Employment and Diabetes

I felt I had been discriminated against by a previous employer. I desperately wanted to move out of the section I was on as I had to stay in a small room all day with no windows, counting lots of money. I was under huge amounts of stress and suffered with awful ibs the whole time i was there. I was diagnosed with hearing loss and diabetes and thought great here's my chance to escape ! Oh no,occupational health get involved and decide I'm unsuitable for any other job in the company. So, I stupidly say oh i've had a hypo, don't think I should be in here on my own, eventually 9 months later they find another dept for me to work in.

Too late I've got a job on a farm, no mention of illness, just carry on feeling great, working alone excellent control and no occupational health stress.

Ever since, I do not disclose that I'm diabetic or have hearing loss( good lipreader) I just can't take the risk of being discriminated against, as it's always in the back of my mind.
Ros

Employers dont care about laws, there only interest is profit, even at the cost of lives.
Thats why Health and Safty was brought in so employers cant get round it .

When someone is layed of to them its one person, they dont care about the partner and children, all the work to get a home together that could go with no work.

The one thing they forget is all these people are someones customers if they dont buy more are layed of and they could be the first companys customers that means less for all.

Employers must remember the world is a wheel, take out one part and it just dont go round. We all do our bit to make it turn.

Who would want a job for a company and give then that extra mile after treating people the way they do.
Graham1441 :twisted: :twisted:

Can someone please let me know if I have to mention to my employer that I am a diabetic. I was Diagnosed two months ago and I am on metformin 500gms twice a day. If anyone has a good diet weekly plan could I have it please.

popalyjune said:

Can someone please let me know if I have to mention to my employer that I am a diabetic. I was Diagnosed two months ago and I am on metformin 500gms twice a day. If anyone has a good diet weekly plan could I have it please.

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popalyjune, diabetes is covered by the Disability Discrimination Act and as such your employer needs to make some reasonable accomodation to enable you to manage your condition. If you need time off to attend clinics or other health checks, you will have to tell your employer, who has a right to see letters confirming appointment times etc If your occupation had any limitiations related to diabetes, I think you'd know.

I don't think you are obliged to tell you are diabetic, but I think a quiet work can't go amiss. For me to manage my blood sugar I need to manage my diet, this includes not going too long between meals, so if your breaks are irregular, this is something you might want to think about and a medical reason is hard to ignore.

As far as diet goes take a look around here, especially the diet and food forums. Ask as many questions as you like. You need to find something that you enjoy and will help you get your blood sugar levels down. I started by just cutting out added sugar and sweet treats and junk food and adding more fresh and raw. It took me about 3 months to find a diet that I felt I could stick to and gave me the results I was looking for (I low carb) and you do need to be able to stick to it because you will be diabetic for the rest of your life. There are lots of fairly immediate health benefits in getting the sugar levels down - my daily headaches stopped, I have more energy, the indigestion and acid reflux cleared up. I think my diabetes diagnosis is probably the best thing to have happened to my health for a while, mine was diagnosed early, before complications had set in and I feel better than I have for years because I have changed my diet.

Thank you that was very helpful, its been two months since I am on metformin, but there are days when I feel really terrible and light headed. I have yet to attend a clinic which I an waiting for my GP to send in the paper work. I am not sure specially after I eat a meal I get this light headedness and sleepy really drowsy.feeling which was I did not get before I started metformin..I am not having any sugars or sweets, I do eat apples and pears in between is that okay? a friend suggested that I ask my GP for slow release metformin, would that help?

Hi popalyjune.

As regards your drowsiness after eating I would be more inclined to ask what exactly you were eating ? Avoiding sugars and sweets is not enough, you need to know what carbohydrates you are consuming of which sugars are just a part.

Eating Apples and Pears can also be bad for you, if you eat too many. An Apple has around 20g carbs for a medium sized one, Pears contain around 15g carbs for a medium sized one. Put them together and that would constitute my carb intake for half the day !!!

popalyjune, you are posting in the basement, and many people simply don't ventur ethis far downstairs

I think you would get many more answers if you introduced yourself upstairs in one of th boards closer to the top.

As well as agreeing with what Ken/cugila says, do you test your blood sugar? It helps to know what is going on if you are trying to managing your diabetes by changing your diet and you can see what the food does once you have eaten it.

