Discrimination in the work place...

[Mum50]

Hello, I'm Jo, newbie to the forum and Mum to a son who is 23 with T1D. I just wanted to ask your advice on something. If a work colleague said to you don't test your diabetes in our coffee room because it's unhygienic and told you to go and do it somewhere else how would you respond?
This was said to my son today at work and in the five years he has had diabetes it's the first time someone has commented like this. Has anyone had a similar experience and how did you deal with it? Thank you.

 

[Mum50]

Hello, I'm Jo, newbie to the forum and Mum to a son who is 23 with T1D. I just wanted to ask your advice on something. If a work colleague said to you don't test your diabetes in our coffee room because it's unhygienic and told you to go and do it somewhere else how would you respond?
This was said to my son today at work and in the five years he has had diabetes it's the first time someone has commented like this. Has anyone had a similar experience and how did you deal with it? Thank you. (Sorry for posting twice but I wasn't sure which one to post on.)

 

[Deleted member 25429]

I can’t quite believe that anyone could be this ignorant ... it beggars belief. I regularly test in our office with no comments from others . I am having a bit of a battle with my company over a suitable quiet place to go if I have a hypo or want to inject, but after talking to them about living with diabetes they seem to be taking things more seriously . Maybe your son quietly explaining why he has to test may help

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hello @Mum50

I’ve merged your threads so that you can find all the responses in one place 🙂

Sorry to hear of the experience of your son. As far as I am concerned there is nothing unhygienic about fingerstick checks any more than someone skinning a knuckle or getting a paper cut.

Workplaces need to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to accommodate the needs of people living with diabetes (under the Equalities Act).

Was the person that said something in a position of authority or just a co-worker?

I’m not sure if your son has had to officially notify his employer, and/or have any kind of meetings about it (I only ever mentioned it in passing). Does he have a line manager or supervisor he can discuss it with so that he can have some official comeback that it has been agreed and approved.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Hello @Mum50 may I suggest your son gives an incredulous look at the bleeper who made the comment and asks if he would prefer him to test his blood sugars in the toilet.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Hello @Mum50 may I suggest your son gives an incredulous look at the bleeper who made the comment and asks if he would prefer him to test his blood sugars in the toilet.

Actually I was going to suggest he do that (test at the sink). Maybe my workplace has unusually clean toilet sink areas. Or (depending on the workplace, obviously) test at a desk (which is what I do). Or (which I also do, though not because of this) turn off any sound the machine makes, and quite likely nobody will notice. (But I really don't have any relevant experience: I've always worked at universities or software companies and my colleagues just aren't bothered.)

 

[Drummer]

I'd ask what do they consider unhygienic about the process of testing and do they have some sort of phobia - though if someone was obviously really distressed at the idea I'd offer to go into the coffee room a minute or so early and do the test, or perhaps wait until everyone was out of the office (if it is that sort of environment) and do it then. Obviously if it is a workshop or public place then doing it there would not be possible.
I'd not assume that it was someone being discriminatory - some folks do get really hett up at the thought of blood tests - though normally it is what they imagine rather than what it actually is, it is, never the less, a real panic situation for them.

 

[Grannylorraine]

If he has an occupational health team, ask them for a place to test or HR to find him somewhere or his line manager. As others have said reasonable adjustments have to be made for testing and injecting insulin. I recently moved office (not through choice), where I had been based I spoke to my colleagues about testing at my desk and they didn't have a problem, but I wasn't sure about the new very open plan office, I spoke to the facilities manager as well as occupational health and it was agreed that I could either use the onsite nurses room or the facilities manager's office, as I flatly refuse to test in the toilets.

 

[Felinia]

Fortunately I retired before diagnosis, but when working there were two colleagues with diabetes. One would test in the toilet, as he could wash his hands first there and test immediately after. The second was a larger organisation with a staff sick room with toilet and sink, as well as 2 beds. Both would notify someone they were going to test. One explained to us what to do if he had a hypo (he kept supplies in his desk drawer) and we had his wife's phone number. The other liaised with the appointed First Aider for the day.
Both would inject insulin away from the office. I do understand some people might be disturbed if someone wanted to inject insulin in their tummy in the actual office. And I have come across some people who are really so very uncomfortable with anyone who has any type of medical condition, to the point where they cannot even discuss it.

 

[Ljc]

Unfortunately a few folks really do think that you can catch all sorts of of awful nasties from a teensy weeny drop of blood that has not touché any surface that others can touch , these same people would have no qualms about saying you should test/inject in a loo used by many, that’s a big no no for me.

I know this thread is about testing but I assume the OPs son also needs to inject as well .

