I have a very personal health condition. How much do I need to share at work?

October 28, 2026 — 5:00amEach week Dr Kirstin Ferguson tackles questions about workplace, career and leadership in her advice column Got a Minute? This week: a personal health condition, a nosy direction and feeling taken for granted.You don’t need to apologise for wanting the details of your condition to remain private.Dionne GainI have been diagnosed with a medical condition of a very personal nature. I will need several scattered days off and possibly two weeks for an operation. My colleagues are extremely nosy, while my manager tells his EA everything, and she then circulates it around the office. I am angry at the thought of everyone knowing my business and continually questioning me. Should I invent a less personal procedure as a cover story, or am I legally required to tell my employer exactly what treatment I am having?Do not invent a cover story. You don’t need to and doing so means you are being dishonest and will need to remember details which will ultimately undermine your credibility, right as you want your employer to respect your boundaries.That said, you also don’t need to tell your employer your full medical history. They need to know you have to take medical leave and how long it will be, and you will need some paperwork from your doctor to show you are unfit for work. On your return, your employer will have to know whether you have any restrictions they should be aware of.The ins and outs of what you are having done are your business. I would put in writing to your manager a note to the effect that you will require leave for a medical procedure, and you will provide the necessary medical certificate and paperwork. I would also note in writing that you prefer to keep your medical information confidential and ask them to do the same.If anyone asks what your medical condition is, simply say, “I am just having a simple procedure which I prefer to keep private. Thanks for understanding.” Do not feel you need to apologise, and be consistent in your response.I am new to an HR manager role and struggling to protect staff confidentiality. Whenever an employee leaves my office after a private discussion, one director immediately demands all the details. He then appears to share them with other managers, who have mentioned matters they should not know. I told him some conversations were highly personal and should remain confidential, but he insists that, as a director, he is entitled to know about every staff issue. I am sure this is wrong, but how should I respond?You are right to be concerned about this. If people feel they can’t confide in you, no one will be coming back to tell you issues that the business needs you to know.Your director needs to understand that being in their role does not automatically entitle them to information. I think you need to set a clear guideline or policy with the chief executive or board governing confidential employee information. It could be something like a commitment from you to escalate any matters to them where it requires organisational action or a material risk. This could include disclosures around health and safety concerns, serious misconduct, legal obligations or key decisions the organisation must make.The guidelines or policy should then agree that everything else has to remain confidential to you to preserve the credibility of the HR role and to uphold individual privacy concerns. You might also want to try and move your office, so it is not so obvious who is coming in to meet you, and you don’t have every nosy parker on your doorstop the moment they leave.I work in distribution alongside a cleaner, a driver and an assistant stock manager. I reliably complete my duties, but two colleagues regularly tell management they have done work that I actually performed. They have now been recognised and rewarded for my contribution, while I feel as though I have been pushed aside and treated like nobody. I want to ask my manager for support, but I am unsure whether it is appropriate or how to explain what has been happening. What should I do?Dr Kirstin Ferguson AM is the author of Blindspotting: How to See What Others Miss and Head & Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership. Kirstin is ranked in the world’s Thinkers50 list and holds a PhD in leadership and culture. www.kirstinferguson.com.Connect via X, Facebook or email.From our partners