Chronic Illness and Invisible Disability – Misconceptions in the Workplace
Posted on November 27, 2010 by DFHS Article Team
Chronic illness. Invisible disability. Whatever you wish to call it, one in three employees now has a medical condition that impacts their productivity at work. Unlike acute illnesses, chronic conditions are unpredictable, invisible and long lasting. I know from experience that this concept is difficult for many people to understand.
Here are five misconceptions about chronically ill employees:
They are either “sick” or “well’.
Unlike most people, those with underlying conditions often feel sick every day. For them sickness is often a matter of degrees.
They can’t be sick. They don’t look sick
Your employee may not tell you they are sick
Depending on the disease, the employee may not show visible signs of illness even when they are feeling quite poorly. When I get really sick I do show it, but many days I feel terrible but look “normal”.
They can’t be sick. They don’t act sick
The ill person knows when they have to get through the day. Over the years I have developed mechanisms that allow me to function “normally” even when I’m in a lot of pain or discomfort. It takes a lot of effort and is mentally and physically exhausting but I don’t show it at work.
At least they have the weekend/evening to relax.
If you have read point number 3, you realize that it’s easy for the chronically sick employee to be totally and utterly exhausted just getting through a “normal day”. Many days, I spend so much time fighting to be professional and polite through pain, or fatigue that the last thing I want to do is talk to friends or socialize.
If they are sick they should not be at work
While I agree with this to a point, the fact is that if someone with a chronic condition took a day off work every time they did not feel one-hundred-percent, many would never come in to work at all. I know there are certain tasks I can still do despite my pain or discomfort. I would rather come in and do them rather than have them pile up for me to do tomorrow when I may be feeling just as sick as I am today.
As you can see, life with a chronic illness can be complicated. It is important to keep an open mind and not jump too quickly to conclusions.
By Jason Reid
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Reid
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