Stubborn cold, a week’s sick leave, then back to work healthy – and normally everything as before. This is how it is for employees with ‘normal’ illnesses. A situation that many employees with chronic complaints can only dream of. It’s not easy for them to shake it all off every day.
According to a study by Goethe University in Frankfurt, the figure is 50 per cent, while the Stiftung Gesundheitswesen (Healthcare Foundation) puts it at 40 per cent. Whether one survey or the other – one thing is clear: there is a very high number of chronically ill people. Almost half of all Germans suffer from complaints that don’t just go away. Take a look around the office or in the next video call – the probability that one of your colleagues is chronically ill is very high. HR departments can and should support these employees. But how can they do this?
The most important takeaways for HR departments
- Chronic diseases are everywhere, but they are not always visible – almost half of the German population is affected.
- Employees with chronic complaints often have particular strengths such as resilience, good time management and a high level of empathy.
- Flexible working models and customised solutions are key to giving those affected long-term career prospects.
- Companies should promote an open, respectful communication culture – but at the same time respect the privacy of all employees.
Chronic diseases are everywhere and not always visible
Chronic illnesses sometimes accompany affected employees throughout their lives – and companies often don’t even know about them. Of course, some illnesses bring visible restrictions with them. Others, however, remain undetected at a quick glance in a dark, hidden corner. These include, for example:
- Rheumatism
- Diabetes
- Chronic migraine
- Multiple sclerosis
- Eating disorders
- Mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders
For those affected, however, these chronic illnesses (often) mean a permanent burden that restricts them in their day-to-day work.
Particularly challenging: the state of health can fluctuate. On some days everything is fine, on others even the simplest task is difficult. What’s more, chronic illnesses are often accompanied by fatigue, concentration problems or pain.
Chronically ill people – skills that not everyone has
Of course, affected employees do not want to be restricted to their illness and want to do their job normally like everyone else. HR departments are important here: through understanding, flexibility and targeted support, they can ensure that chronically ill employees not only remain in their jobs, but can also fulfil their potential.
After all, some of them have very special skills – which others may not have:
- Resilience: You learn to deal with setbacks and adapt better and faster when the unexpected happens.
- Efficient time management: Because they lack energy here and there, they have a talent for prioritising tasks efficiently.
- High empathy: Personal experience with challenges sharpens the sense for the needs of others in the company – or also on the customer side.
5 tips for dealing with chronically ill employees
An open, respectful working environment is the basis for ensuring that employees with chronic illnesses feel comfortable and can fulfil their potential. This is not just about consideration, but also about targeted measures that make everyday working life easier.
Here are some basic tips:
- Finding individual solutions: Every chronic illness is and works differently. There is no universal formula, no guideline that applies to everyone. This means that HR departments need to find individual solutions. Ideally developed together with those affected.
- Enable flexibility: This individuality requires flexibility. Adapted working hours or home office options, rest periods, slightly different rules than for those not affected – more variability is needed so that those affected can better harmonise their work with their health.
- Realistically assess performance: Not every day is the same: HR departments, personnel managers and management should take this into account and be prepared for the fact that there may be weaker phases – keyword flexibility.
- Promote sensitisation within the team: Understanding is important, but no one should be forced into private health details – more on this later. Nevertheless, a general awareness of chronic illnesses is important to avoid misunderstandings.
- Have conversations at eye level: It’s not about showing pity, but about finding solutions. Questions such as ‘What do you need to be able to work well?’ are more helpful than unsolicited advice.
In addition to flexibility in the organisation of the workplace and work tasks, open communication on the subject is crucial.
The Apotheken Umschau headlines an article: ‘Chronically ill: should I tell people at work?’ In an understanding working environment characterised by appreciation and attention, the answer should be a clear ‘Yes!’. But the prerequisite is precisely that – that a company, its managers and HR departments allow such transparent communication.
A fine line between care and the red line
Despite all the open communication that is suggested in many places on this topic, HR managers should not forget one thing: There is no right to know that an employee is chronically ill. Health is always a private matter – but as always, there is an exception. ‘Anyone who endangers themselves or others due to illness must inform their employer,’ explains Manfred Schmid, who works as an employment lawyer at the law firm Pinsent Masons.
In practice, this leads to a balancing act for HR departments and managers. On the one hand, it is important to be attentive – to go through everyday life with open eyes, to enquire sensitively if there are clear signs of a chronic illness and, as described, to create offers and take measures to help.
On the other hand, some employees may not want to be transparent about their illness. It is then important to take this wish into account – and not to be tense about doing the right thing, which later turns out to be the wrong and hurtful thing towards the employee.
Documentation helps with chronic illnesses
Documenting important information about employees’ chronic illnesses helps – especially if the complaints pose a risk to those affected or their colleagues and customers. Of course, you may not arbitrarily store employee health data. According to Art. 9 para. 2 GDPR, there must be legal legitimisation for this.
If this is the case, you must always store data in accordance with the law and ensure that it is not passed on to third parties. Doing this digitally with a traditional paper file or an insecure memory is at least questionable in terms of data security. A digital personnel file is better and, above all, more secure. In addition to ensuring compliance, the digital form of the physical personnel file, which has been practised for decades, saves time.
Conclusion: flexible offers and working environments are needed
Roughly half of the German population suffers from chronic illnesses that cannot be swept under the carpet in everyday working life. It is therefore important for HR departments to deal with this issue transparently and openly. Flexible offers and working environments should be created in which those affected can develop with their limitations.
For some companies, this may be a challenge at first. However, employees will thank you with loyalty and recommendations – two aspects that are more than valuable in times of a shortage of skilled labour.
You might also be interested in:
