The New (and amazing) Migraine Employment Advocacy Toolkit

The Migraine Trust recently published their new migraine Employment Advocacy Toolkit.  This is of special interest to everyone in the UK, but if you’re in other countries don’t tune out quite yet.  This kit could be incredibly useful to you too.

We all know that migraine is a serious disability which costs the economy billions.  Well, we should all know.  Sadly, misinformation and misunderstanding and a simple lack of good protocol is making the situation even worse.

The kit is basically a series of documents available online, via mobile device, or in hard copy.  Here’s what the toolkit has to say about itself:

Purpose of the pack
The purpose of this toolkit is to provide general information for migraine sufferers, their colleagues, managers, human resource (HR) departments and occupational health (OH) professionals about ways to manage migraine in the workplace. This pack also provides individuals with general tools and guidance on matters they may wish to raise in the workplace either on their own behalf or on behalf of a migraine sufferer at work.

The kit provides useful information about migraine in the workplace.  For example, do you know what presenteeism is?  It refers to someone who comes to work even though they’re sick – so they’re working at a lower capacity and likely “faking it” quite a bit to make it through the day.

It answers questions like – Should I tell my employer that I have migraine disease?  When?  How should I go about it?  What can be done to make the workplace a more friendly place for migraineurs?

And on that last topic, there is a LOT of very useful, practical information, related to computer screens, access to drinking water, planning of your day, and much more.

And what if there’s a serious problem with my employer which isn’t being resolved?  There are a number of suggestions here too, including templates for agreements and letters.

Now almost everything I’ve mentioned so far will be of use to you no matter what country you live in.

However, there are some great tools specifically for those in the UK as well.  For example, a detailed explanation of the law and its relation to migraine in the workplace, contacts and phone numbers that will help you, and more.

Every migraineur in the workplace needs to get their copy of this.

To see the toolkit, visit the Migraine Trust Employment Advocacy page.  While you’re downloading, a question.  If you don’t live in the UK, are you aware of anything like this in your country?  If not, why not?

Note:  The Migraine Trust also has a Education (Student) Advocacy page and a Patient Advocacy page.