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Navigating Sensitive Health Disclosures in the Workplace


Silhouette of a human head made from brown textured paper with puzzle pieces missing from the top. Gold dotted patterns surround the head. Text on the image reads: “Navigating Sensitive Health Disclosures in the Workplace – Collaborative Partnership Series by Chavisa Horemans & Mairin Barnabe.”

This series is a collaborative partnership by Mairin Barnabe and Chavisa Horemans that emerged from a synergetic discussion about the avoidable issues we’ve respectively seen occur in HR in the last few years.  We are sharing our insights as a trauma-informed Coach, Consultant and Educator and Investigator to help improve workplace relations across sectors.   


If you would like to contribute to the narrative or have a blog idea, or if you would like individualized coaching or investigative services, please reach out to us at info@illuminateconsulting.ca or themothercorp@proton.me


Navigating Sensitive Health Disclosures in the Workplace


Health challenges are often not visible.  What constitutes health is evolving as safety is built into legislation requirements.  Everyone in the organization will need to learn to navigate these conversations and experiences in the workplace effectively, without blunders.  Health includes physical or mental health, it can include grieving, and as well as domestic violence and gender-based violence.  


Every workplace health disclosure necessitates cohesive, conscientious, and considerate support from management and HR.  


Universality

We all have bodily vessels that can experience challenges - internally and from external forces.  Leaders and Human Resources who approach situations with a high-level of conscientiousness and compassion, especially when it comes to receiving disclosures and navigating health and safety issues of employees, are also helping safeguard the organization.  Effective approaches are trauma-informed.  


Sometimes when people think of trauma in the workplace they think of specific sectors like First Responders, Social Services and counsellors.  Trauma is a human experience and wherever humans are trauma will be present.  It is best practice for  all sectors to be Trauma-informed.


Addressing Sensitive Health Disclosures

Health disclosures are sensitive, especially when they are invisible.  We live in a society that stigmatizes gender-based violence, illness, disability, death and dying. To disclose a health issue requires a lot of emotional effort and vulnerability to articulate, whether in writing or verbally.  It is valuable to recognize and acknowledge the emotional labour involved to disclose.  This is especially true within the worker-employer relationship where the power dynamic is inherently and usually imbalanced in favour of the employer.  Recognizing this imbalance is essential to understanding the courage and complexity behind a worker’s decision to share their personal health information.


Health issue disclosure is done by workers to support ensuring workable conditions. Understanding health information disclosure best practices, including being trauma-informed, helps HR to ensure all employees have access to safe working conditions.  Thoughtful, timely,  trauma-informed and solutions-oriented communication and confidential conversations can amplify support, goodwill, and workforce resilience for all involved.


For the Employee disclosing:

  • Understand your rights about what you do and do not need to share. 

  • Less can be more.  

  • Check with your provincial Human Rights Commission for guidance on what to share. You may want to consult a lawyer.  


For Manager and HR: 

  • Actively listen to what is being shared, don’t make assumptions about people’s needs.

  • Keep the information as confidential as possible, on a need to know basis.

  • Check with your provincial Human Rights Commission for guidance on what you can request. You may want to consult a lawyer.

  • Think outside of the box to ensure safety of your staff.  Not all solutions are standard.


HR professionals, stay tuned for additional information on how to handle disclosures that ensure a trauma-informed practice.


Would you like support with problem-solving an HR issue? Contact Chavisa and Mairin.


November 25  to December 10, 2025, marks the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-based Violence under the theme: “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”.  What are you prepared to do to help end gender-based violence?

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ABOUT THE WRITERS



Chavisa Horemans, MES, CDC, CTRC, is a Trauma-Informed Coach, Consultant and Educator.  


Chavisa works with professionals, leading holistic, evidence-based trauma-informed workshops and training to create stronger workforces. Her specialty topics include Trauma-Informed Workplaces, Holistic Trauma Recovery, Red Flags, Gender-Based Violence, and High-Conflict Divorce.


When she’s not helping professionals gain the skills to look after themselves, their clients, and their workforce, she works virtually with individuals. Drawing from both professional training and lived expertise, Chavisa serves as a Divorce, Coparenting, and Chronic Health Coach who empowers individuals through major life transitions. She compassionately and effectively supports clients navigating separation, divorce, coparenting, burnout, and chronic health issues, specializing in high-conflict disputes.




Mairin Barnabe, MHRM, LLM (Candidate), is an Employment Relationship Specialist, Workplace Investigator, and Educator.


With over 25 years of labour and human resources experience, Mairin helps organizations and individuals navigate complex workplace challenges with fairness, integrity, and empathy. Through her consulting practice, Illuminate Consulting & Investigation Services, she provides investigation services, labour relations support, and compliance guidance to help build respectful, legally sound, and psychologically safe workplaces.


Mairin’s work bridges the gap between legislation, policy, collective agreements, and human experience. She’s passionate about education and believes that empowering leaders and employees with knowledge creates lasting organizational change.




 
 
 

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