Workers with chronic illnesses struggle to manage health on job
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
More than half of U.S. employees have chronic health conditions, and three-quarters of those workers have had to spend time managing their health on the job in the past year, a new Harvard poll found.
Why it matters: As policymakers focus more on chronic disease, employers can improve how they help employees who have chronic health issues like hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and asthma — and there's a business case for doing so.
- "There is a major opportunity for the business community to play a greater role in supporting employees with chronic conditions, improving their well-being and performance, while reducing costly problems like absenteeism and turnover," a report on the findings said.
State of play: Harvard's public health school and the de Beaumont Foundation in October interviewed 1,010 adults who work at organizations with at least 50 employees.
- 58% reported having a physical chronic health condition.
Zoom in: The majority (60%) said they haven't disclosed their illness to their employer.
- Most said they stayed quiet because they've been able to manage their health without telling anyone at work, and because they want to keep their health information private.
- But nearly 30% said they don't want their employer to think they're less able, while 18% said they worry they'd be passed over for work opportunities. And 14% fear their condition would give employers a reason to fire them.
Separately, one-third of employees with a chronic health issue said they've missed out on promotions or more work hours in the past year because of their condition.
- Nearly half said they've felt like they needed to take time off during the past year because of their health but couldn't.
- 36% of survey respondents said they've skipped or delayed medical appointments because of work, and 25% said they'd changed a treatment plan to avoid interfering with work.
The majority of employees interviewed said they feel their workplace is at least somewhat supportive of allowing employees to take breaks, go on paid leave or work a flexible schedule.
- But 46% said they think their employer could be doing more to support employees with chronic conditions.
