Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

DisabilityOH service deliverySickness absence managementWellbeing and health promotionOccupational Health

Why ‘hidden’ disabilities shouldn’t also mean hiding disability

by Chris Jay 25 Jan 2022
by Chris Jay 25 Jan 2022 Diabetes is one 'invisible' disability that people can sometimes feel reluctant being open about. Shutterstock
Diabetes is one 'invisible' disability that people can sometimes feel reluctant being open about. Shutterstock

Too many people still go about their working lives keeping their disability a secret from their employers and colleagues, often to the detriment of their health and wellbeing. Occupational health practitioners can play an important role in breaking this cycle, argues Chris Jay.

When we think of disability, we often envisage visible impairments – an assistance dog, perhaps, or mobility aid, most commonly a wheelchair, and so on.

However, it is estimated that around 80% of disabilities are non-visible or hidden from view, which means that, at some point in their lives, around 11 million people in the UK will decide whether (or not), to be open about their disability in the workplace.

Living with disability effects one in five of us, and in many different ways. But, for a vast majority, it presents extra challenges.

The list of non-visible disabilities is long and includes asthma, Crohn’s Disease, chronic pain, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, rheumatoid arthritis, visual and auditory disabilities – and that’s the tip of the iceberg.

Because these disabilities are non-visible, it’s not uncommon for people to keep them a secret in the workplace. The main reason for this is fear of stigmatisation and discrimination, or simply being perceived as different.

People also worry that co-workers may misunderstand their disability or offer them unwanted sympathy and attention. They also worry that they may be presented with fewer opportunities by management, leading to slower progression. Which comes as no surprise when you consider that, according to the charity Scope, one in three people feel that those with disabilities are ‘less productive’.

Disability disclosure is, of course, entirely up to the individual and by no means an obligation. Yet choosing not to reveal a disability in the workplace can be detrimental to a person’s physical and mental health as well as their general wellbeing.

Impact of secrecy

Disability and work

Mind the disability gap: why small business must not be a no-go area for occupational health

Long Covid: the case for making ‘work-ability’ a health outcome

Training occupational health professionals to do disability assessments

Let’s face it, work is tough! Workplace stress exists in all industries across nearly all working environments with the overwhelming majority (79%) of all UK adults feel stressed at least one day a month. On average, a typical UK adult feels stressed approximately 8.27 days a month which equates to more than twice a week.

That feeling of stress impacts us mentally and can cause anger, aggression, irritability, frustration and depression or even aggressive behaviour.

Physically, it can trigger issues such as headaches, nausea, indigestion, digestive problems, breathing issues and aches and pains. Consider now, the additional challenges of maintaining a job, with a non-visible disability that you haven’t revealed.

To give an example, imagine being someone who has not revealed they are diabetic who is suddenly asked by their boss: “Please can we work through our lunch break as it is so busy.”

The stress levels now are doubled for that particular staff member as a stressful situation has also just became a danger to their health. On the one hand, you could turn down the offer and refuse but, if everyone else does so but you don’t, how does that make the others feel about you if they don’t understand the true reason for your apparent lack of ‘team spirit’?

Or, imagine being someone that hasn’t revealed a chronic pain condition. Colleagues may misinterpret your symptoms for laziness, and when you need additional breaks, they may complain, or comment that their colleagues’ lateness has let the team down.

Put simply, as well as jeopardising a person’s physical health by not adequately looking after themselves, hiding a disability can be very stressful. A recent US study set out to prove just that and found that employees who do reveal their disability are more than twice as likely to feel happy or content at work than those who do not (65% versus 27%).

They are also less likely to regularly feel nervous or anxious (18% versus 40%) or isolated (8% versus 37%).

So, how do we make the change? How do we reduce the number of people hiding their disabilities, and therefore improve their health and wellbeing?

Gaining awareness

If people are reluctant to talk about having a disability, there’s likely to be a reason, and workplace culture or a lack of disability awareness, is usually somewhere at the heart of this problem.

Raising awareness through training programmes encourages people to be confident and comfortable revealing and discussing their disabilities. This, in turn, helps colleagues to be more understanding while also helping people with disabilities to gain the support they need to improve their working lives.

Training and educating managerial staff is a particularly important aspect of this, as awareness and understanding of disability will trickle down to other staff members, allowing a more supportive and inclusive workforce to develop.

It is also important when choosing a training provider that a user-led organisation (meaning the courses are designed and delivered by people with disabilities themselves) is selected.

The content of this training should focus on modules including etiquette, communication, correct use of language, inclusive behaviour, legislation and how to best make reasonable adjustments.

How occupational health can help

The word we typically use to describe organisational awareness about employee disability is ‘disclosure’, which is, frankly, a negative word.

It implies that something bad is being hidden, that a person has a dark secret and is concealing it. But, realistically, if an employer has an open and truly inclusive workplace culture, secrecy and concealment won’t ever be necessary.

Occupational health can play a big part in developing that openness. OH is commonly misunderstood to be something we turn to as and when people experience an issue.

However, by reframing the way that OH is perceived, it can be understood as more of a preventative tool that can help facilitate people to bring the best version of themselves to the workplace.

OH is commonly misunderstood to be something we turn to as and when people experience an issue. However, by reframing the way OH is perceived, it can be understood as more of a preventative tool”

OH should demonstrate and reflect an employers’ willingness to assist and help staff develop, rather than struggle with a disability, alone and in secrecy.

If members of staff who have not revealed their disability begin to understand and see OH as a part of a system in place to help staff with disabilities, they will be more likely to reveal their own.

This can be achieved by OH demonstrating and detailing the success of their interactions and ways it can help, perhaps in case studies or communications materials.

These would demonstrate how adjustments made by the employer enabled staff with disabilities to be healthier and improve their wellbeing, mental health and productivity.

Knowing that other staff members have achieved this through the organisation’s open, helpful and welcoming culture towards inclusivity will certainly reduce secrecy.

If there is a limited response, perhaps anonymous surveys could be considered to gain a better understanding of how OH is perceived in the workplace. Here you can determine whether staff are aware of how OH can help them gain support, or how they can benefit from reasonable adjustments, should they have a disability they have not revealed. Anonymous surveys may also be a good method of understanding if any staff have disabilities they have not revealed, and why.

Conclusions

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

In conclusion, staff will always sense an employer’s willingness to support them and make adjustments to help them be the healthiest, happiest version of themselves. In turn they will be much more likely to be open about the disabilities they may otherwise be hiding.

Developing awareness, and subsequently creating an inclusive workplace culture, is the best place to start. It will also give OH the perfect platform to demonstrate its support, exemplify the benefits of change, and how it can facilitate individuals once they make the choice to be open about disability.

Chris Jay

Chris Jay is managing director of Bascule Disability Training

previous post
Could the metaverse take hybrid work to the next level?
next post
‘Partial return’ to offices in Scotland from Monday

You may also like

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Black security manager awarded £360k after decade of...

20 May 2025

Access to Work backlogs and delays costing businesses...

14 Apr 2025

Warning of diabetes risk for workplace drivers

11 Apr 2025

NHS could go door-to-door to tackle ill-health worklessness

7 Apr 2025

Working days lost to asthma up 150% since...

4 Apr 2025

Calls growing for UK national asbestos register

4 Apr 2025

Research to tackle ill-health worklessness gets £7m cash...

4 Apr 2025

Gen X storing up health problems by failing...

28 Mar 2025

Bomb disposal veterans at heightened risk of bladder...

24 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today