To help managers whose employees have medical conditions, chronic or otherwise. Tips on accommodation.
An employee came to her manager to announce her diagnosis. Managers sometimes feel clueless where to begin with someone who has a medical concern. If you're well-meaning, but flustered, this is a great way to get ahead.
Six Ways to Manage It:
Set aside all your assumptions about the condition and the people who have it.
People's tendency is to research. If you are the kind of person who has to research things, be aware that only some, or even none, of the data you find may apply to your employee. It would be good background. But, you must remember that you're dealing with an individual, not a condition.
Talk to the person. There may not be limitations on their work or activities. Find out if there are and figure out how to make reasonable accommodations. There are many programs that will help you arrange accommodations if you don't know where to start. Try Boston University, for example. They have a site with great tips at http://www.bu.edu/cpr/reasaccom/.
When you meet with your employee, establish your expectation that he or she will take responsibility to deal with the medical condition as conscientiously as possible in order to do his or her work. That may include consulting with and following a doctor's advice.
Remember, you are not a doctor! Even if you are a doctor, you're not their doctor. If the employee's behavior indicates they're not doing their part and it affects performance, document and consult your company's internal resources (HR, union, etc). They can be vital in determining your next steps.
Every so often, reasonable accommodation results in complaints, rumors, or gossip among other employees. You will need to prepare for this and establish to complainers that every employee is valued for their skills and abilities. You are making accommodations in accord with the company's values. Affirm that you'd do the same for any employee.
