Disclosing illness and disability in the workplace

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore what disclosing illness and disability in the workplace means to workers with chronic illness and disabilities. It aims to argue that beginning analysis from the meanings of these workers contributes to a nuanced understanding of their situations; gaining this view requires knowing how individuals define their health as well as their meanings, risks, and dilemmas of disclosing illness and disability; understanding the employee's perspective and actions helps employers to make useful accommodations for illness and disability; and this analysis can offer researchers and managers in international business a starting‐point for making comparisons with worksites across the globe.Design/methodology/approach – The analysis derives from qualitative data in which issues concerning disclosure emerged as a recurring theme, and on studies reported in literatures that illuminate ill and disabled workers' views and experience. The paper draws on material from 185 qualitative intervi...