th1dwilne9reaor

18

A focus on migraine, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease

“The important thing is putting in place a

system that is fit for purpose in 10-20 years’

time,” says Ms Walsh. “But, for now, we

need to start creating a workplace culture

whereby people feel optimistic that they can

overcome these conditions in partnership with

understanding and amenable employers.”

“The general recommendation to employers

is to have a proactive strategy to show to

employees, showing that they are working in

a stigma-free environment and will not meet

disclosure with discrimination,” says Mr Tromel.

“Companies don’t need to become experts on

all of the individual conditions. There are a lot of

commonalities as to what employers can do for

staff or family members.”

Ideally, occupational health programmes

will need to have more specialist knowledge

about all three of these conditions, as they can

manifest themselves differently, depending on

the individual.

“With any chronic and relapsing condition

like MS, there is a need for regular advice for

employers around fitness for work and safety

and accommodations,” he adds. ”But the

biggest improvement for all workers would be

a focus on capability, rather than what people

are not capable of. What helps is talking more

openly about these conditions that people

were once nervous to talk about.”

In terms of education, more “good news” stories

about people with the illnesses overcoming

their impairments in the workplace would help

change public perceptions, Ms Langdon said.

Executives talking about health issues they

may have, including chronic conditions, is an

important way of creating a more diverse and

open workplace, Dr Heron points out.

One of the key points interviewees emphasised

is the need for earlier assessment of employees

with these conditions so that appropriate

occupational health referrals can be made and

accommodations or adjustments put in place.

Each condition requires particular approaches.

In the case of MS, for example, employers

may need more regular updates from affected

employees, Dr Heron notes.

Workplace adjustments

Employers need to consider how they

accommodate employees with these

conditions so that they can continue working

for as long as possible. They also need to

consider employees who are also unpaid

carers and may struggle to meet their own job

requirements.

Accommodations make business sense. A study

by DePaul University of 16 large employers

in the US found numerous benefits to

employers from hiring and supporting people

with disabilities, including greater loyalty

and reliability, as well as diversification of the

workforce.^61

And the cost is rarely prohibitive, as long as

employers are prepared to be flexible and work

around the individual needs of the employee.

(^61) See “Exploring the Bottom Line: A Study of the Costs and Benefits of Workers with Disabilities,” DePaul University and Illinois Department of
Commerce and Economic Opportunity, October 2007.

Executives talking about health

issues they may have, including

chronic conditions, is an important

way of creating a more diverse and

open workplace.

Richard Heron, chief medical officer, BP