Ever told your boss?

Thanks, Shy and Christina, for writing back. Those are really good points, especially about cya. Why, oh why does it have to be that way?

I showed up again today and will take what you've said in mind, if I actually get to see my boss at all.

I can't tell you what a help it is to hear from you. I really appreciate it.

i have a different background and a different take on the situation.  before i became disabled with chronic debilitating back pain i developed military computer systems, most of which would only be used if there was a wwiii.  i had security clearances out the gazoo, including special clearancess.  if i had told my employers about the depression i was suffering, i would have lost all of my securety clearances and gone from a very comfortable salary to unemployment.  after loosing your job like this, you are virtually unemployable.

needless to say, my employers never had a clue about depression.  i was just dubbed "moody."  whenn i was having days when i couldn't do anything, i was "absorbed in thought."  what a crock, huh?  but necessary for me back then.

i hope my experience helps.

warren

Ok Folks,

I know this topic hands down from all sides.  I've been overworked, overextended, and underappreciated.  I've been on the verge of a meltdown so many times with multiple jobs in multiple fields, and of course, multiple kinds of bosses.  I've found that the smartest way to cover your behind (and stay employed) is to go through the Health and Safety or Human Resources departments.  Avoid going through your management chain, who can personally screw you over.  I've found that using FLMA, the family leave act, can afford you the opportunity to take medically recommended leave, without any "penalty" to your work position/personnnel file.  This is an excellent way to let off some of the pressure with minimal information reported back to your superior, and because it is a Federal Law, people don't tend to mess with it.  Your job position cannot be "officially" negatively affected if you take FMLA.  However, relationships with your boss and co-workers could change character, which means you should be careful when returning to work.  It does not go on your personnel record as a negative, but the individuals that work with you might not see it this way.  Avoid giving out any specifics, just say that you had some family matters to attend to.

Now WARREN, for you specifically, jump down off your cranky horse, and listen how this is applied to security clearance situations.  The thing you need to understand is that any company requiring a security clearance of any level, inevitably start the employment first, have the security paperwork filled out, then may eventually have it processed.  The security clearances are done through the Department of Defense, and cost the company a minimum of $5000.  Thus, many companies get the paperwork filled out, but don't actually submit it for processing until weeks or months later, so they're not out the money in case you don't work out in the position.  Also, if your are not working on a project requiring clearance, they can hold off still longer. 

Once your paperwork is officially being processed by the FEDs, the key is not lying about anything.  It's not that you can't be cleared on through with negative marks on your report, it is just CRITICAL that you don't omit anything or lie about something that can be checked out if the agents on the case are diligent.  My ex-husband was a computer genius, but a horrible liar.  He has serious mental and emotional issues, a lot due to having Aspberger's Syndrome, a form of Autism.  However, he has never been officially diagnosed as such, so there is no documentation about it that can be evaluated.   He just lies about almost everything.  His paperwork is full of lies.  No official has actually questioned outside sources about his information, so he's never been turned down.  However, if anyone talked to me for a half hour, he'd never get another clearance, and would be pretty much out of business for life.

When we divorced, he kept calling me to cover his butt every time it looked like he was going to get his clearance papers put through.  Luckily for him, nobody ever contacted me.  Thus, tell the truth, warts and all.  That's what the security is really all about...truthfullness.  Unless you have something like ongoing psychotic breaks, delusions, or other major mental (and untreatable) conditions, don't sweat it.

The bottom line for everyone is that we are all human, and thus, fallibile.  When it comes to money and employment, trust no-one.  Keep your details to yourself but take advantage of FMLA, as it is probably your best option.

Just my suggestions,

Leigh Ann

i've been traveling from alabama back to texas and have not really been able to keep up.  i wanted to comment on ths thread about your remarks concerning telling your boss and security clearances.

i got my first clearance probably before you were born, in 1971/72.  in those "dark ages" any excuse was enough to deny a clearance.  gays, ***s, transexuals, bi-sexuals, etc. were considered "deviant" and a threat to national security, as was mental illness.  it was also at this time that abuse of controlled substances was accepted (they were having trouble getting people cleared who had served in nam), with a detailed statement as to when, where. how much, to what extent, etc.  we can thank sen mcarthy and j edgar hoover for these prejudices.  i am glad from your post that things may have changed.  this investigation was conducted by the civil service commission on behalf of the us army.  in essence, the army farmed out the invstigation.

my clearance was "upped" in about 1980 to british "secret/"  they have (had) a system in place to "fastrack" a clearances through a process they called "negative vetting."  in this system, they check national and international files on you to make sure you have done nothing "untoward."

in about 1883 i also got a clearance from a middle eastern country to produce a military system for them.  i believe that they relied on my us and british clearances because they were unable to process me themselves - foreign governments are (were) not legaslly allowed to process security clearances in this country.

in the game i was playing back then, a person was hired "pending background investigation."  during the time of the processing, one did little or nothing.  i was working for the us government when i got my first clearance and they sent me to school for a year while the clearance was processed.  for the brits, i started work almost immediately - it was a system with severe national security implications and whitehall considered it a top priority.  the same is true of the middle eastern country.

when i got back to the states from the uk, i had to up my clearance to ts compartmentalized with endorsements.  in addition to the background check, i had to undergo a polygraph.  this was for a government security agency and they didn't trust anyone else's investigation, so they did their own.  this took about a year.  during that yr, i did virtually nothing, along with the other people hired/assigned to that project.  were were placed in the "holding bin" until our clearances were completed and we could take our polygraphs.  i was one of the last to have my investigation completed, probably because of my time in europe, living in germany and england.

i also spent several years as part of the security organization of an international company. in addition,  i testified in open court regarding this process in the 1980s as as expert witness. all of these events are my experience.  i assume that they predate yours by at least a decade, probably by more. 

this is only to say that your experience is different from mine.  yours is not "wrong" only "different."  mine is not "wrong," only "different."

if i have a cranky bone it is only for those people who believe that theirs is the only reality and who label all others as "wrong,: stupid, ill-informed, - you get the picture.

during viet nam, i was given a choice of developing military systems, based on my education and experience, or toating a gun in the mekong delta.  i made my choice quickly.     with a few years out to teach full time in europe, i developed these systems for about 20 yrs.  then i couldn't take it any more and went into another area of system development.  and all this while you were learning to talk.  amazing, isn't it?

i hope that this explaxcation is illuminating.  i had to get this "out there."

warren

many people said that i was underworked and overpaid!  i enjoyed what i was doing so much that they may well have been right.  i might have done it for free - most of the ti,e.  lol

i know whay you mean about frustration.  one one project the pm wouldn't know a data base if one kicked him up the backside and bragged about being ignorant of data handling systems.  i had the unfortunate job of developing and managing the development ofthose systems.  one one occation, after a bitter shouting match (on his part, not mine) i told him that i could very easily distroy all of my and my team's work, quit, and let him do it himself.  yes, i was angry.

warren