Discrimination at work
Headache UK recently released this very revealing statistic: 29% of people responding to a survey have kept their headaches (or migraines, clusters) a secret at work, to avoid discrimination. That’s more than 1 in 4!
3000 people were surveyed, and the story gets even worse. 9% said they had been disciplined at work in some way because of their condition, and and 4% said they had been dismissed from work!
The challenge when it comes to migraine, and really any disease to some extent, is that people simply don’t understand. Migraine somehow seems to be worse than most, because of the incredible amount of misinformation floating around. Does the employee have to take it upon themselves to completely educate their employer? How many of us actually have employers who would listen?
And then there’s just that vague feeling that you’ve been discriminated against. You can’t prove it, it just seems like it. Take this quote from someone who filled out the survey: "I feel that I have been sidelined for promotion because my sickness absence causes me to be perceived as unreliable, no matter how professional I am when I am at work."
There’s more and more good information out there (and right here!) to help people understand. We just have to learn how and when to use it.