Diabetes and problems with employers

[trevise2001]

My employer is aware of my diabetes
However they frequently delay my breaks and make me finish late
Sometimes they even don’t give me a break at all,
This is causing stress and issues with my control
Has anyone got any advice on what to do
I have told them repeatedly of the issues but they don’t seem to listen or act
Thanks

 

[Pumper_Sue]

My employer is aware of my diabetes
However they frequently delay my breaks and make me finish late
Sometimes they even don’t give me a break at all,
This is causing stress and issues with my control
Has anyone got any advice on what to do
I have told them repeatedly of the issues but they don’t seem to listen or act
Thanks

If you are on a basal/bolus or a pump managing your diabetes I can not see a problem with delayed breaks or meals or finishing late for that matter.
If on a mixed dose of insulin then you are in the dark ages and need updating urgently.

Diabetes is not an excuse/reason to complain about breaks being late.

What issues are being caused by this? If it's a blood sugar level then do a basal test and sort your basal out.
Having your basal correct means you can eat when you want as the basal will hold your blood sugars steady for you.

 

[Robin]

However they frequently delay my breaks and make me finish late
Sometimes they even don’t give me a break at all,

Diabetes is not an excuse/reason to complain about breaks being late

If you’re meant to have a break, then you should have a break, irrespective of Diabetes. Also, none of us have such perfect control that we don’t sometimes find ourselves higher or lower than we’d like, and if you’re doing a job where you can’t have your insulin with you to do a correction, then it’s a long time to sit there gritting your teeth knowing your levels are sitting too high (or low, but in that case I’d assume you’d be allowed to eat some glucose). So having a break at the expected time is doubly important.
My daughter isn’t diabetic, but when she worked for a major supermarket, she was often left on the tills for hours without a break, once only being sent for her lunch break half an hour before she was due to go home. She'd have had to have superhuman control never to have gone too high or too low during that time, I know if it were me, even having to deal with a difficult customer or some other stressful situation building up could mess with my levels, and I’d want to go and do a correction jab, which isn’t possible if you’re sitting on a busy till at a checkout.
It might be worth giving the helpline a call, (number top right of screen), they can help with legal aspects, and give advice on how to argue your case.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

If you’re meant to have a break, then you should have a break, irrespective of Diabetes.

Yes I quite agree but, it being late for what ever reason should not be an excuse to bring diabetes into it.
There are many jobs and I had one which there were no set time for breaks, the breaks happened when convenient end of story. If your diabetes is so badly managed you have to have breaks for corrections all the time then find out why and put it right.
Stop blaming the boss.
I always carried some sweets in my pocket just in case of lows. Highs unless on a pump can wait till later. Being on a pump does not mean you need a break to press buttons.

 

[Robin]

I don’t want to turn this into one of 'those' threads where members start bickering and frighten the original poster off into never messaging on the forum again.
But I will say this, I don’t consider my diabetes is badly managed, but it can be unpredictable on occasions, as I think most people's is, and there would be nothing worse than knowing I should have had a break and could go and sort it, but I'm stuck on a job watching my levels sitting higher than I'd like, and not being able to do anything about it.
I think a bit of understanding from the OP's employer of the sometimes unpredictable nature of the condition would go a long way, irrespective of his statutory obligations to provide breaks for any employee, diabetic or not.

 

[helli]

No employer should make you work late or regularly make you take breaks late.
All employment requires some give and take but this doesn't not sound very equal - it sounds as if the employer is taking more.

Needing to make corrections does not mean diabetes i badly managed. In fact, it sounds more like you are taking more consideration with your diabetes than taking insulin and then leaving it until your next meal (which could be 6 or more hours apart) before taking any interest in your numbers. This sounds like the olden days when it was a challenge to take blood sugar readings and we all took fixed doses of mixed insulin. But tech has moved on and so should we - if we have the means to keep an eye on our diabetes, why not use it?

Diabetes UK has some material about our rights at work which may be useful to share with your employer: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/life-with-diabetes/employment#rights
I second the idea to contact the Diabetes UK helpline with their number at the top of the page.

