Question: I have been a software developer in a large organization for more than a decade. I have ADHD and see a psychiatrist every 3 weeks. Boss is now demanding access to all my health records or said he will fire me. He has also locked my Active Directory account (he says temporary) and deactivated my building pass until I sign the document for HR to obtain all my medical records.

I have till Monday (less than a week) to sign the document.

I am located in Australia.

Should I sign the document so my employer has access to all my medical records and all the psychiatrist's notes on me?

TL;DR ADHD Software Developer. Employer demands access to all information in my medical records.

[![Demand from my boss for all my medical records](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BLqPi.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BLqPi.png)

Answer: 
**DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING AT ALL UNLESS YOU HAVE REVIEWED IT WITH A LAWYER.**

I'm typically not a fan of "talk to a lawyer" but this is highly irregular and something bad is going on.

Things to do

1. Start looking for a local employment lawyer. Yes, it may cost you some money, but in this case you need legal protection.
2. Collect all documents and e-mails that are related to this and that you have still access to: performance reviews, time-off sheets, company policies, any type of warnings, your original and current contracts, recent pay slips, etc.
3. Prepare yourself for what happens on Monday. You may get fired, they may put disciplinary actions on you, they will put documents in front of you to sign. **NO MATTER HOW HARMLESS THEY LOOK, DO NOT SIGN THEM.** Nothing at all.
4. Practice in front of a mirror "Sorry, I cannot sign any document before I have reviewed it with my lawyer". Repeat over and over again as needed.
5. They will probably try to pressure you with different types of approaches. You just have to sit it out. Do not sign anything, do not agree to anything, do not comment on anything, don't answer questions but evade them. Just sit and listen and say as little as possible. If they get aggressive use the line "I'm sorry you feel this way".

If you are lucky, this will get them to back off. I'm guessing their plan is to pressure you into whatever it is they want. By not replying, refusing to agree to or sign anything and mentioning lawyer (a lot), they will see that this doesn't work. Since there is a good chance that they are trying to do something that's not fully legal, they really don't want you to talk to a lawyer, so you may gain some leverage here.
**DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING UNLESS YOU GET SOMETHING FOR IT**

Also, medical information is **PRIVATE** in every civilized country and duress in forcing you to disclose it is criminal

See this - [Employee rights to Privacy Australia](https://www.fairwork.gov.au/tools-and-resources/best-practice-guides/workplace-privacy#privacy-and-personal-information)

In my opinion, if you employed legally, you can and should sue this employer for a hefty sum of money.

As far as i understand they will incur a big fine from the authorities as well.

@GregoryCurrie You do not have to disclose your diagnosis to your employer, unless your symptoms have the potential to create an unsafe workplace for you or your colleagues. For example, if you are a train driver and one of your symptoms is fatigue, this may impact on your ability to safely operate the train.
[From Here](https://www.ms.org.au/attachments/mb-eils-information-sheet-faqs-chronic-illness-aug.aspx)

[Or here](https://lawpath.com.au/blog/what-information-can-an-employer-request-from-an-employee#:%7E:text=Your%20employer%20cannot%20request%20any,a%20personal%20illness%20or%20injury)

Your employer cannot request any medical information from a medical professional without your consent. However, in the event of sickness , an employee is entitled to take their accrued paid sick leave

if they:

1. Are unfit for work because of a personal illness or injury
2. Provide the employer with evidence (e.g. a medical certificate or statutory declaration) that an illness or injury renders them unfit for work

In this instance, your employer retains the right to request a medical certificate.