Declaring migraine on job application

[HerdofAntilop]

I suffer with menstrual migraine, have done since my periods started at 14 so a good couple of decades. When I'm going through a bad patch it means I lose one day each month to vomiting and headache - I can barely talk let alone function in the normal way.

In the past I got round this at work by having an arrangement to use Flexi hours rather than reporting a sick day. This works for me (no one else runs my projects while I'm away so I'll need to catch up anyway).

I moved jobs a while back and dutifully notified them about my condition. HR lost their minds and my new manager had to fight them to get them to agree to employ me.

I'm now applying for a new job and I'm worried I'll be met with reaction. When is the best time to disclose? It looks like I meet the criteria under the Equality Act for disability but this feels cheeky as I am not affected all of the time? I'm not sure whether I can declare a disability or not it even whether it would be a good idea to. Any advice?

I've always just put it on the Occ Health form. It's the sickness record that is more interesting to them than anything else - they want to know you can actually do the job.

If you haven't reassessed recently how you deal with your migraines medically, it's not unreasonable for an employer to ask you to go back to your GP and ask you to do so before they start make adjustments such as flexi time for you.

I'm on 2 daily meds for migraine, including menstrual (Cerazette is a flippin miracle) and one of them I'd frankly rather not be on due to side effects but the alternative is my employer being unhappy about my sick leave so I've had to compromise.

You don't need to declare anything when you are applying for a role.

You may well be asked to provide information about any health conditions, but only after the interview process has been completed, and you are offered the job (subject to acceptable references)

This may involve you completing a health form, which covers all aspects including Disability, to comply with the Equality Act (in case they need to make reasonable adjustments for registered disabilities.)

Wait until then, and if you can get something from your GP to validate your condition, it will really help. If you can try to get some medication, it will not only help your employment record but should improve your quality of life. Migraines are miserable.