Support an Employee with a Chronic Health Condition

 Thu 28 Jan 2021

Support an Employee with a Chronic Health Condition
A staggering 60% of U.S. workers have a chronic health condition. As a manager, you need to be equipped to support these employees, but it can be hard to know how to react when someone discloses a health issue or exhibits symptoms that interfere with their performance. Here are some do’s and don’ts for navigating sensitive, health-related conversations.

Do:

    Listen carefully and ask what your employee needs in order to continue doing their job.
    Point your employee to available resources, such as EAPs, disability, return-to-work programs, etc.
    Tell your employee that the conversation does not need to end with the disclosure. Open the door for them to come to you in the future as their situation changes.

Don’t:

    Be afraid to set boundaries. If you don’t feel equipped to identify a course of action in the moment, turn to your HR department for help.
    Catastrophize or jump to a worst-case scenario, despite what you know — or think you know — about your employee’s particular health issue.
    Be tempted to reveal your own personal issues in response to their disclosure. Keep the focus on your employee.

This tip is adapted from “How to Support an Employee with a Chronic Health Condition,” by Alyssa McGonagle