Depends on the information the supervisor seeks and purpose for seeking it.
Personal health information about the employee is privacy protected and can’t be disclosed unless for legitimate and essential employment purposes. For example, it may be OK to share info about an injured worker’s capabilities with the worker’s supervisor if it’s essential to carrying forward the RTW process such as in determining what kind of work he can do and what supervision he needs.
You also need to be careful not to disclose more than necessary to accomplish the purpose. Example: You can ask a worker for a doctor’s note if he calls in sick to verify that he really is sick. You can also ask for a prognosis but not a diagnosis. You can then let the supervisor know that the worker really is sick and isn’t jaking it.
If you provide me more details about the scenario, I can probably give you a more specific answer. Glenn glennd@bongarde.com
