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U Working Americans with serious diseases U What and when to tell the boss
U Understanding chronic illness U Helpful words and hurtful words U How to speak with children about illness
At one time or another, every workplace and every family will be affected by serious or chronic illness, which is frightening and stressful both for those who are fighting the disease and those who work or live with them.
People who become ill may not know what to say about their disease. They often worry about how to tell supervisors, co-workers, friends, or family members, especially children.
On the other hand, those who are told of the illness may not know how to respond and often are afraid they’ll say something inappropriate. This chapter answers some important questions about the difficult conversations that may accompany illness.
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If you wonder if you’ll ever have to deal with a co-worker’s illness, the answer is yes.
Hundreds of thousands of American workers are diagnosed with serious illnesses every year; because of advances in medicine, many diseases that were once rapidly fatal are becoming manageable conditions that allow people to continue working, sometimes with accommodations. Below are some of the illnesses you may encounter—or even face yourself.
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Disease New Cases Diagnosed Annually
Men
Prostate Cancer 234,000
Testicular Cancer 9,000
Subtotal 243,000
Women
Breast Cancer 214,000
Ovarian Cancer 20,000
Cervical Cancer 13,000
Subtotal 247,000
Both Sexes
Heart Attacks 1,200,000
Diabetes 700,000
Congestive Heart Failure 400,000
Lung Cancer 170,000
Colon Cancer 135,000
Multiple Sclerosis 10,000
ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) 5,000
Subtotal 2,620,000
Total 3,110,000
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In addition, arthritis affects nearly 20 percent of American adults and is second only to heart disease as a cause of workplace disability. Several thousand cases of other autoimmune conditions, such as lupus, scleroderma, and thyroid disorders, are diag-nosed every year, and these illnesses can be painful, debilitating, and hard to manage.
Respiratory diseases—emphysema, asthma, and others—affect millions of Americans.
Add to that the 18,000,000 people who are treated for depression every year, and you’ll see that workplace illness touches everyone.
The numbers in the table represent only the new cases diagnosed each year; they do not include people who may have been diagnosed years ago and are still contending with a particular disease.
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If you have received a diagnosis of serious illness, the shock can be overwhelming.
Learning that you have cancer, congestive heart failure, multiple sclerosis, or any other serious disease may wipe out your ability to think rationally for a little while.
Your immediate concerns are prognosis and treatment. Has your life span just been abruptly shortened or will you be dealing with a series of health issues over a long span of time? Will your condition remain relatively stable or will you have periods of illness interspersed with intervals of remission? What kinds of treatment will you need? Can you find the treatment locally or will you have to travel? Does treatment offer a cure or only alleviation of symptoms?
Once the initial panic has ebbed a bit, you have practical matters to deal with, includ-ing your job. The big question you must settle in your own mind is whether you tell your employer of your illness. Most people are very apprehensive about this conver-sation because they are afraid they will be fired, which will cost them their health insurance just when they need it most; demoted; or given make-work tasks. They also may worry about being shunned by co-workers.
The majority of people agree that, if you have a good relationship with your boss and co-workers, speaking up is better than remaining silent. By sharing the facts, you may have access to sources of help within the company.
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Human resources representatives can spell out the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you have a qualifying condition, they can start the ball rolling to
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make the necessary accommodations, which might include such things as adjusting your schedule, modifying your work space, or making preparations that allow you to work from home as necessary. Of course, many workplaces will make those changes without your having to resort to the ADA, just because they value your contribution.
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Human resources can help you maintain your benefits and file necessary forms. Lift-ing the burden of paperwork can be a huge advantage when you’re tryLift-ing to work while managing your illness. Human resources professionals have considerable experience in dealing with the effects and aftereffects of illness as it relates to the workplace, and they can be very good people to have on your team.
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Obviously, if you’re in and out of the office for frequent doctors’ appointments and often call in sick, your co-workers are going to wonder and worry. Even if you never miss a day of work, they might not understand why you’re entitled to a shortened workday or allowed to work from home occasionally. If they don’t know the reason for what they see as perks, they may become jealous—and jealousy often leads to rumors of favoritism and other negative consequences. Colleagues may turn on you at the time you most need their support.
Telling them what’s going on can relieve their apprehension and convert jealousy to understanding. In many companies, co-workers have been extremely generous about sharing their sick leave or vacation time with a col-league in need. They often pitch in to see that large projects get done, and sometimes they even provide meals for the family. Keeping your illness close to the vest can deprive you—and them—of the benefits of friendship.
You needn’t share anything immediately, especially if your illness will not result in any major near-term changes. When fatigue or medications begin to have an impact on your ability to perform to your previous standards, however, it’s probably time to have a talk with your supervisor.
Five minutes after your diagno-sis, you are the same person you were the five minutes before your diagnosis. Knowing you have an illness doesn’t rob you of your skills, talents, and abilities, and you have the legal right to be protected from dis-crimination.
Words to the Wise