Stress Management

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.""If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. "In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.""As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.""So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.""Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"

Float

Email, email, email
One after the other
Inbox is flooding
I’m drowning

Freestyle and butterfly
One step forward, three steps back
Inbox is flooding
I’m drowning

Deletion and delete
Folders are my inner tube
Move what I keep
I’m drowning

Now turned on my back
Going with the stream
Inbox in flooding
I float

Change

"To me success means effectiveness in the world, that I am able to carry my ideas and values into the world -- that I am able to change it in positive ways."

Maxine Hong Kingston

Disclosing a Disability to Your Employer

Recently, my friend asked me if I discussed my hearing impairment with my employer when I was first hired and if I need any accommodations at work. His questions were interesting because I have a visible disability and therefore I don’t have the option to disclose my hearing impairment. If you see my hearing aids, you know I’m hearing impaired.

However, I do have the option not to discuss my hearing impairment. I did choose not to talk about my disability during the interview process. I’m not sure whether or not being disabled had any bearing when my application was evaluated, but I wanted to be hired based on my qualifications. For me, not discussing my disability allowed me to speak of my merits, and helps me believe I was not hired out of empathy.

Only one can decide whether and how much information to share regarding his or her disability. For residents of the United States, the following facts are good to know:

• Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a person with a disability can choose to disclose his or her disability at any time. Disclosure can take place during the interview process, upon a job offer, or anytime after beginning a job.
• Although one is not required to disclose his or her disability under the law, one should disclose his or her disability in order to request reasonable accommodations or to receive protection under the law. Telling an employer about a disability is a safe way to gain proper protection under the law.
• It is likely that one will have difficulty being protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act if one discloses a disability right before being fired. Employers are most likely to be responsive to a disclosure done in good faith rather than done as a last-ditch effort to keep a job.
• No one can force an individual to disclose or discuss a disability if he or she doesn’t want to. If an employer brings up the topic and one does not want to talk about his or her disability – he or she does not have to.

I knew as long as I had a phone in which I could increase the volume, I would most likely not need to request any accommodations. The first thing I checked when I moved into my cube was my phone. The receiver had volume amplification control. As a result, I’ve refrained from discussing my disability with my manager. He has never brought the topic up with me. So far, my performance at my company has been solid and I’ve not had any issues interacting with clients on the phone.

What do you think?

• Should I have a conversation with my manager regarding my disability despite not having any issues on the job and not foreseeing any potential issues in the future?
• Have you disclosed your disability with your employer, and if so, how’d you go about doing it?

Feel free to respond via posting a comment or email me at remmettroy@gmail.com.

Stream Thoughts

Know what you’re worth
Demonstrate your value
Don’t be afraid to speak up
Praise in public, criticize in private

Cognizant of change
Hard worker
Show your respect
Seize opportunities

Months pass, you’ve worked hard
Seize opportunities
Collaborative team player
Speak up

Others promotions inspire you
And anger you too
Sleepless nights
Borderline – opportunity and exploitation

Demand your fair treatment
You’ve worked hard too
Circle under your eyes
Borderline – opportunity and exploitation

You hear their laughs
Gleam in their eyes
You wonder why
You know their fight

Borderline – opportunity and exploitation
Exploitation
Know what you’re worth
Display your value
Demand change