Job Interview

[mike654]

I went to an interview to a different office on the 18th April and heard today been unsuccesful.
Would they have contacted the last delivery office I worked 5 years ago, because left due to mental heath problems.

[Thehair]

If the boot was on the other foot, and you were the employer, would you contact the other office?

[fishtank]

If the boot was on the other foot, and you were the employer, would you contact the other office?

I would have done it long before the interview stage so it's unlikely that they have considered his reasons for leaving relevant.

[arnold cheshire]

I went to an interview to a different office on the 18th April and heard today been unsuccesful.
Would they have contacted the last delivery office I worked 5 years ago, because left due to mental heath problems.

you did well to get that far they would have contacted hr in sheffield

[Mezza]

You will need to check if i'm right on this but as far as i know under current employment law you do not have to disclose a health problem unless it directly could affect your ability to do the job your are applying for.

I had a stage 3 interview a couple of years ago after 3 years employment with RM, the reason for the stage 3 was i had had long term absence due to a stomach problem which i had on and off for a few years. My DOM doing the interview said i should have disclosed this condition when i applied for my job. My Union rep intervened and explained that under current employment law i did not have disclose it.
The DOM was horrified and had to suspend the interview while he contacted HR for clarification. They said my Union Rep was spot on and he could do nothing!

I know that a mental health issue may be seen in a different way to a stomach problem, but i couldn't say for certain what the employment law actually says on this..but would be worth finding out, if only for peace of mind.

[stokes11eg]

You will need to check if i'm right on this but as far as i know under current employment law you do not have to disclose a health problem unless it directly could affect your ability to do the job your are applying for.

I had a stage 3 interview a couple of years ago after 3 years employment with RM, the reason for the stage 3 was i had had long term absence due to a stomach problem which i had on and off for a few years. My DOM doing the interview said i should have disclosed this condition when i applied for my job. My Union rep intervened and explained that under current employment law i did not have disclose it.
The DOM was horrified and had to suspend the interview while he contacted HR for clarification. They said my Union Rep was spot on and he could do nothing!

I know that a mental health issue may be seen in a different way to a stomach problem, but i couldn't say for certain what the employment law actually says on this..but would be worth finding out, if only for peace of mind.

Sorry, but if your application form asks specific questions about your health, you must answer them--- but,if they do not ask you do not have to tell.Cant say what R/M application forms are like now, but i only got a health questionnaire six months in to the job!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

You will need to check if i'm right on this but as far as i know under current employment law you do not have to disclose a health problem unless it directly could affect your ability to do the job your are applying for.

I had a stage 3 interview a couple of years ago after 3 years employment with RM, the reason for the stage 3 was i had had long term absence due to a stomach problem which i had on and off for a few years. My DOM doing the interview said i should have disclosed this condition when i applied for my job. My Union rep intervened and explained that under current employment law i did not have disclose it.
The DOM was horrified and had to suspend the interview while he contacted HR for clarification. They said my Union Rep was spot on and he could do nothing!

I know that a mental health issue may be seen in a different way to a stomach problem, but i couldn't say for certain what the employment law actually says on this..but would be worth finding out, if only for peace of mind.

Sorry, but if your application form asks specific questions about your health, you must answer them--- but,if they do not ask you do not have to tell.Cant say what R/M application forms are like now, but i only got a health questionnaire six months in to the job!

I have never had one, ever.

[George door to dawes]

Dont know about others but when i joined last year as temp p/t we had to fill out a Health form and give our doctors name / address.

[Mezza]

Found this uptodate info on the Mind.org website which pretty much clarifies the situation, especially in relation to the recent change in the law:

I have applied for a job. Do I have to tell them about my mental health history?

Individuals are often concerned about their rights in relation to disclosing health information to an employer or prospective employer.

Mind has successfully campaigned to ban employers from using pre-employment health questionnaires. From October 2010 – when the Equality Act comes into force - employers will generally only be allowed to seek health information from job applicants after a job offer has been made. The Equality Act will replace the Disability Discrimination Acts and makes some changes to the law on discrimination.

