Work can be a challenge for employees managing chronic pain, but helping them remain in their job is vital for employers as labour shortages persist. Dr Glenn Mason suggests five ways organisations can support them.
Most people experience physical pain at some point in their lives, but for some it can be debilitating and make day-to-day life difficult.
Chronic or persistent pain lasts longer than three months and is now classified as either chronic primary pain or chronic secondary pain. Chronic pain can be linked to trauma, as this can lead to alterations in pain perception and regulation. As an employer, it can be helpful to bear these connections in mind so you can best support employees.
Chronic pain affects some 28 million people in the UK. The impact on the economy is significant, as it can lead to absenteeism and, in some cases, a complete withdrawal from work altogether. This corresponds with government data that show there was a 31% increase in back and neck issues and a 22% increase in mental health conditions keeping people off work between 2019 and 2022.
It can affect an individual at any point in their life, and in the workplace in particular, employees may experience great difficulty in completing their tasks, seeing a drop-off in their productivity and potentially feeling like their job is at stake.
Individuals can suffer from disturbed sleep, fatigue, low mood, anxiety, stress, depression, lack of focus, as well as having no work life-balance and side effects from medications to manage the pain. In fact, research shows, although varied in their findings, that up to 85% of people with chronic pain experience depression.
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Employees with chronic pain often worry about what people at work think about their condition, especially if they need to take a lot of time off or they are struggling to manage tasks, and this can lead to fear of losing their job. For some, the impact on their mental health can be so big that they stop work.
As an employer, there are many ways you can support employees, but here are five initiatives you can implement to help them manage their pain at work.
1. Communicate
Having a range of communication channels available for employees creates an open culture and one where employees feel empowered to speak out about their issues. Create a culture that reduces stigma. Anything an employee says about their condition should be met with compassion and kindness – whether that be from a line manager or a mental health/physical first aider. Be honest and ensure the individual feels supported and listened to.
2. Adapt the individual’s role
It is important to keep people in work as this not only helps an individual’s mental health, but their physical health too. Speak with the person about what they feel comfortable doing at work and look to adapt their role to suit their needs – put plans in place to help the individual continue to develop their career and feel valued. Being flexible about taking time off for medical appointments and having more regular breaks will also be appreciated.
Employees with chronic pain often worry about what people at work think about their condition, especially if they need to take a lot of time off or they are struggling to manage tasks.”
3. Training for leaders and line managers
Implementing training to help leaders and line managers understand what chronic pain is and how it can impact an individual can help reduce stigma in the workplace, as well as help employees feel more understood. It can also help you to put the right support in place. If a senior leader or manager has chronic pain themselves, it can be good to showcase their story and how they work.
4. Check a workstation is set up correctly
If an employee with chronic pain is working in an office or at home their workstation should be set up to ensure their body is well supported – whether that be their desk, chair, or lighting, for example. Every condition has different needs, so be sure to check what will work best for the employee.
5. Waymark employees to outside support
Whilst it is great to have a supportive working environment, there are external options that can be explored to guide employees towards support such as occupational health, cognitive behavioural therapy, and NHS resources.
It is important to care for employees with chronic pain by being open and flexible. Keep communication channels open, listen to the person, be compassionate, and ask what support they need. Help them to continue working by being flexible and utilise external resources to help you provide the right level of support.
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