Medical history

[diggerman]

Hi, I have been employed by the same company for 16 years and have never signed any contract of employment and have never been asked for any private details until now.

My employer has asked for details of my driving licence, points etc. this seems fair enough as I drive a company car, but they have also asked for details on my medical history, am I obliged to give this to them?

Thanks

[Buenchico]

You could have teams of lawyers debating this one for years!

In general, employers haven't got any right to demand personal information. There may be exceptions, however, when information regarded as 'personal' is relevant to a person's employment. (For example, if you were to go into hospital you would probably hope that the health authority had checked that none of the staff carrying out your operation were carriers of life-threatening diseases).

The fact that your employer has asked for medical details at the same time as requiring information about your driving licence suggests that the company is trying to keep its insurance premiums as low as possible. It's possible, therefore, that certain elements of your medical history might be regarded as 'relevant to your employment'.

I suggest that you ask your employer the reason for this sudden rush of questions. Once you've got an answer you'll be in a better position to assess whether or not the information is relevant to your employment. Then you will know whether your employer has a reasonable right to seek this information.

Chris

[WendyS]

I can understand why your employer has asked for your driving licence details as these would have to be declared to the company's fleet insurer. However, I am less clear why they are asking for medical history unless this has to be declared to the company's insurer if they are providing free life insurance cover as some companies do.

I would suggest saying that you are puzzled by the request for medical history and ask them specifically why they need it.

On the question of contracts of employment, every employer is legally bound to issue an employee with a contract (usually in the form of an offer letter when you join) stating hours of work, salary, holiday entitlement, notice period, etc. A copy of this should be on your employee personnel file if you have lost yours and you should be able to ask your Personnel Department for a copy. The company may also have a Terms and Conditions of Employment handbook which gives supplementary details about conditions of employment such as amount of sick leave entitlement, grievance & disciplinary procedures, etc.