How you can provide REAL support to your employees with chronic illnesses

Chronic illnesses can often go unseen, and are traditionally non-visible disabilities, that leave some sufferers feeling like imposters or unseen themselves. Organisations show again and again how committed they are to making reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities, but how confident are employees that experience chronic pain for example; in disclosing those disabilities and how prepared/open are organisations, to providing the varied and evolving reasonable adjustments that they need in the workplace?

Chronic illnesses are described as “a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term chronic is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months” (Wikipedia). Examples of them include diabetes, asthma, chronic pain, mental illness and Epilepsy.

Understanding how different chronic illnesses can be from individual to individual is extremely important, but also understanding that peoples experiences of them are also individual, is significantly important for organisations wanting to provide REAL support for these employees to create true equality and inclusion. It’s not easy, so here are some tips for organisations and leaders wanting to provide better support for their employees with chronic illnesses: 

1.     Education & Awareness:

As mentioned earlier, chronic illnesses are so varied and for that reason, it’s important for you to educate yourselves and your teams on what they are first of all. This includes learning about symptoms, treatments and individual needs. Developing awareness is key to creating empathy and supportive environments.

2.     Open communication

Creating spaces where employees feel comfortable being open about their health conditions is crucial. Employees want to be able to share their needs, challenges and the flexibility they need, without fear of being overlooked or even worse, not believed. Checking in regularly as a manager, can help you stay up to date with employee’s well-being as well as showing that you really care.

 3.     Flexible Work Arrangements:

Covid-19 introduced a completely new way of life across the world that we were all required to adjust to. Remote working was adopted begrudgingly by all, and it’s stuck in the main. A lot of organisations however, are now getting employees to come back in, some introducing hybrid working models, some requiring a full-time office presence and others sticking to remote working for the majority. For employees with chronic illnesses, asking them what they need here is so important. One size will not fit all, so flexibility is needed for people with chronic illnesses to not only manage work and their illness,

 4.     Flexibility during flare-ups and for appointments

Chronic illness can be unpredictable and flare ups can be unexpected. Managers should give grace to effected employees, understanding that not every day will be the same, and what they were able to do yesterday, may not be what they are able to do today. It is a big ask, but it is important. Creating an environment where your employees feel like you understand this and enable them to work flexibly to overcome those periods, attending pre-planned or emergency appointments as required.

 5.     Offer Programmes of Support

Most organisations offer Employee Assistance programmes that provide a range of resources for managing health conditions, mental health support, counselling and other services. But how many of your employees use it? Many employees have heard of the programme, but have no idea how much support is available and how to access it. They also worry that they will be looked at differently by management or colleagues, for accessing the support. Offering programmes like this and promoting use of them, is a great way to increase the number of your employees that use them.

 Understandably, starting out in your journey to create an organisation that is equitable and inclusive for employees with chronic illnesses can feel like a huge job. If you are committed to doing it properly, then that’s exactly how it should feel. These tips should support you to get started, and that’s all you need to do for now. Start, and listen to your employees to guide what your inclusion journey looks like and how impactful it can be.