Welcome to Rise Up, AllBright’s celebration of diverse careers, diverse experiences and diverse women in the workplace. Curated by our community, for our community, this is a space to champion the incredible work achieved by all women. This week, we hear about one woman’s journey navigating the world of work while suffering from a chronic illness, alongside advice from a leading HR specialist on why everyone is accountable in creating an inclusive space for all.
What is a chronic illness? And how can you tell if someone is suffering from one? Chronic illnesses can take many forms, some visible – and some not. From lasting months to lifelong illnesses, they’re more common than you think, and it’s likely that someone you know struggles with the effects of battling a chronic condition.
Recent statistics show that more than a third of people aged 15+ in Europe, and almost 60% of adults in the US, suffer with a chronic illness. So how can workplaces ensure that they’re not only adapting to the needs of those with chronic conditions, but also facilitating them in a way that allows them to thrive? We spoke to a woman with first-hand experience in this field, as well as a HR expert, to find out.
Subira Jones – a.k.a. The Corporate Hippie – is a burnout prevention consultant, lifestyle strategist and founder of MPWRD Consulting. Pronounced as ‘empowered’, her business champions individuals in taking back their personal power, allowing them the authority to create a lifestyle that is conductive to their health and wellbeing, and free of burnout. She joins us to speak about her experiences of the world of work with a chronic illness.
Please tell us a little about your condition?
After a year of debilitating symptoms, from partial blindness to complete mobility loss, and other weird and wonderful experiences, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis during my probation period at a well-known Asset Management firm in London.
Has your condition had an impact on your career?
Being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis granted me with the freedom and permission to pivot my career and pursue my purpose and passion. Due to my compromised mobility, commuting to work became near impossible. The blindness and cognitive issues made it increasingly hard to execute my reports with the attention to detail needed. As a result of the symptoms, as well as being in my probation period and a lack of support from HR, I made the decision to resign from my position.
In my effort to reclaim my health, I retrained as a certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Life Coach. Having successfully put the condition into remission for over a year without medical intervention, my career now involves supporting professionals to live free of burnout.
"Little did we know, the cure was a tsunami, in the form of a UK national lockdown. We have all since seen that being less rigid in our approach to working styles is possible"
Subira Jones, The Corporate Hippie - Burnout Prevention Consultant, Lifestyle Strategist and Founder of MPWRD Consulting
Have you faced any physical or emotional hurdles in the workplace because of your condition?
During the first year of experiencing symptoms, I worked for an investment consultancy that had an incredibly flexible approach to working, and a culture that highlighted and prioritised employee wellbeing. This culture and approach to smart working allowed me to continue performing, despite the volatility of my condition during that time.
It was not until I moved to a new company that had an entirely different culture, that I began to appreciate just how important it is to have an inclusive and flexible approach to wellbeing, especially for those with a chronic condition. I found myself experiencing high levels of anxiety and depression at the thought of going into the office, which exacerbated the physical symptoms of the Multiple Sclerosis. Ultimately, this led to my resignation.
What structures would you like to see employers put in place to help those with chronic illnesses in the workplace?
At the beginning of 2020, I met with several CEOs, CIOs and Diversity & Inclusion stakeholders across the Investment and Savings industry to advocate for smart and flexible working. This advocacy was a result of my own struggle trying to re-enter the investment industry with a chronic condition. With close to 20% of the working age population being disabled - many of whom are unemployed or working jobs that they are over skilled for - there is an entire pool of talent that's not being utilised.
Sharing my own story and presenting the unemployment statistics of those with invisible disabilities - as 96% of disabilities are invisible - I was urging the respective stakeholders to get ahead of the curve in expanding their flexible approach to working. Little did we know, the cure was a tsunami, in the form of a UK national lockdown. We have all since seen that being less rigid in our approach to working styles is possible.
As we prepare to return to a post lockdown world, hybrid, flexible and remote working needs to be made an option, without the penalty of financial loses, i.e. losing the London weighting. With regards to employee wellbeing offers, make sure they are inclusive. It is not a one size fits all approach, and signposting employees to EAPs is simply not effective.
"It is not necessary to sacrifice your health in pursuit of your professional aspirations. You can have both"
Subira Jones, The Corporate Hippie - Burnout Prevention Consultant, Lifestyle Strategist and Founder of MPWRD Consulting
Finally, what would be your advice be for other women navigating the workplace with a chronic illness?
As a burnout prevention consultant, the advice I would give to women navigating the workplace with a chronic illness is to take the time to understand what it is you need to manage your health. Not only are you more susceptible to experiencing burnout, but it may have a disproportionate effect on you, compared to your colleagues that have no underlying conditions.
It is not necessary to sacrifice your health in pursuit of your professional aspirations. You can have both.
