Hi does anyone know what the law is when it comes to someone with type 2 diabetes I’ve been on flexi shift all early’s for about three years 5 am till 2 pm I used to do two early’s and three late's sometimes nine-hour shifts and sometimes twelve-hour shifts the late shifts would finish either 10.30 pm or 11.30 pm with a 30-minute break with no set time for breaks it could be three hours in your shift or six hours, and on a twelve shift you would get two breaks again no set times sometimes they would put the two breaks together when it was quite so we would be out for longer in the busy periods. I struggled to do the late shifts, so I asked to go on flexi all early’s nine-hour shifts, where the breaks are more settled and about the same every day. A few days ago our new manager sent out a letter telling everyone on flexi shift that everyone’s agreed flexi rosta will be cancelled as of the first of November the 1st and that everyone would have to reapply, that’s up to 90–98 people Reapplying and They would not start processing the applications until September, leaving only four weeks to get through everyone’s application which could mean having to back to early’s and lates while they sort through eveyone`s applications I was just wondering what my rights are as they employed me, knowing I suffered from type 2 diabetes seven years ago, and I’ve been on flexi for about three years. Can they say it's been cancelled because of "operational needs" as the excuse for not giving me flexi again? Where do I stand in terms of employment laws, and what happens if my initial application is rejected, as well as any appeals I submit?
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Diabetes & Employment law
- Thread starter EB1
- Start date
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Sorry to hear you don’t feel your employer is taking your diabetes into account and making reasonable adjustments to support you 
Is there a union where you work that you are a member of?
There is an overview of diabetes and employment here that may help
www.diabetes.org.uk
And you might want to call the Diabetes UK Helpline on Monday (9-6 weekdays) on 0345 123 2399 to have a chat with one of the advisers who may be able to point you in the right direction?
Is there a union where you work that you are a member of?
There is an overview of diabetes and employment here that may help
Work and diabetes
This information is about how to manage diabetes at work and to support you in knowing your rights at work. Jump to:
And you might want to call the Diabetes UK Helpline on Monday (9-6 weekdays) on 0345 123 2399 to have a chat with one of the advisers who may be able to point you in the right direction?
Leadinglights
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I think you need to be clear how different shirt patterns would affect your ability to manage your condition. That may depend on what medication you take.
For many it would not have more impact than if not diabetic as in different work patterns can be disruptive anyway.
For many it would not have more impact than if not diabetic as in different work patterns can be disruptive anyway.
I work at the airport as a ramp agent and in the summer it gets very busy it’s long hours non stop from 5am till 10am unloading and loading up to 6 to 7 aircraft’s anywhere from 100 and above inbound bags then loading the same aircraft with up to 160-180 bags weighing up to 32kg all done manually turning the aircraft around ready to go back out in 35-45 minutes then on to the next one .The 30 minutes breaks are usually between 9am and 10am which is fine on early’s and easier to manage. Lates are usually busier with fully loaded inbounds arriving one after the other so your break could be 3 hours into your shift then out for 6 hours non stop in all weather conditions I’ve done both types of shifts and I find early’s easier to manage my diabetes
Lucyr
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Okay but what exactly does this mean, what diabetes related care do you do on earlys that you can’t do on the other shifts, what impact does it have on your blood sugars?
It may be that other reasonable adjustments would be enough here eg being able to take an unpaid break to take your medication. Or an adjustment to your medication on work days if you’re going hypo (below 4mmol)
Lucyr
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Okay so it probably isnt that you need breaks to take medication or manage hypos, since mounjaro is taken once per week and doesn’t typically cause hypos.
Could you explain what practical steps you do to manage your diabetes better on early shifts, and what the other shifts do to your blood sugars?
If not then it just sounds like you prefer early shifts. If you want work to make specific adjustments because you have diabetes then those do have to be related to your diabetes
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I’m Type 1 so don’t know a lot about Mounjaro, but you’d have to explain how that affected you. You can’t just choose shifts due to diabetes, you have to have specific reasons.it’s the same with reasonable adjustments. You have to explain why it’s needed.
As an example, years ago I worked in a call centre. We had codes to put into our phones if we needed the toilet and a different code for a coffee break, etc etc. We were also judged on the number of calls we took, and the number of codes we put in. I asked for a reasonable adjustment - that I could have a separate code when I needed to test my blood sugar - as the way they’d told me to do that was disadvantaging me in their statistics. They gave me a special code and then those minutes over the week that I’d spent testing my blood sugar (no Libres then) were deducted before my performance figures were generated.
Lucyr
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
As an example, I have reasonable adjustments at work due to ME/CFS.
I had to explain exactly what was needed “2hrs of unpaid breaks total per day, spread out so I don’t work more than 2.5hrs at a time”
Then why my condition means this was needed and how it impacts work “regular breaks are recommended by specialists to allow me to manage my condition through pacing. This approach improves my health and the quality of my work through better managing fatigue”
There were other bits I needed too so things like a later finish time to make up for the breaks were covered also.
Is there something similar you could put into writing explaining why you need early shifts and that it’s recommended in your individual case by professionals?
I had to explain exactly what was needed “2hrs of unpaid breaks total per day, spread out so I don’t work more than 2.5hrs at a time”
Then why my condition means this was needed and how it impacts work “regular breaks are recommended by specialists to allow me to manage my condition through pacing. This approach improves my health and the quality of my work through better managing fatigue”
There were other bits I needed too so things like a later finish time to make up for the breaks were covered also.
Is there something similar you could put into writing explaining why you need early shifts and that it’s recommended in your individual case by professionals?