do I do?
April 20, 2007 7:47 AM
One of the guys who works for me has revealed that he has an inoperable brain tumor. What do I do?
I run a small programming team. A few weeks back, one of the guys who works for me got really drunk at a work event and confided in me that he has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. At the time, I did my best to comfort him, which included riding the train with him to where his girlfriend and friends were at (he was really, really trashed). I told him that if he needed to take some time off, that I would be totally understanding.
Anyway, fast forward a few weeks, and I'm kinda wondering where to go from here. His job requires a lot of concentration and detail-oriented work. I don't know too much about brain tumors, but I'm assuming that he'll reach a point where he can no longer do his job. Obviously, I can't continue to employ him once he starts to 'slip.' What do I do?
1) Should I talk to him about it? I don't really know how to go about this. I want to ask him how long he has to live. I want to ask him how long he has until he's unable to do his job. When the time comes that he's no longer able to work, I want him to be honest and let me know. However, I have no idea how to talk to him about these things in a compassionate way.
2) He's only been on the job for about a year, and although he's good at his job, he does make a fair amount of mistakes. How do I know which mistakes I should attribute to inexperience, and which ones I should attribute to the tumor? If I don't ask him directly about how long he can continue to work, I'll have to guess at when the tumor is starting to take its toll.
3) Should I tell my immediate boss about this? One of my concerns is how much effort we should put into training this guy on new technologies, and whether or not to promote him to a new position once we hire more people.
I don't want you to think that I'm some kind of callous asshole. I genuinely like the guy, and it made me really upset when I found out about his illness. After working with someone for a while, you kinda get attached to them, and I'll be really sad to see him leave the team. However, I have a job to do, and I can't allow his illness to affect the team.
I run a small programming team. A few weeks back, one of the guys who works for me got really drunk at a work event and confided in me that he has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. At the time, I did my best to comfort him, which included riding the train with him to where his girlfriend and friends were at (he was really, really trashed). I told him that if he needed to take some time off, that I would be totally understanding.
Anyway, fast forward a few weeks, and I'm kinda wondering where to go from here. His job requires a lot of concentration and detail-oriented work. I don't know too much about brain tumors, but I'm assuming that he'll reach a point where he can no longer do his job. Obviously, I can't continue to employ him once he starts to 'slip.' What do I do?
1) Should I talk to him about it? I don't really know how to go about this. I want to ask him how long he has to live. I want to ask him how long he has until he's unable to do his job. When the time comes that he's no longer able to work, I want him to be honest and let me know. However, I have no idea how to talk to him about these things in a compassionate way.
2) He's only been on the job for about a year, and although he's good at his job, he does make a fair amount of mistakes. How do I know which mistakes I should attribute to inexperience, and which ones I should attribute to the tumor? If I don't ask him directly about how long he can continue to work, I'll have to guess at when the tumor is starting to take its toll.
3) Should I tell my immediate boss about this? One of my concerns is how much effort we should put into training this guy on new technologies, and whether or not to promote him to a new position once we hire more people.
I don't want you to think that I'm some kind of callous asshole. I genuinely like the guy, and it made me really upset when I found out about his illness. After working with someone for a while, you kinda get attached to them, and I'll be really sad to see him leave the team. However, I have a job to do, and I can't allow his illness to affect the team.
This post was deleted for the following reason: poster's request -- jessamyn
I think you've got to let him get on with his job until it's clear that he's declining and not able to do it anymore. Maybe that day won't come but if it does, that's when you step in. Isn't there some kind of disability insurance that kicks in at that point?
I wouldn't approach him about it now. I would think the guy is probably going through enough at the moment without having to worry about losing his job (and maybe his medical insurance) on top of it all.
posted by gfrobe at 8:12 AM on April 20, 2007
I wouldn't approach him about it now. I would think the guy is probably going through enough at the moment without having to worry about losing his job (and maybe his medical insurance) on top of it all.
posted by gfrobe at 8:12 AM on April 20, 2007
No experience to draw on here, this is just my gut reaction: I think that unless you own the company and it's going to directly affect your livelihood if this guy suddenly stops working then you should wait for him to come to you.
If his work becomes unacceptable then you should have a managerial "is there a problem?" chat with him.
I don't see anything good for him coming out of you making this more official on the basis of a drunken admission. If you know the guy well on a personal level then you could maybe try to raise it out of the office. Otherwise, don't make it a work issue until it really is a work issue.
posted by crocomancer at 8:19 AM on April 20, 2007
If his work becomes unacceptable then you should have a managerial "is there a problem?" chat with him.
I don't see anything good for him coming out of you making this more official on the basis of a drunken admission. If you know the guy well on a personal level then you could maybe try to raise it out of the office. Otherwise, don't make it a work issue until it really is a work issue.
posted by crocomancer at 8:19 AM on April 20, 2007
If you fire or discriminate in any way against this employee while he can still perform his job you may be opening yourself up to a lawsuit for running afoul of the ADA (assuming your business is US-based).
posted by justkevin at 8:22 AM on April 20, 2007
posted by justkevin at 8:22 AM on April 20, 2007
I'm going to second talking to HR. There are laws designed to protect vulnerable employees from people like you, and it's in your best interest to avoid running afoul of them.
And otherwise, I would just say that everyone else should take this as a cautionary tale about being very, very careful about revealing sensitive medical information. I'm sure that the OP's employee expected compassion, not a threat to his job and medical insurance.
posted by craichead at 8:23 AM on April 20, 2007
And otherwise, I would just say that everyone else should take this as a cautionary tale about being very, very careful about revealing sensitive medical information. I'm sure that the OP's employee expected compassion, not a threat to his job and medical insurance.
posted by craichead at 8:23 AM on April 20, 2007
As his employer, you need to be careful about what information you request from him and what action you take. He is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and would be able to sue you for discrimination if you take any adverse actions against him (e.g. demoting him, denying him training opportunities, denying him promotions, annual pay increases) because of his medical condition.
If you have not already contacted your Human Resources department, please do so. Your HR professionals will be well-versed in the ADA and EEOC regulations. They will be able to advise you on what steps to take. For your own purposes, you can also visit the EEOC website to read more about the ADA, disability discrimination, and what obligations you have as his employer.
posted by clpage at 8:23 AM on April 20, 2007
If you have not already contacted your Human Resources department, please do so. Your HR professionals will be well-versed in the ADA and EEOC regulations. They will be able to advise you on what steps to take. For your own purposes, you can also visit the EEOC website to read more about the ADA, disability discrimination, and what obligations you have as his employer.
posted by clpage at 8:23 AM on April 20, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
Do you have an HR department? This seems like an issue that you would need to discuss with HR before discussing with your employee. I would imagine he would eventually have to take leave if your company allows it.
posted by tastybrains at 8:11 AM on April 20, 2007