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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to NOT want to fill in this form...?

58 replies

lilwelshyrs · 27/05/2015 21:55

DH has a new job (yay!). He's had his contract posted to him and a funny Occupational Health form with it. He's expected to take a medical examination anyway (which is totally fine) but this questionnaire seems incredibly personal.
Nowhere in the offer letter does it say this questionnaire is compulsory to employment.

The form has questions like:
Who in your family has suffered from: Diabetes, asthma, mental disease ( disease what a terrible use of the word!), hayfever, TB, cancer.
This includes me... I'm not blood related FGS...

It also asks the most weirdly worded question... (any spelling errors are intentional!)
Have you ever smoked as much as one cigarette a day (or one cigar a week or and ounce of Tobacco a month) for as long as a year?

I reckon it's to do with suing culture - if your family have ever suffered from mental illness and you have a break down due to work related stress, then you can't blame your workplace...? And if you've ever smoked one cigarette on a boozey night out and you're frequently exposed to carcinogenic materials and you get lung cancer, then you can't blame work... Right?
So I can kinda see where they're coming from... Kinda... But it seems a bit much. Especially when you undergo a medical anyway.

Can he just tell them he won't fill out the form? We both feel very uncomfortable that they want his full family history...

AWBU?

OP posts:
Andrewofgg · 27/05/2015 22:02

Which country are you in?

Original poster
lilwelshyrs · 27/05/2015 22:04

England...

OP posts:
olgaga · 27/05/2015 22:07

Does the employer provide private health insurance?

Andrewofgg · 27/05/2015 22:07

Preposterous.

But in his shoes I would sign.

Is there a company health insurance scheme?

Original poster
lilwelshyrs · 27/05/2015 22:09

No private health insurance as far as we're aware. Nothing mentioned on any page of this questionnaire either.
He worked for this company a few years ago and didn't remember having to do this questionnaire last time although he's in a different department this time.

OP posts:
YsabellStoHelit · 27/05/2015 22:10

If they provide health insurance I would expect it otherwise it seems incredibly excessive. The only exception I can think of is if the job requires high standard of fitness to do right eg emergency services.

Marshy · 27/05/2015 22:11

It wouldn't be unreasonable for your dh not to be fully informed about the complete medical history of his family.....and for the form to reflect this

Stopandlook · 27/05/2015 22:12

I'd probably fill it out, but I see your point.

Dr0pThePirate · 27/05/2015 22:12

Which country are you in?

England…

Grin

Sorry, that made me laugh out loud Blush. What theory were you testing out Andrew?

Original poster
lilwelshyrs · 27/05/2015 22:13

Nope, not emergency services and the section he's working in isn't physically demanding but it does require good concentration skills. His hours are long so needs good stamina but again, he's not running around all day.

OP posts:
LineRunner · 27/05/2015 22:13

I think the Information Commissioner would take a dim view if your partner were being required to give personal data about you without your written consent.

hoobypickypicky · 27/05/2015 22:13

I'd take the stance that the company cannot possibly mean me as:

A. I am not the employee.

B. I am not, in this respect, "family", there being no blood relationship.

Or, to put it another way, I think my health is none of their business until and unless it's my contract and they're paying my wages and there'd be no chance at all of them having information on me.

In his shoes I would provide relevant information on my own health. I would refuse, on the grounds of confidentiality and lack of consent, to provide information on any other party.

Original poster
lilwelshyrs · 27/05/2015 22:15

Lol Pirate Smile

Yes, marshy, that's what I said too - what if he's adopted or he's NC with his parents?

OP posts:
Andrewofgg · 27/05/2015 22:15

Dr0pThePirate I was thinking of the (allegedly) litigious USA.

Original poster
lilwelshyrs · 27/05/2015 22:20

Line and Hooby - very good points there.

The funny blurry line is that I am employed by them... Only on a freelance basis, but they've never asked me for this kind of information before and I don't see why they need it.

OP posts:
Original poster
lilwelshyrs · 27/05/2015 22:22

DH officially starts this weekend so presumably no one who deals with this kind of thing will be available to talk to. They have asked him post back the form in a sealed envelope as if that's secure enough to stop prying eyes lol.

OP posts:
bunchoffives · 27/05/2015 22:25

YANBU, don't fill it in, you are under no obligation to do so unless they say it's a condition of your h's employment, nor is he. and then I'd lie anyway

Effic · 27/05/2015 22:35

If it's not for private medical insurance, then I'd say no. If medical is part of recruitment (why?) then they can do that and do a OT assessment if they like but no more should be necessary. Bloody intrusive if you ask me.

Not a blurry line as far as I can see... If they want your medical history as a freelance they can ask ( I'd be saying no to that too)

Original poster
lilwelshyrs · 27/05/2015 22:41

I'm not sure why a medical is compulsory. I guess it's because it's a physical job at times. i don't need to divulge any medical info as a freelancer, thankfully!

I'm glad that we're NBU!

OP posts:
hoobypickypicky · 27/05/2015 22:41

Contracts usually come with a probationary period. The man who is, for example, diabetic or on medication for depression might be considered a poor risk as a long term employee. I'd be concerned that having obtained health information which they couldn't legally ask for at interview stage the company might then use it as a decision maker.

That's another reason to decline to give it as far as I'm concerned.

Marshy · 27/05/2015 22:45

It does seem intrusive but so as not to delay the recruitment process I would probably fill it in as minimally and uncontroversially as poss, with "not as far as I'm aware" thrown in here and there. I can't see it being an issue yo have smoked a cigar one Christmas 10 years ago, go example.
No doubt at the medical the form will be gone through and in quite a cursory way if my experience of occi health is anything to go by.
Congrats to your dh on the job Smile

Original poster
lilwelshyrs · 27/05/2015 22:47

Another good point, hooby. He would be having a probationary period... I'm meeting up with friends who work there as full time employees soon so will see what they did/if they did the form!

OP posts:
Original poster
lilwelshyrs · 27/05/2015 22:48

Thanks marshy. Yeh, we were thinking we'd just put something like that.
Thankfully he doesn't smoke anyway, but even the GPs questions aren't that specific when it comes to smoking related questions!

OP posts:
thewavesofthesea · 27/05/2015 22:50

Sounds odd. Just a thought though; although it doesn't seem to apply here from what you have said. Some jobs, eg for the Home Office, police etc do need details of family members to do background checks on them as well as on the person applying for the job. Tends to be when have access to quite sensitive stuff. Not sure how your medical history would be relevant though!

Iggi999 · 27/05/2015 22:53

If a doctor asks me if I have a family history of (say) diabetes, it wouldn't occur to me to include anything to do with dh in my answer. Blood relatives only.