At work with MS Who is on your side?
An occupational therapist can be really valuable in discussing and analysing your difficulties at work and working with you to find ways to overcome them. For example they can work with you and your employer to find alternative ways of doing things, rearranging your workspace and ensuring that symptoms are managed most effectively. Vocational rehabilitation services can also be valuable although they may not be available in all areas.
"The advice my union gave me was to get the most senior person you know "on side" in case middle management are less aware of the Equality Act."
"Be prepared to ask for and accept help. It can be available without you knowing and it's better to be in work with support than not."
You might want to encourage your employer to speak to someone with expertise in providing work related support. A number of agencies are available and they are there to support you in your work situation. The Equality and Human Rights Commission provides detailed guidance and advice for you and your employer about whether an adjustment is reasonable or not.
- how effective is the adjustment?
- will it significantly reduce my disadvantage?
- how practical is it?
- will it cause much disruption?
- will it help other people in the workplace?
- is the cost prohibitive?
Issues for you both to consider include:
Some of the adjustments that would be useful to you could help others in the workplace.
The benefits to maintaining you as a productive employee are huge. It is easier for an employer to adjust to a known and valued employee than to face the risk and expense of recruiting someone new.
If you are having difficulty with obtaining adjustments it can be useful to get the support of either your MS specialist nurse, occupational therapist, occupational health advisor, or union representative to have a meeting to discuss how your work could be made easier. The choice of whom you approach for support will depend on the specific circumstances. Health professionals can explain the condition and invisible symptoms such as fatigue, occupational health have expertise in managing health conditions at work and union representatives are there to support you as an individual. Health professionals need to be invited to attend a meeting, and invited to speak, whereas occupational health and union representatives have more formal roles in workplace meetings. If your relationship with your manager or employer has become difficult you may need to use more formal processes to obtain adjustments.
If you believe that your employer has not made reasonable adjustments and your relationship has broken down you might want to consider action. An informal discussion with your employer about your needs might be enough particularly if it is due to a misunderstanding; however you may need to follow your employer's internal grievance procedure. If you need support you can contact the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
There are environmental issues which affect everyone. I worked in an office where the window did not open and too many people in the room made it hot and stuffy. As the heat affected my fatigue badly, the temperature was reduced so my MS has rectified the problem for everyone.