 

[Inka]

My employer is aware of my diabetes
However they frequently delay my breaks and make me finish late
Sometimes they even don’t give me a break at all,
This is causing stress and issues with my control
Has anyone got any advice on what to do
I have told them repeatedly of the issues but they don’t seem to listen or act
Thanks

I had to speak to one of my employers when they messed with my breaks. Often they just don’t fully understand the work involved in Type 1. I explained a bit in general, then explained how a reasonable adjustment by them would make my life simpler. We’re entitled to reasonable adjustments. If they’re not listening, casual mention of the Disabilities Discrimination Act or whatever it’s called now can help concentrate minds, I’ve found.

Be clear what you’re asking for and why, and give a bit of basic info about Type 1 before you start explaining your request.

 

[MarkGeordie]

When I had a physical job in a supermarket it was a nightmare and especially when I was still on mixed insulin, many many times I had to be helped to the back of the store and treated for a hypo.

I am glad now I work from home, I can just do it all when I want, sit at my desk and inject and no one would be any the wiser, etc.

As mentioned though you are entitled to reasonable adjustments and this is covered under The Equality Act 2010.

Citizens advice are good if you need any help and also Equality Advisory and Support Service.

 

[Lucyr]

My employer is aware of my diabetes
However they frequently delay my breaks and make me finish late
Sometimes they even don’t give me a break at all,
This is causing stress and issues with my control
Has anyone got any advice on what to do
I have told them repeatedly of the issues but they don’t seem to listen or act
Thanks

You shouldn’t need to have meals at set times unless you’re on mixed insulin. If you’re on mixed insulin speak to your diabetes team asap to discuss moving to basal bolus to stop diabetes affecting your work as much. If you’re already on basal bolus then it sounds like you need to do a basal test

 

[Tdm]

When i was diagnosed i was given flexible breaks. At the time my management was in its early stages.
I do find it useful because i could take breaks to test and treat, but that was when i was libre. Now on dexcom don't do fingerpricks so much and can test and treat 'on the go'

 

[helli]

You shouldn’t need to have meals at set times unless you’re on mixed insulin. If you’re on mixed insulin speak to your diabetes team asap to discuss moving to basal bolus to stop diabetes affecting your work as much. If you’re already on basal bolus then it sounds like you need to do a basal test

You might not need meals at fixed times but you may want to test and correct throughout the day, especially if your work is unpredictable and may include stressful meetings or physical exercise. This is extra true when newly diagnosed
As I mentioned before, let's not confuse wanting to manage our diabetes with "bad control".

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

My employer is aware of my diabetes
However they frequently delay my breaks and make me finish late
Sometimes they even don’t give me a break at all,
This is causing stress and issues with my control
Has anyone got any advice on what to do
I have told them repeatedly of the issues but they don’t seem to listen or act
Thanks

Sorry to hear your employer isn‘t being very responsive to the concerns you have raised @trevise2001

Is it just your line manager that isn’t receptive? Could you go one step above? If it’s a large organisation you may be able to talk to the HR dept and get them to advice your manager on your behalf.

As you can see from other responses, diabetes should be able to be managed such that breaks and meals can be fairly flexible but it is also an unpredictable swine at times, and you may need ‘reasonable adjustments’ to be made so that you can actively manage your diabetes during your working day in a timely manner.

Do give our Helpline a call (Mon-Fri 9-6) who can talk you through your rights and responsibilities at work.

What sorts of insulin(s) are you on, and how long have you been living with diabetes?

 

[rebrascora]

To me, if you need to go to the loo, you will be allowed to do so, so if you need to take 2 mins to do a correction... and that really is all it needs, then you should be able to factor that in as it probably takes less time than going to the loo and no need for a formal break although obviously if you work in a very public position like a checkout, it may require a short cover of your work station whilst you inject. If you need to eat a snack whilst working to stop levels dropping then I would assume this could be equally easily done at the work station. Obviously, if you go hypo then you would need a slightly longer break to recover, but I think you have to approach it from the view point of negotiating what is the minimum adjustment you need to do your job and whilst it is easy to see your diabetes as needing regular meals at set times, if you are on a basal/bolus insulin regime (rather than mixed insulin) then you really shouldn't need a strict routine for meals etc.

 

[Lucyr]

To me, if you need to go to the loo, you will be allowed to do so, so if you need to take 2 mins to do a correction... and that really is all it needs, then you should be able to factor that in

Depends on your job. If you’re working in a supermarket on the checkout for example you can’t just take yourself off to the loo, you need to arrange a break.