Whatever faces you, you are entitled to work where capable – and it should not affect how managers and colleagues treat you. Here’s how to acknowledge a health condition with your employer, and work through it positively.

For too long, people with long-term physical health problems or those people with mental health issues have been discriminated against in the workplace. Mental health issues were stigmatised, with conditions little understood.

Thankfully, attitudes are changing with employers now looking to support and help their employees. With mental and overall health of employees high up the agenda, most employers are seeking to actively work and engage with employees on such issues. There are even mental health courses that you can take online to boost your awareness and understanding.

But when you have a health condition, mental or physical (or both) how can you manage your health alongside giving your employer the best you have to offer?

Starting the conversation

Although many employers are taking proactive steps to help employees manage their health better, as well as providing an improved atmosphere in which to work, they won’t know to provide extra support or make changes to accommodate your health issues if they don’t know you are unwell.

Effectively, you need to start a conversation about being unwell or the mental health issues you are facing. Clearly, for someone in the midst of some kind of health crises, this can seem like a gigantic step.

Here are some suggestions for taking this important first step;

Many people find that with the support of a trusted work colleague, they are able to start the conversation about what is happening to them.

We all know how busy work can be and with something so important, snatching a few moments with your boss in the corridor is not a great way to start discussing something as personal as your health. You need to ask to make a time for you to meet to discuss something important.

For many people, opening the conversation about your mental health or discussing an ongoing illness is the most daunting step. Some people send an email first, before meeting their boss. This takes away that initial opening line of ‘I have been diagnosed with…’ etc. It also gives your boss time to think about how best they can support you.

Ask what support is available

Employers are now taking the health and well-being of their works more seriously, and look to offer support that allows people to deal with health issues but carry on working in a way and at times that suit them.

But it is a balancing act and, as an employee, you must also realise that your boss needs to ensure that the business is also moving forward, with responsibilities and so on being met.

This doesn’t mean they can dismiss you for being ill: they can’t as there are employment laws that prevent this.

Employees also worry about ‘triggers’ when they take time off. Some companies and public-sector employers monitor when people are off. If a pattern emerges, it is the employer’s responsibility to work with the employee to see why this is, and what they can do to make things better for their workers.

Be prepared to work with your employer

Your boss won’t always get it right. Many people still struggle to work with and deal with health issues, especially mental health. The point is that they try to work with you, but they are not always going to say the right thing and the right time.

And, if you stay home from work, your boss is entitled to maintain contact with you. You may perceive this as pressure to return but remember, your boss or supervisor is more than likely trying to help you. There are guidelines, however, on how contact is made and what this should achieve.

Consider raising awareness with your colleagues

Employers are now offering training to supervisors and managers on how to work with employees with health and mental health issues. There are many avenues to explore with your employer about raising awareness of various health issues with your colleagues and management.

How is your wellbeing?

From feeling a little low in spirit to depression and anxiety, there are many organisations who can help with your mental health issues. They can provide you with help about how to deal with your health issues at work too, what you can expect from your employer and so on. But there is no doubt, sharing your worries and concerns helps.

 

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic. And the facts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) made for sobering reading;

What is obesity?

Obesity in adults is defined as someone over the age of 18 who has a BMI equal to or greater than 30. Overweight people have a BMI greater or equal to 25. For children, the definition is slightly more complex with age taken into accounts and other factors too.

someone cutting up vegertables

For many years, we have been advised to eat five portions of different coloured fruit and veg a week, but early on in 2017, we were told that this should be doubled.

On the face of it, the problem seems obvious – eat too much, exercise too little and being overweight becomes an issue. Obesity is a step on from being overweight whereby someone who, even though they understand the effect of too much food and not enough exercise, continues to pile on the pounds. Doctors are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of treating obesity, with preventive measures forming a significant portion of the UK medical licensing assessment.

So, if we understand the problem, why don’t we do the obvious? Eat less and exercise more. But, experts say it is not quite as simple as this.

We can all testify how much the shape of people’s lives has changed in recent years. At one time, families sat down to eat meals together around a table.

The invention of convenience meals and microwave ovens led to quick suppers. With the advent of the digital age, as well as changing working patterns, the sit-down family meal has become a rarity in some households during the working week.

Many experts believe that we no longer concentrate on our food. We no longer savour it like we once did.

Some experts take the argument one step further. Although they don’t lay the blame of obesity at the feet of the invention of television, there is no doubt that as television has morphed from three channels broadcasting for eight hours a day to multi-channels, 24 hours a day, the activity levels of adults and children have decreased.

American nutritionists believe that there is a direct correlation – as we watch more television, we get fatter.

Add to this the digital age, the laptops, the tablets, the PCs, the gaming consoles and so on, children and adults are becoming even more sedentary.

Our activity levels have been described as ‘shockingly low’, but levels have not changed for the better.

What to eat, how much to eat, what not to eat – there seems to be a cacophony of guidelines that some people say they are confused by. For many years, we have been advised to eat five portions of different coloured fruit and veg a week, but early on in 2017, we were told that this should be doubled.

no sofa sign

Our activity levels have been described as ‘shockingly low’.

There were thoughts that maybe obesity could be a genetic issue. There is still much debate around the issue but in most cases, being overweight and obese is not a genetic issue. Perhaps, it is more a case of eating habits firmly entrenched in families?

Nutritionists point out what they think is the main problem – lack of restraint.

Rather than this being a lack of personal willpower – although that does play a part – they point out that the availability of different kinds of foods amounts to a ‘food carnival’.

There is also the question of poverty and cost. Buying processed foods, from pre-made burgers to biscuits, can be cheaper than buying fruit and veg.

No easy answer

Although the solutions seem obvious, the scale of obesity continues to shock and horrify us – and yet, there is no sign of obesity rates slowing, let alone being reversed.

We all have our part to play but for health professionals, being skilled and knowledgeable in informing and educating people is a key role in preventing obesity.

Healthcare assistant courses deal in detail with nutrition, along with current advice that many people are given to help with being overweight or obese. But unless there are significant changes, the cases of obesity in adults and children will continue to increase.