Millions of Australians have a chronic illness. So why aren’t employers accommodating them?

Tue, 5 Mar 2024 21:13:46 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/millions-of-australians-have-a-chronic-illness-so-why-arent-employers-accommodating-them-219612>

"More than 20 million Australians have at least one long-term health condition,
63% of whom are in the workforce.

The causes of chronic illness are complex and are often unconnected to a
person’s work. But at times, the continued exposure to work stressors can lead
to or exacerbate chronic health conditions including musculoskeletal disorders,
heart disease, anxiety and depression.

Our research found 73% of people believed their chronic illness was at least
partially caused or worsened by their job. Almost one in five people believed
work entirely caused or worsened their illness.

These findings accord with data from Safe Work Australia which indicates health
conditions (particularly mental health) account for an increasing proportion of
serious workers’ compensation claims.

Our research also found people with chronic illness were likely to report
various forms of workplace discrimination, including being rejected from a job
(63%), being treated unfairly in the workplace (65%) and harassment (52%).

So what are employers getting so wrong? And what are the solutions to improving
working conditions for people with chronic illnesses?"

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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