Career Advice for People Diagnosed with Debilitating Diseases

In 2021, nearly half of Canadians lived with at least one chronic disease—in other words, a disease that was lasting and persistent, but not “catching” or communicable.

One of the most common chronic diseases is obesity, which affects 1 in 3 Canadians. Other common conditions include arthritis, high blood pressure, anxiety, mood disorders, asthma, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

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Tools and Resources

Resources for People with Disabilities

If you’re someone with a disability or work with someone with a disability, these resources can help.

When a disease becomes debilitating, it can keep you from being able to work—either temporarily or permanently. Your disease may affect you physically—making it hard to walk or lift things. Or it may affect you cognitively—making it hard to concentrate, multitask, or deal with stress. You may need to take a short time or a long time off to recover. Or you may need support to keep on working.

Dealing with a debilitating disease requires ongoing management and care. In Canada, fortunately, a debilitating disease is considered a disability. And workplace support to deal with disability is a basic human right.

Know your rights

The Alberta Human Rights Act protects employees from unfair treatment and discrimination because of physical or mental disabilities—including injury, illness, and disease.

Employers have a legal duty to accommodate. This means they must make every reasonable effort to provide what you need to do your job in spite of your disability.

The law makes exceptions if accommodations would be too difficult for the employer—for example, if it causes major disruption or is too expensive. But even when accommodation is inconvenient or expensive, the employer must try to be flexible and creative in meeting your needs.

Ask for the accommodations you need

Partner with your employer

If you wish to exercise your right to accommodation, you’ll need to communicate your needs. While you don’t have disclose your diagnosis or the details of your disease, you’ll need to give your employer enough medical information to understand your limitations and create an accommodation plan.

A debilitating disease can have a wide range of symptoms. Some symptoms and diseases may affect you for brief periods. Some may affect you every day and last all your life. Some may change over time. You may need different accommodations to manage your work at various stages of your disease.

Effective accommodation is an ongoing process. And the process works best when you and your employer work together to customize a solution for your specific situation. The same disease can have different effects in different people, so a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work.

Accommodation is good for you and good for your employer

A supportive accommodation plan keeps employees engaged and productive. It reduces job disruptions, improves employee retention, boosts the bottom line, and helps people thrive in spite their medical condition.

Canada Life’s Supporting Employee Success toolkit can help you and your employer work together to develop a workable accommodation plan. The toolkit is available in online format and as a fillable PDF.

Find the right accommodations for you

Accommodation can take many forms. It can be as simple as taking short breaks to stretch and avoid pain. Or it can mean working in an empty boardroom where it’s quiet.

Here are some other examples of accommodation:

• Retraining to build new skills
• Improving communication and workflow management, which could include:
  • Offering written instructions that provide clarity and help people remember details
  • Providing checklists that help employees stay on track
  • Holding regular check-ins to ensure that accommodations are working as expected
• Physical modifications to the workplace environment, such as:
  • Adjusting lighting, eliminating noise and clutter, and improving air quality
  • Providing furniture designed to reduce strain—standing desks, adjustable chairs, back supports, and anti-fatigue mats are some examples
  • Providing ergonomic workstations that help employees maintain healthy posture
  • Providing special equipment and assistive technology such as screen readers, specialized software, or recording devices
  • Moving workstations closer to the bathroom if employees have arthritis or mobility issues
  • Installing grab bars in washrooms or railings along hallways
  • Providing wheelchair ramps, automated doors, accessible parking, and accessible washrooms
• Policy modifications to the workplace, which can include:
  • Mandating a scent-free workplace to help employees with asthma
  • Outlining clear expectations for respecting all employees
  • Increasing awareness and educating staff about mental illness
• Temporary or permanent job modifications, such as:
  • Facilitating a gradual return to work for employees returning from sick leave
  • Adjusting workday start or end times—which can help someone undergoing cancer treatment manage the effects of medication and allow them to work when their energy levels are at their highest
  • Adjusting work hours so that employees can attend medical appointments
  • Providing flexible work hours and schedules
  • Allowing the flexibility to work from home
  • Providing shorter, more frequent breaks throughout the day (for example, taking six 5-minute snack breaks rather than two 15-minute breaks could help an employee with diabetes regulate blood sugar)
  • Adjusting job duties

The Toronto-based Institute for Work and Health has a free, online Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool that can help you identify the kind of workplace accommodations you need to succeed at work.

Plan what you will disclose

Disclosing to your employer

You don’t have to disclose your disease or diagnosis to your employer. However, if you need accommodation, you do have to communicate what you need. And you may be asked to provide medical information.

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Tools and Resources

When and How to Talk About Your Disability

There are many good reasons to tell your employer about your disability. But disclosure also has risks. In the end, you get to choose when and how you’ll talk about it.

Your employer can only ask for information that is “reasonably necessary” to assess your ability to do your job. For example, your employer may need to know:

• If your illness is permanent or temporary
• How long recovery may take
• How your disease will affect your ability to do your job

Factors to consider

Although you may have no choice in the matter, disclosing that you have a debilitating disease is not always the best strategy. If your workplace is not committed to supporting employee success, being open may expose you to stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion.

Here are some factors to consider:

• Does your employer have an accommodation policy?
• Is personal information kept confidential?
• How do your supervisors and co-workers talk about people who have a debilitating mental illness? Are jokes made about them?
• Do you know any co-workers who disclosed a debilitating illness? How were they treated by colleagues and supervisors?
• Do you feel comfortable talking about your situation? Would keeping your disease a secret be a burden?
• What could be the downside of your employer or co-workers knowing about your disease?

Disclosing to your co-workers

Having a debilitating disease may cause you to work differently or take time off. Your co-workers may wonder what’s going on. They may make assumptions and say things that are hurtful.

Tools and Resources

Talking About Your Invisible Disability

Many people in the workplace have an invisible disability, such as an anxiety disorder or lupus. This guide will help you decide if and when to tell people about your invisible disability.

If your condition is under control, you may decide that you don’t want to worry about what people think. And you don’t want to be the butt of gossip. On the other hand, sharing your situation can help your co-workers feel more comfortable around you. It can also help them support you in periods when you’re not well—or if your disease gets worse.

You’ll need to decide how much information you want to share. It’s OK to keep things general. For example, a co-worker might ask “What was wrong with you? Why were you off for so long?” You can simply say you were sick, but you’re better now and glad to be back at work.

Get the financial help you need

Private insurance

Various types of private insurance are available to help you deal with a debilitating disease:

• Short-term and long-term disability insurance coverage typically replaces a portion of your income if an accident or unexpected illness has left you unable to work.
• Long-term care insurance provides financial support if a debilitating or chronic illness has left you unable to care for yourself.
• Critical illness insurance pays you a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a life-altering illness or disease.

Your private insurance will complement the group coverage provided to you by your employer. That means you can get benefits from both plans. Unlike group coverage, however, your private insurance coverage won’t end when your job ends.

Employee benefit plans

Many employers offer group benefits programs that cover short-term and long-term disability. Your employee benefit plan may also help you pay for the prescriptions or medical supports you need to manage your disease.

Government programs

• Alberta Aids to Daily Living helps people with chronic diseases pay for medical equipment and supplies. In Edmonton, call 780-427-0731. Within Alberta, call toll-free by using 310-0000 before the phone number.
• The Disability Related Employment Supports (DRES) program funds services and supports, such as assistive technology, communication devices, and vehicle modifications to help you get to work.
• If your disease is workplace related, you may qualify for assistance from the Workers’ Compensation Board.
• If your disease means you can’t work, you may qualify for 26 weeks of Employment Insurance sickness benefits.