Supporting Employees Who Have Chronic Pain
Many employees experience chronic pain, but it is not uncommon for pain sufferers to minimize discussing their conditions for fear it could affect their job in some way. Some employees with fibromyalgia, lupus, and chronic fatigue syndrome may never tell anyone at work about it, not even their boss. Some employees have even reported avoiding the pain associated with getting dressed in the morning by sleeping in their clothes all night. How can coworkers help. Based on an online community survey of employees who experience chronic pain, the most requested need from coworkers was compassion and understanding. Pain sufferers want you to know that they are not lazy, unmotivated, or unwilling, and that the last thing they want is to feel like they let down the team.