Payments that are awarded by an Employment Tribunal for injury to feelings as a result of disability discrimination are not taxable:

Compensation for injury to feelings not relating to termination of employment should not be taxable e.g. compensation for injury to feelings suffered in a recruitment case. In Orthet (para.33(f)), the EAT said that where injury to feelings occurs during employment, it cannot be taxable under s.6 ICTA because "the award is not made in respect of the employee acting as employee". In such a case, the award can't be taxable under s.401 ITEPA either, because that only relates to cases involving termination of employment.

Hope this helps>

Doug

WILLY WILSON said:

[Snipped: lots of Caps]

GREAT IDEA KEEP IT UP

WILLY WILSON EX ROOFER NEW TO FORUM TODAY TYPE 1 DIABETIC 5 YEARS

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Welcome to the forum Willy. As you are new to this, I'm sure we will all forgive you, but typing in all capitals is generally regarded in the same way as shouting.

It was interesting to read all the comments on this page. When I first got diagnosed March 2010 I saw in the booklet DVLA and that you must report it to them and your insurers - boy did this worry me as I drive (my only means of getting to work no other method) to work 54 miles per day there and 54 back. But on discovering it was only Type 1 NOT type 2 that needed to do this it was a relief so if you and your tablets are both doing your job to keep T2 undercontrol then there should be no reason not to drive.

So explain to your boss your not Type 1 but type 2 and that there is a difference within the driving code. Ensure that you keep tabs on your BS and your should have not problems. have your eyes tested as diabetics does effect your eyes.

My boss when I had a 1 to 1 with him asked if I would see occupational health and discuss things with them I said I didn't mind and he said he would put in a request for it. Told me there was nothing to worry about - but and yes there is always a but I am a little worried about it. I already have 2 other medical conditions that mean hospital appts on a regular 2 or 3 months visit.

I looked up how you get diabetics and one of them was STRESS or it even could be started through a virus. If your work place is giving you so much STRESS then this could make you become a diabetic - something people don't realise and I certainly didn't is that sugar does not make you become a diabetic.

There is a thing called LIFE BALANCE and it is up to your employers to ensure that they are not putting you under stress to a point that it is ruining your health - I bet none of you that do 16 or more hours for your empoler gets paid overtime. I would keep a diary of all the hours you do so should you ever need a record to prove the strain and stress your put under it will be there - keep copies of your trips abroad which obvioulsy if in excess would destroy any family life or if you have no family then you wouldn't have a life either.

Good luck to every one and hope those with bad situations improve

Sue

Sue Morton said:

It was interesting to read all the comments on this page. When I first got diagnosed March 2010 I saw in the booklet DVLA and that you must report it to them and your insurers - boy did this worry me as I drive (my only means of getting to work no other method) to work 54 miles per day there and 54 back.But on discovering it was only Type 1 NOT type 2 that needed to do this it was a relief so if you and your tablets are both doing your job to keep T2 undercontrol then there should be no reason not to drive. So explain to your boss your not Type 1 but type 2 and that there is a difference within the driving code.
Sue

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The DVLA rules are that you notify them if you are on Insulin. It makes no difference whether you are Type 1 or Type 2. If anyybody needs to check this out then visit the DVLA website, Medical rules at a glance section for the latest information.

Link: http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/medical/ataglance.aspx

cugila
Forum Monitor

Re: Employment and Diabetes - unfair dismissal

My advice to all is document everything. I currently work as Operations Director but have previously had much experience of HR matters. If your employer puts you under unfair levels of stress and you are forced to leave because of this or if you feel you are being discriminated against write down each occasion, document all conversations with dates, times etc. Where possible get witness statements. To be forced out of your job because unreasonable demands are being made, even if you leave and are not told to go, is unfair dismissal.

Would be nice, If only.
My employer says ignore it and it will go away, what chance do any of us stand.
When i was told i am type 2 and put on metformin my eyes went all blury told my boss and got told "Dont chuck medical problems at me, just do your b****y job.
Intersting as im a 7.5 tonne driver.

I agree with Ken, I have had type 1 for 32 years. All my work colleagues are aware of my diabetes in case of hypos occurring. I HAVE suffered discrimination, mainly from Occupational Health workers. I AM NOT INFERIOR IN ANY WAY..... and will not be treated as such!
Well done for starting an employment section. Many Thanks Anna C

Anna,
Cugilla has been gone for a long time, is no longer a Mod & never posts on this forum