I am in no way trying to downplay the severity of this post, but I had a very different reaction when I read this. My reaction was, "Why did the head of the division tell the group about his condition in detail?" Maybe it is because I live in America, and maybe it is because I know someone who had cancer and was reprimanded by HR for discussing his cancer -- and survival from it -- on an internal work forum.
My preference would be to work in a place where people can talk openly about their conditions, if they so choose. It seems like in the litigious country where I live, this isn't possible.
If the employee discusses the illness on their own, there are no laws in the US to say they can't. Where you get sticky is if you discuss it without their consent. That's a big-time no-no.
I think you are either mixed up in the details, or have an overly aggressive HR rep.
I know the guy personally. The company has Socialcast and someone posted a fundraiser for a charity that helps people who are fighting cancer. My friend posted saying basically, "I had cancer and this organization helped out my family... try and help if you can." Someone from HR removed the comment and told him he cannot talk about his medical details on the forum.
Agree though... one company, one comment, one HR dept; your milage will vary.
Certainly an anecdote, but also the reality at this company. I'm guessing they'd be burned in the past (see comments above) and this is why they acted the way they did.
Person A says "I have a brain tumor!"
Boss of Person A fires person A for poor performance.
Person A sues company of Boss of person A for firing due to a medical condition.
From my limited legal knowledge, it seems like this is the argument for why they try to avoid outside of work knowledge being viewed by those in a hiring/firing/promotion position over you. It is kind of a joke, because if you are out for 8 weeks for chemo, clearly something is up... but somehow just knowing something is up is different from knowing you have cancer?
My preference would be to work in a place where people can talk openly about their conditions, if they so choose. It seems like in the litigious country where I live, this isn't possible.
Has anyone had similar experiences?