Hello and welcome to Believe in ME with Rhona Barton. This episode is the second of a short series for Organisations. The aim is to help educate leaders, managers and HR teams about ME & Long Covid. Please feel free to share this series with your organisation.
You can head to www.rhonabarton.co.uk/media for more information about me and my story.
Don’t forget that you can review, share & subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Ok, let’s jump straight in!
In this week’s episode we’re thinking about Supporting People with ME/Long Covid who are already in work. These will be people with mild to moderate symptoms that allow them to carry out some work but that also require them to be careful over how they manage their condition. They can have some better days, but they may also need longer periods of recovery.
Chances are that if they are already in work, they may have had a conversation with their line manager about their condition. However, this may not be sufficient and may be a local agreement with the line manager rather than anything official.
I’m not here to remind you of your legal responsibilities. You or your HR team will deal with that. I’m here to give you some guidance around the more practical side of things.
How to have a difficult conversation with someone with ME/Long Covid
Whether you have a great working relationship with the employee or if you are just vaguely aware of their name, you will have to have a conversation with them at some point about their condition and the impact it may have on their work. I’d rather you talk to them about their ME/Long Covid before the organisation begins to feel that their performance may be dropping.
Before you decide to just drop by their office or desk and start a conversation, please spend some time doing some research of the basics of their condition.
In last week’s episode I gave an overview of ME and the overlaps it has with Long Covid as well as an outline of the impact these can have on people. Feel free to relisten to that episode. Keep in mind, however, that people with ME/Long Covid will be impacted in a way that is unique for them and that even if they describe themselves as having mild ME, this may still result in the loss of up to 50% of their usual capabilities.
Start by arranging a suitable date, time and place to have a conversation together. Keep this initial chat short so as not to overwhelm them with information or questions.
Things you might want to cover in this initial chat could include:
· Advising them that you are aware that they are experiencing ME/Long Covid and that you know that the pattern of illness, symptoms and severity can fluctuate and change over time.
· Advising them that you are aware that everybody can have a different experience and that you are interested in understanding how ME/Long Covid impacts them.
· Asking them how they would like to share how their symptoms impact them. For example, would they like to prepare a brief written statement, are they happy to chat about it, have they got any paperwork or documentation that they would like to share with you that explains things?
Once you have covered some of the basics, arrange a date, time and place for a fuller conversation with them. This means that you have given them time to consider their condition and how they would like to share that information with you.
When the time comes to have this deeper conversation, ensure you give sufficient time to them. Please don’t try to squeeze this meeting in amongst many others that may be in your diary. It may take them some time to feel confident in sharing with you and expanding on their condition. Feeling rushed won’t help either them or you.
Some questions you may wish to consider though could be:
· Tell me about your ME/Long Covid
· How are you impacted on a daily basis?
· How do you manage your condition?
· If you are experiencing any difficulties at work, what will help you overcome these?
One of the key aspects that people with ME/Long Covid appreciate is knowing that you are listening without judgment. Make notes on what they are saying and the suggestions that they make regarding how they manage their condition. It’s advisable that key points agreed are recording in writing so that they can be referred to later. This is especially helpful if the individual experiences cognitive difficulties.
This will allow you to open up a conversation about the support you can offer.
Carrying out an Audit of the support you already offer – identifying the gaps
As an employer, there is a duty of care to make “reasonable adjustments” so that employees are not placed at a disadvantage. To help you check what is needed, you may need to carry out an audit to help identify any gaps.
Your Health & Safety Department, Occupational Health Team or your Wellbeing Team may already have an audit or gap analysis document that you can use for this.
Some things for you to consider however, could be:
· Where a person works
· When a person works
· How much a person works
· The workplace environment
· Work duties that are carried out
· Equipment that may be required
· Policies & Procedures that are in use by the organisation
Working with the individual to understand their experience of ME/Long Covid will also help you and your organisation to target reasonable adjustments that are suitable whilst maintaining a positive, solution-focused approach. Regular reviews to ensure the most effective use of these adjustments in line with the individual’s on-going health challenges, will prove to be good practice for all parties.
Once you know what is needed and when things will be in place, you can move to having any necessary conversations with the individual and their reporting line as long as you have the individual’s consent.
Having the conversations needed with the reporting line.
The Data Protection Act/GDPR will need to be complied with in regard to ensuring confidential and appropriate handling of sensitive personal data, including information about a person’s health. This means that information about your employee’s ME/Long Covid should not be shared inside or outside the organisation, without their prior expressed consent.
However, maintaining good communication with colleagues is also important in terms of professionalism and good will. Colleagues may be genuinely concerned for an employee and some adjustments that have been agreed may have an impact upon them too. It is, therefore, recommended that you discuss with the individual what needs to be communicated, when and with whom, to encourage an understanding and supportive response from their wider team.
So let’s think about some key take aways from this episode:
1. Consider having a short chat with the individual to help them prepare for a more in-depth conversation. This helps to set the scene for them and allows them time to consider the best way to explain their condition and their needs to you.
2. A gap analysis or audit of the current situation against what the individual identifies as an adjustment, may help you better support your employee.
3. Having an open and honest conversation with the individual about the need to involve their reporting line in the arrangements, will help to build an maintain good communications and working relationships with them and the wider team.
4. Maintaining their confidentiality and only sharing that which they give you permission to share is vital to good practice and employee relations.
That’s it for today everybody. As I’ve mentioned, this episode is one of a short series for Organisations. The aim is to help educate leaders, managers and HR teams about ME & Long Covid. Please feel free to share this series with your organisation.
You can head to www.rhonabarton.co.uk/media for more information about me and my story.
Thank you for listening. Don’t forget that you can review, share & subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.