I inject in public discretely as I assume most of us do, I don’t bare my tum , thigh or bum if I am not wearing suitable clothes that I can gain around the half inch access I need, then I inject through my clothes mostly under the table I am sitting at.
With a devise that looks nothing like a syringe , hence the name pen, for those that haven’t seen a pen here’s a pic of my pen with needle attached , the coin is a pound coin


My advise to @Mum50 . Is tell your son to have a word with his line manager about what was said and why he needs to test /inject . Imo it’s up to the line manager or other appropriate person to deal with this if their should be any problems, also does your son feel able to chat calmly with the person who said this about what it’s like to be diabetic .

On another thread a year or two ago I read of another similar situation, where arrangements were made for the person to go to the staff restaurant before anyone else so they could see what was in the menu so they could test and inject for the carbs before the other staff entered.
I don’t know if something like this would be suitable.

 

[Hazel]

That comment made to your son is unacceptable on every level.

It is discrimination at the very least, it is disciplinary case at the very least.

 

[Mum50]

Hello All, @everydayupsanddowns , @Freddie1966 , @Pumper_Sue , @Bruce Stephens , @Drummer , @Grannylorraine , @Felinia , @Ljc , @Hazel Thank you so much for all of your feed back. It's very much appreciated and so good to hear your opinions. The man that made the comment is just another colleague @everydayupsanddowns , and my son did tell his manager. They went into the office to discuss it and the colleague did not apologise and stated he still thought it was unhygienic and suggested they do a vote with the other workers to see who agrees with him! My son's manager refused to do a vote and there wasn't really an outcome to it apart from my son explaining that there was no where else to go to do it and he was not going to inject in the toilet. Now I have read all your responses though it has helped. Explaining a bit more about it to people as you've suggested is a good idea and maybe asking work to look into providing a clean quiet place to go if people have a phobia or issue with it. I've read your responses to my son. It cheered him up as he's been feeling a bit low. I've tried encouraging him to join a forum because I think when you connect with other people who are going through or have been through the same challenges, it's a comfort knowing that they know exactly how you feel and you're not alone. He's slowly mellowing to the idea. Thank you all so much for your opinions.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Personally I woud avoid doing anything diabetes-related in a public/office toilet.

I understand some people have phobias about such things, but I do not feel is it appropriate to request anyone injects or checks BG in the toilets myself. The procedures usually take moments and someone really would have to be lookking pretty hard to notice most if the time. I always did everything at my desk then I worked in an office (either as an employee or a freelancer) and as others have said, no one was ever bothered in the slightest.

 

[Sprogladite]

Completely agree with @everydayupsanddowns on this, I would absolutely advocate not doing it in toilets unless it is ABSOLUTELY necessary, just for the sheer principal of it. Diabetes is hard enough to manage without having to worry about everyone else's feelings, T1 is not a condition we can easily fix or neglect unless we want serious consequences.

Frankly if this bloke had made that comment to me, I would have turned up the next day with a bottle of antiseptic cleaner and a wipe and told him to make it as hygienic as he pleases once I'm done. If he doesn't like blood then he shouldn't look, otherwise he needs to pipe down and realise how lucky he is to have a pancreas that flippin works!!

(Don't know if you can tell but this sort of thing really gets my goat lol).

 

[Bexlee]

Hi @Mum50 sorry to hear of your sons work situation. People can be so funny (not in a ha ha way) about injections and testing etc.

Usually I find because they’re uneducated about diabetes.

It’s taken me a year (tomorrow in fact), a fair few arguments, been made to feel uncomfortable, a nasty meeting and admittedly finally a change in leader but I’ve never felt ad supported as I do know. It was a worthwhile battle.

My day to day colleagues have always been helpful and supportive, asking questions and wanting to know more. It’s helped them help the few students who have diabetes.

We have a joke at lunch time now about what my levels will be, Will they agree with the libre, can we (they) calculate carb ratio correctly.

This time last year I was often sent to the loo or told I shouldn’t do that there not by them but by one individual.

I now have a clean small private space to inject. Everyone knows what to do if I have a hypo that actually takes a little longer to sort or feel the cracking headache effects of a hypo and I don’t feel guilty about it. Sometimes with 30 ish smiley teenagers to educate or control (never sure which!) I need a few minutes out and we have things in place.

It may be a battle but you son must kick up a bit of a stink so this one uneducated individual is made to realise it’s not cool or appropriate to discriminate against people or even worst make them uncomfortable. Its a difficult job some days controlling everything without worrying about “upsetting” people!

PS he should join the forum, he doesn’t need to post, just lurk and read, gain a bit of confidence then maybe post. The waking average thread is always quite nice to read

 

[Mum50]

Thanks so much everyone again for taking the time to reply. I'm glad I joined. It feels like a big family of support on here.

 

[trophywench]

Thanks so much everyone again for taking the time to reply. I'm glad I joined. It feels like a big family of support on here.

Precisely why we all stick around the place !

 

[Deleted member 25517]

Hi Jo, please feel free to make an appointment with the Diabetes UK advocacy service if you want to speak about your son's rights in the workplace. You can do this by giving us a call on 035 123 2399 🙂