More than 20 million Australians have at least one long-term health condition, 63% of which are in the labor force.
The causes of chronic disease they are complex and often unrelated to a person’s work. However, at times, continued exposure to occupational stressors can lead to or worsen chronic conditions, including musculoskeletal disorders, heart disease, worry and depression.
Our research found that 73% of people believed that their chronic illness was at least partly caused or worsened by their work. Almost one in five people believed that work entirely caused or worsened their illness.
These findings are consistent with data from Safe Work Australia which suggests that health conditions (particularly mental health) account for an increasing proportion of serious workers’ compensation claims.
Read more: The impact of work on well-being: 6 factors that will affect the future of work and health inequalities
Our research also found People with a chronic illness were likely to report various forms of discrimination in the workplace, including rejection from a job (63%), unfair treatment in the workplace (65%) and harassment (52%).
So what are employers doing so wrong? And what are the solutions to improve working conditions for people with chronic conditions?
Employers’ responsibilities have increased
In 2022, Safe Work Australia updated its occupational health and safety regulations to include specific guidelines for managing “psychosocial” risks in the workplace.
ONE psychosocial risk is anything that can cause psychological and physical harm, including planning or managing interactions or behaviors at work and in the workplace.
Common examples include job demands, low job control, poor support, lack of role clarity, exposure to traumatic events, harassment and bullying. Failure to eliminate or minimize psychosocial risks can cause work-related stress, resulting in poor health outcomes for workers.
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Organizations need to improve their engagement and management of chronically ill workers to meet their legal obligations.
How employers are getting it wrong
Few organizations have sophisticated approaches managing employees who are chronically ill. And managers often feel poorly equipped for the effective support of employees with chronic conditions.
Instead, there is a tendency to rely on antiquated human resources and occupational health and safety systems that were originally designed to cater for short-term absences and acute illnesses.
Return-to-work policies tend to fall short because they assume a gradual and linear return to full work capacity. This is often not the case for people with chronic illnesses, whose symptoms may be degenerative or fluctuating over time.
Chronically ill workers are rarely considered in organizational diversity and inclusion policies and procedures. At best, they may be incorporated into umbrella disability policies, which can be problematic as people with chronic illnesses do not necessarily identify themselves as “disabled”.
Many chronically ill workers fly under the radar. This is partly because organizations do not collect this data, but it is also due to the often invisible nature of chronic illness. Someone living with conditions like long-term COVID or endometriosis, for example, may appear to their colleagues as problem-free. However, they will often experience complex, fluctuating symptoms that are largely invisible at work.
Employees can also choose not to disclose their illness due to fear of stigma, being treated differently or being passed over for promotion. Our research on leaders living with chronic illnesses found that only 18% fully disclosed their illness to their employer. Almost three-quarters of leaders with chronic illnesses (73%) deliberately hid their illness at work.
Read more: Should you tell your boss about your mental illness? Here’s what to weigh
What can employers do?
Here are three ways employers can begin to proactively meet their obligations to employees with chronic illnesses.
1. Make adjustments
Workers with chronic illnesses sometimes experience fluctuations in their condition that can affect their ability to complete tasks or meet deadlines. It may be necessary for managers to consider sensitively discussing a revised work schedule, delegating time-sensitive tasks, or discussing implementing reasonable adjustments to improve work flow.
These can be challenging conversations, but dealing with them head on means employers can allocate the resources they need to achieve their business goals while reducing employee experiences of overwhelm.
2. Accept reasonable requests
Employees with chronic illnesses may require reasonable adjustments, such as flexible working, to enable them to perform at their best.
Consider these requests and minimize the administrative hurdles associated with approving such accommodations. Failure to do so is likely to erode trust, entrench feelings of unsupported and increase employee psychological distress.
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3. Train managers
Managers may sometimes deny a request for a reasonable accommodation based on the belief that it sets a precedent for all team members. Decisions like these can exacerbate feelings of stress, as they can be seen as a lack of procedural justice by employees living with a chronic illness.
With proper training, managers are more likely to recognize that chronically ill workers are generally not looking for “special therapy,” but rather ways to work more effectively within their altered capacities.
By recognizing the value of employees of all abilities and proactively and systematically addressing the needs of their chronically ill workforce, employers can minimize extended workplace absenteeism and improve the productivity of their workforce.
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