Here are some key points to note:
If a question is asked about health, then we recommend answering the question honestly, but we recognise that this is very much a personal choice. Of course we hope that the changes in the law will discourage intrusive questions. If a job applicant or employee is qualified for the role and discloses a disability then the DDA (and in future the Equality Act) should protect against discrimination.
However, applicants should read these questions carefully and answer only what is asked – if unsure an applicant may want to delay answering questions about health and clarify what the employer wants to know.
It will often be the case that health information goes into a separate envelope which will only be read by an occupational health specialist.
If an individual gives a dishonest or misleading answer, it raises questions about trust. It is possible that an employer could take disciplinary action against an employee if it discovers that the employee did not disclose important information when this was asked for. An employer may face obstacles if taking disciplinary action against an employee but it is still possible that giving untruthful or misleading answers could result in dismissal.
Remember that disclosing a disability will make it easier to work with your employer in order to put reasonable adjustments in place.
From October 2010 employers will need to wait until after a job offer is made before asking most health questions. If an employer asks questions but then does not offer the applicant a job, the employer will need to show that this was not because of the applicant’s disability.
Employers will still be allowed to ask on application forms whether reasonable adjustments may be needed to assist the applicant at the interview stage. If an applicant does not need reasonable adjustments for interview then there is no need to answer – say ‘Not applicable’ or ‘No’.
Employers are also allowed to ask if an applicant will be able to do certain key parts of the job. Examples may include: if recruiting staff to work in a warehouse, asking whether an applicant can lift heavy objects (and also asking whether he or she would need reasonable adjustments to do so). We would not expect an employer to ask a question about whether an applicant can cope with stress, so if this is happening, please make sure to bring the enquiry to the attention of Mind's Legal Unit.
It will be unlawful for an employer to ask other health questions before an offer is made. The Equality and Human Rights Commission can take action against employers who do so.
Discrimination legislation protects an applicant who has a disability and the planned changes in the law will reinforce this. Applicants (and employees) should remember that the employer will be under a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments if an applicant or employee has a disability, so that a disabled person is not at a disadvantage compared to an applicant who is not disabled.
Sometimes when asking for health information, an application form also asks the applicant to give consent under the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988. In some cases, employees may be asked similar questions after employment begins. Please note that this does not permit an employer to access an applicant's medical records. It would allow an employer to ask the applicant’s doctor to provide a medical report.
In some very limited circumstances, a doctor may not wish his/her patient to see a report, but in the employment context, this is perhaps less likely to arise. (That aspect of the legislation is intended to protect the vulnerable employee from finding out something that his/her doctor may feel that the patient would not be able to deal with at a particular point in time).
Employers are only entitled to ask for medical information about matters relevant to whether the individual will be able to do the job and that the individual can ask the doctor to let them see the report before it is sent to the employer.
An individual can refuse to give permission for a medical report to be prepared and sent to the employer and also prevent disclosure once he/she has seen it, although of course this could cause practical difficulties.

For further information see Mind's legal briefing Disability discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.

[stokes11eg]

You will need to check if i'm right on this but as far as i know under current employment law you do not have to disclose a health problem unless it directly could affect your ability to do the job your are applying for.

I had a stage 3 interview a couple of years ago after 3 years employment with RM, the reason for the stage 3 was i had had long term absence due to a stomach problem which i had on and off for a few years. My DOM doing the interview said i should have disclosed this condition when i applied for my job. My Union rep intervened and explained that under current employment law i did not have disclose it.
The DOM was horrified and had to suspend the interview while he contacted HR for clarification. They said my Union Rep was spot on and he could do nothing!

I know that a mental health issue may be seen in a different way to a stomach problem, but i couldn't say for certain what the employment law actually says on this..but would be worth finding out, if only for peace of mind.

Sorry, but if your application form asks specific questions about your health, you must answer them--- but,if they do not ask you do not have to tell.Cant say what R/M application forms are like now, but i only got a health questionnaire six months in to the job!

I have never had one, ever.

Problem with never having one is that Employers can, at present ask you to fill one out retrospectivly---and if you refuse, it can have all sorts of repercussions!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

You will need to check if i'm right on this but as far as i know under current employment law you do not have to disclose a health problem unless it directly could affect your ability to do the job your are applying for.

I had a stage 3 interview a couple of years ago after 3 years employment with RM, the reason for the stage 3 was i had had long term absence due to a stomach problem which i had on and off for a few years. My DOM doing the interview said i should have disclosed this condition when i applied for my job. My Union rep intervened and explained that under current employment law i did not have disclose it.
The DOM was horrified and had to suspend the interview while he contacted HR for clarification. They said my Union Rep was spot on and he could do nothing!

I know that a mental health issue may be seen in a different way to a stomach problem, but i couldn't say for certain what the employment law actually says on this..but would be worth finding out, if only for peace of mind.

Sorry, but if your application form asks specific questions about your health, you must answer them--- but,if they do not ask you do not have to tell.Cant say what R/M application forms are like now, but i only got a health questionnaire six months in to the job!

I have never had one, ever.

Problem with never having one is that Employers can, at present ask you to fill one out retrospectivly---and if you refuse, it can have all sorts of repercussions!

No fear of that, I'll use long words and confuse them -

[stokes11eg]

You will need to check if i'm right on this but as far as i know under current employment law you do not have to disclose a health problem unless it directly could affect your ability to do the job your are applying for.

I had a stage 3 interview a couple of years ago after 3 years employment with RM, the reason for the stage 3 was i had had long term absence due to a stomach problem which i had on and off for a few years. My DOM doing the interview said i should have disclosed this condition when i applied for my job. My Union rep intervened and explained that under current employment law i did not have disclose it.
The DOM was horrified and had to suspend the interview while he contacted HR for clarification. They said my Union Rep was spot on and he could do nothing!

I know that a mental health issue may be seen in a different way to a stomach problem, but i couldn't say for certain what the employment law actually says on this..but would be worth finding out, if only for peace of mind.

Sorry, but if your application form asks specific questions about your health, you must answer them--- but,if they do not ask you do not have to tell.Cant say what R/M application forms are like now, but i only got a health questionnaire six months in to the job!

I have never had one, ever.

Problem with never having one is that Employers can, at present ask you to fill one out retrospectivly---and if you refuse, it can have all sorts of repercussions!

No fear of that, I'll use long words and confuse them -

Yes, there is that!