Working with someone with a chronic illness

[thatsalliknowsofar]

If you work with someone with a chronic illness which can affect their work - fatigue, more days off sick, time off for hospital appointments would you be annoyed and feel as if they are a waste of a colleague?

No.

I'd assume they were recruited because they are good at their job. I'd hope someone who fatigues often is able to pick a job/hours which work for them to enable them to have a job.

No I would have some empathy for a colleague who is still coming to work, still doing there best despite all the struggles they have.

I wouldn’t. I have found from past experience that people who go through this kind of thing are often more committed and efficient at work and have skills and values in spades to bring to the table. The right support does need to be in place though in case of extended absence so that it doesn’t disadvantage team mates.

The rational, good part of me would be sympathetic but the overworked, stressed, picking up their work as well as my own part of me would be a bit resentful.

No, because I'm not a cunt.

No because I am nice and not a dick.

I think it's easy to say no but when you work in a team with several people on long term sick & you're left to bare the brunt of it, covering their cases, increased workload for months on end it does get frustrating. So I get the annoyance but wouldn't think of them as a waste of a colleague as ultimately the issues are down to management and how the sickness is managed.

I would certainly have sympathy for them but I would hope my employer did not expect me to always pick up her work. I would expect her work to be shared equally in the team when she couldn't manage to complete it.

Depends. I work with someone who has constant migraines. She has only recently started to focus on early symptoms that one is coming on and trying to take medication then. She also talks about doing a food diary ‘one day’ to check for triggers.
So yes I am annoyed by her. Also stunned that she would rather suffer than do the work to improve her health

Someone who is doing their best I would not have a problem with

No. I would help them wherever I could. Many people will know a close friend of relative with a chronic condition and be sympathetic.

I find it curious that most posts are saying that no one would be bothered.
Venture onto the AIBU board and there are frequent threads about colleagues being off sick. The reality is, people do get bothered by it. I had a lot of time of for mental health issues, and was made to feel terrible by my boss and collegues.

Absolutely not.

I would not pick up their work though, I would expect managers to make provision for that.

This

I’d be sympathetic & supportive. But if covering their work meant I couldn’t get my own work done, I’d have to talk to my manager about needing help.

I've had to pick up work in the past from shit colleagues, who just couldn't be arsed. It's those people I'm annoyed with (to put it mildly) and managers who seemed to not have a backbone to say and do something about it.

Think about how you would want to be treated if it were you and then do that.

I’d hope not. I am one of those people with a chronic illness who gets fatigued, has time off for hospital appointments and time off sick.

This . The last team I worked in their were four of us. Two were disabled and had a lot of time off. Then another went off sick for months. It ended up with me being the only one reliably there and doing any work. They couldn't recruit anyone else and as it was quite specialist it wasn't the kind of role where they could just get in a temp. It wasn't helped by most of the team having been there years and also entitled to seven odd weeks of annual leave which somehow had to be fitted in amongst all the sick leave !

I think most people understand that colleagues get unwell from time to time and are sympathetic at first. But when it becomes frequent and affects those that do turn up for work, it can lead to resentment. For example, having to work (unpaid) overtime because the team is short staffed or not being able to take holiday when you want because nobody else can cover.

I work in HR and even when colleagues are supportive about colleagues absences, behind the scenes, they are often complaining to their line manager.

I'm disabled. I assume you are posting this as a disabled prospective employee who is worried what employers may think?

When I'm job searching, I am up front and honest about my disabilities and needs. I'd rather know at the very beginning if they will see it as a problem so I'm not wasting my time applying / interviewing for an employer who isn't inclusive.

That said, I try to be realistic too. Whilst its tempting to apply for every job going, because obviously you want a job, I'd recommend you find a job that meets your needs, that advertises themselves as disability confident, flexible working etc. Ideally a disability confident leader, rather than disabilty confident committed. As they have to do / show a lot more to get to that level, so much better.

My current employer is disability confident leader. Also committed to flexible working, and I was able to negotiate for my contract to be home based when it was advertised as office based. Whilst there have been a few issues regarding adjustments, these have all been resolved and my manager is really great and has my back. I need much less adjustments at home than in an office. So I'm more productive, less sick days, win win all around.

Best jobs for flexible working / remote working are third sector jobs. Civil service / public sector are more likely to be disabilty confident although not always flexible. So have a look out for those kinds of jobs.

Finally - join a union. I cannot emphasise this enough. Whether or not your chosen employer recognises one, a union will still give you extra protections.

I've had to pick up work in the past from shit colleagues, who just couldn't be arsed. It's those people I'm annoyed with (to put it mildly) and managers who seemed to not have a backbone to say and do something about it.

^This

I’d be pissed off with my employer if it meant me picking up the slack, but not with my colleague unless they were taking the piss in some way (that goes for all colleagues, whatever their personal circumstances).

it’s not all about time off. I have a colleague with a chronic bowel disorder. Rather than take time off when he has a flair up - which would be fine - he turns up In the office looking like death, does no work, and tells us about his digestive issues in horrifying detail.

Don’t be that person!

depends entirely on the situation TBH. If you're expected to make up all the slack for months on end then a rethink is required.

On what grounds would I be? It's very dodgy ground to be floating the idea that a less able person is not a full or worthwhile person and is a 'waste' of a place a fully able person could have.

I may be biased as I am seriously unwell but good lord, if people can't at least try to comprehend how astoundingly lucky they are to have their health and therefore the ability to work, or go about their home lives as they want to without constant pain or disability affecting absolutely everything they do in a society that very often makes it as hard to exist as possible, then it's hard to know what to say that really. People are entitled for allowances to be made at work for illness and disability whether their colleagues approve of it or not.

If it's a case that the distribution of work is unfair on another person as a result with no recompense on a permanent basis that is an issue with the management not with someone elses illness.

Yes, if it impacted my work. Despite the virtue signalling on here I don’t know of anyone IRL who’d be happy to take on unpaid extra responsibility.

If it doesn’t impact me then why would I even bother having an opinion?