The Corporate Hippie’s Top Tips To Navigating Chronic Illness In The Workplace
• Understand what you need to better manage your condition
• Implement and enforce boundaries, both at work and in your personal life
• Remember, your identity is not in your job title
You can find out more about The Corporate Hippie here
Francisca Burtenshaw is Head of HR EMEA - Senior Director at PRA Health Sciences. With 15 years within the organisation she has seen the business grow from 3,000 to 20,000 employees globally. Working with both a worldwide and local approach in mind, Francisca’s work sees her contextualise in regards to legislation across each country in order to build a strategy with diversity at it’s core.
Here’s what she told us when we spoke to her about how each and every person in an organisation can help to create a more inclusive environment for those suffering with chronic illness.
Can you share some advice on the regulations that businesses must adhere to when making workplaces inclusive and flexible to those that suffer from chronic illness?
The duty of care to employees suffering with chronic illness in the workplace can fall under both Health and Safety legislation, and Disability and Discrimination legislation. The bottom line on Health and Safety is ensuring that we are looking after the wellbeing and care of employees, so the work shouldn’t jeopardise the wellbeing of the individual. We have a duty of care to employees, regardless of country, that is part of the overall legislation.
As part of the Disability and Discrimination legislation, you have to look at everyone equally, but one size does not fit all. Under the context of equality, and with a consistent approach, providing the right benefits is essential. We have to look at each case on it’s own merit, as we’re dealing with people, not machines! This is applicable to all illnesses – whether it’s a temporary or permanent impairment is irrelevant - as we still have that duty of care to support and put in place all reasonable measures to ensure that employees can perform their role.
"When it comes to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, it's not only the responsibility of HR, or the leadership team. Everyone in the organisation is responsible"
Francisca Burtenshaw, Head of HR EMEA at PRA Health Sciences
What can everyone across the workforce do to ensure that they are mindful of those suffering with chronic conditions?
One thing that’s important in regards to discrimination, is what we call ‘hidden disabilities’ - someone may have a chronic illness that isn’t visible. It's something that employers – and employees – need to be aware of. Because when it comes to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, it's not only the responsibility of HR, or the leadership team. Everyone in the organisation is responsible.
Each person has to be mindful of the way they behave. It could be your colleague, or your direct report, your manager, or a member of a completely different team. There's an element of education and self-awareness of what we say, from how we do our job to how we promote, how we choose someone for a project, how we recruit and even down to how we dismiss.
Which external organisations can people feel confident to turn to when reaching out for third-party advice?
ACAS is a very good organisation to turn to. They offer a free service, and it doesn’t matter if you’re an employee, contractor or consultant, because at the end of the day, these legislations apply to everyone. If a business has a contractor, or even a visitor, on site, they still have a duty of care to them, even if they’re not an employee. The Citizens Advice Bureau also has a great deal of advice in relation to employment law, and it’s free, which is essential if you don’t have the money to access a solicitor or lawyer.
If you’re a contractor or a freelancer, it’s important that you have a good understanding of the organisation that you’re going to be providing those services to and what their policies are. One thing we are working on hard here is inclusive partnership as part of our diversity and inclusion strategy.
What would be your advice to those that are suffering from a chronic illness, in their approach to ensuring they get the help they need in the workplace?
You have a right to disclose your illness or disability, and its your decision how transparent or open you want to be about it. But equally, if you don’t share enough information with your HR professional, they can only operate with the information they have available to them. If you don’t disclose to someone that you need their help, how can they help you?
We can’t do what we don’t have. That could be about equipment, or location, or something else. That’s what’s important about the element of accountability, the person that has the chronic illness needs to tell their organisation how they can best support them, enough for us to ensure that we can put in place the adjustments to help them and that they are included in the workplace.
"For people to feel like they can be open about something, we need to make sure that we’re providing that safe space, where they can feel they can ask questions and disclose information because they feel safe"
Francisca Burtenshaw, Head of HR EMEA at PRA Health Sciences
How can businesses further support those suffering with chronic illness during periods of remote working?
Under duty of care legislation, we have to ensure that we provide the right environment for employees to do their job – whether that’s at home or in an office, or with a client. That includes anyone that has a chronic illness, someone that is perfectly healthy or someone that has a temporary illness that is causing them an impairment, as well as conditions such as pregnancy or menopause. Your wellbeing may have an impact on how you’re performing, and it’s down to your organisation to ensure you have the right tools to do the job as expected.
What should those suffering with chronic illnesses look out for, expect or disclose to ensure they're getting the necessary support when pursuing a new role?
As part of the hiring process, they’ll need to disclose what needs they have. One thing I’m currently looking into as part of our diversity and inclusion strategy is how to ensure that we have the most diverse and inclusive workforce possible.
For people to feel like they can be open about something, we need to make sure that we’re providing that safe space, where they can ask questions and disclose information because they feel safe. For them to feel that they're not going to be judged or have this data used against them, or they’re not going to be made to feel uncomfortable. It's not always about doing grand things, sometimes small adjustments can go a long way. We have to look at each case on it’s own merit, because one size does not fit all.
Want to find out more?
Explore some of Francisca’s top picks of resources, articles and information to educate yourself further.