An employee may tell a trusted colleague about a health condition long before speaking with HR. Sometimes that conversation is about practical help during a difficult day. Sometimes it's simply about explaining why work has become harder than it used to be.
A 2026 study published in Disability and Rehabilitation examined how workers make those decisions with colleagues, rather than focusing only on formal disclosure to supervisors. The researchers conducted 25 interviews with people living with chronic physical or mental health conditions that affected work at least some of the time.
The workplace relationship matters
According to the publicly available research abstract, participants described decisions shaped by their relationships at work, expectations of different groups and the wish to be understood. Researchers identified five themes in the communication process. The findings also describe a generally positive experience with colleagues among participants, although the considerations behind each disclosure were complex.
That doesn't mean disclosure to a coworker is always advisable, or that another worker has a right to know someone's diagnosis. Telling a colleague can help build trust, but it can also raise worries about confidentiality, gossip or being treated differently.
Formal systems and ordinary conversations
Employers usually design accommodation processes around supervisors, HR teams and occupational health staff. Those channels remain important because decisions about work adjustments, records and confidentiality should be handled appropriately.
Informal coworker relationships are different. They may give employees everyday support, but a colleague is not necessarily equipped to assess medical restrictions or promise that information will stay private. An organization needs both a clear formal route for requests and a workplace culture in which employees aren't punished socially for asking for help.
This was a small qualitative study, not a national estimate of how many workers disclose or a test of which workplace intervention is most effective. Its contribution is a more careful description of the decisions people make about whom to trust.
The research offers an important reminder. A health policy may explain what HR will do, but the experience of working alongside other people also shapes whether an employee feels comfortable speaking at all.