OH's boss disclosing personal medical information

andygb

My OH is having a few tests done at the moment, and we are a bit concerned about the outcome of them.
She has had to leave work a bit early, and the boss has told a few staff members exactly what the tests are for. She has confronted her directly and said that she doesn't want it happening any more. Since that happened, the boss has been really offhand with my OH.
I suggested that she has a word with HR, but it appears the HR person socialises with her boss.
Should she go higher up the management chain to someone in head office?

[Deleted User]

Just remember - HR protects the company from the staff, not the staff from the company.

I'd go higher up the chain rather than speak to HR

martinthebandit

Why take it further?

What do you want to achieve? Apart from peeing of the OH’s boss further?

BorisThomson

ringo_24601 wrote: »

Just remember - HR protects the company from the staff, not the staff from the company.

I'd go higher up the chain rather than speak to HR

At whatever level you'll complain, they'll involve HR. In fact the higher you go, the more defensive they will be.

What outcome are you looking for OP? Who do the company value more, your wife or the manager? Whilst the manager was wrong, pushing this is more likely to cause problems for your wife than anyone else.

Julez120

The boss is being offhand as realizes was in the wrong for gossiping. It happens when a workplace is more chummy and other staff quiery time off from concern or just thats not fairness. It was wrong and should have been handled professionally. As long as the gossiping doesn't happen again, let it rest. Next time OH can just say doctors Dentist or hospital appointment. There's no obligation to say why. Hopefully when tests come back well, she can use this to end frostiness. Or make them all sweat. It's OH's choice.

AylesburyDuck

andygb wrote: »

My OH is having a few tests done at the moment, and we are a bit concerned about the outcome of them.
She has had to leave work a bit early, and the boss has told a few staff members exactly what the tests are for. She has confronted her directly and said that she doesn't want it happening any more. Since that happened, the boss has been really offhand with my OH.
I suggested that she has a word with HR, but it appears the HR person socialises with her boss.
Should she go higher up the management chain to someone in head office?

Clearly your both upset by this and rightly so, so would i be.
Yes i'd be inclined to approach head office and tell then also exactly why you have bypassed HR.
I can see why some people have said just let it go, but alas i think i'd feel the same way as you, total lack of professionalism and then more unprofessional when pulled up about it and asked to stop.
It could of course achieve nothing more than rubbing her the wrong way even more, but then again people like this shouldnt be allowed to get away with it, it's undefendable really.
Good luck, and best wishes for an improvement with your wifes health.

nicechap

andygb wrote: »

My OH is having a few tests done at the moment, and we are a bit concerned about the outcome of them.
She has had to leave work a bit early, and the boss has told a few staff members exactly what the tests are for. She has confronted her directly and said that she doesn't want it happening any more. Since that happened, the boss has been really offhand with my OH.
I suggested that she has a word with HR, but it appears the HR person socialises with her boss.
Should she go higher up the management chain to someone in head office?

As its stopped happening, your OH has achieved what she wanted. However, if the manner in which she spoke to her boss was less than professional, it may account for why her boss is being distant with her.


A quite word in their shell like can be better than screaming across the office.


Maybe some bridge building putting into context why she was so upset at the info being revealed might help for a better future working environment.

ohreally

I wouldn’t let it go.

Has the manager previous? Perhaps she’s already sitting on a warning. At the least she needs direction on confidentiality or face a disciplinary.

Hope your wife’s on the mend.

ReadingTim

The boss is probably "off" because of the way you described your OH speaking to said boss - "confronting them" saying "she doesn't want it happening any more". That was wrong. Yes, what the boss did was wrong too, and wrong first; but two wrongs don't make a right. Taking this further is, at best unlikely achieve anything, and at worst end up pretty badly for your OH, when, frankly, she's probably got other more important things to worry about.

Hopefully, the boss will realise the error of their ways and apologise. Your OH might want to make that easier by apologising (or expressing regret if saying sorry is too hard...) for her aggressive and confrontational approach, and requesting that, in future, such matters could be kept confidential, as they are causing her some stress and worry.

Anything more is going to make a bad situation worse, which is probably not what she needs right now.

TELLIT01

My inclination would be to take no further action at this time. The point has been made to the manager so see what happens going forward. If there is any repeat, I would then look at raising a formal complaint in writing via HR. In writing so that it can't just be ignored and will have to be treated seriously.
The situation is far from uncommon unfortunately. Many years ago I was on the train home from a meeting and my boss, who was the Finance Director of the company, spotted me and sat beside me. No problem with that as we got on well and often chatted about work and non-work related topics if we happened to be travelling at the same time. This was different and shocked me, as he turned and said "Have you heard about xyz? He told me today that he has cancer. Don't say anything though, he told me in confidence"!
He genuinely couldn't see the problem in telling me.

jobbingmusician

TBH I do have some sympathy with the Finance Director. Of course he shouldn't have told you, but he was obviously in shock and needed to unload - your relationship on the train sounds to have been a friendship one and so I would find this indiscretion very easy to forgive (and I'd rather work with someone like this, who sounds as if he has a heart, than someone who found it easy to sit on this information).