Dear Dr. Mimi:
Over the past month, one of my co-workers has missed several important deadlines and has seemed kind of “out of it” during our weekly status meetings. My boss is increasingly fed up with her and is talking about firing her. What my boss doesn’t know is that my co-worker has a serious (but manageable) disease, and that her recent decline in performance is due to the side effects of a new medication. She should improve over the next month, but she has yet to inform our boss of the actual situation. Should I talk to my boss, or wait it out?
—Concerned

Dear Concerned:
I hope her condition improves with this new medication. Your co-worker needs to have a meeting with her boss. Not only would it help her, but it would also help her boss understand how to accommodate her due to this condition. It might be intimidating or uncomfortable to have this conversation since the situation is ongoing. She could also talk to the HR department. Bringing in a neutral third party can help relieve the pressure. As her colleague, you should be there to support her, but not to communicate this.
—Dr. Mimi