Diabetes in the workplace

RESEARCH from Diabetes UK has found that one in six (16 per cent) people with diabetes who work feel that they’ve been discriminated against by their employer because of their condition.

A lack of understanding from employers can make working with diabetes not just exhausting and stressful, but also potentially lifethreatening. Managing diabetes can involve taking medication – including injecting insulin at the right times and also testing blood glucose levels multiple times a day.

More than one third (37 per cent) of respondents to a survey said that living with diabetes had caused them difficulty at work, while 7 per cent had not told their employer that they have the condition.

A quarter (25 per cent) said that they would like time off work for diabetes-related appointments and flexibility to take regular breaks for testing their blood sugar or to take medication.

Diabetes is one of the largest health crises of our time affecting more than 2.2 million people of working age.

Missing essential health checks or not taking medication on time can lead to devastating complications, such as amputations, stroke, heart disease, kidney failure and even early death.

To find out more about your rights at work if you have diabetes or for information about supporting people with diabetes in the workplace if you are an employer visit www.diabetes.org.uk/work

Roz Rosenblatt Head of London Diabetes UK