How to Support Employees Living With Chronic Pain

how-to-support-employees-living-with-chronic-pain

Even when a large number of people are suffering from chronic pain, hardly any employers address the issue. According to the research made by CDC, it has been studied that 1 in 6 people are suffering from chronic pain and which needs to be taken care of as it can largely hamper the everyday lifestyle.

There can be many reasons for the start of chronic pain. However, in most cases it tends to become common after an illness or surgery. Since it can have a bad impact on the emotional and mental wellbeing, it is a must for the employers to support their employees to overcome the challenges such people are facing.

Here are some of the most effective tips that can become a good way to support the employees.

Spreading Awareness

There can be endless stigma associated with chronic pain which results in misconceptions. For many uneducated and disrespectful people, it seems like a disability. More than that some believe that this is justified as it is a result of Opioid. Such misconceptions can become a reason to discourage employees even more.

Therefore there is always a need for educating the employees about chronic pain. With the many educational resources available for free, employers can opt for them to educate the employees and support the person who is undergoing the challenging condition.

Ensure A Healthy Work Environment

You must know that the physical work environment has a lot to do to ensure comfort of the employees. In order to make a supportive space for the employees who have chronic pain, employers must:

  • Allocate quiet areas: if you have a spare room, you can designate the room where the employees can go and take a break from their work time. This can become helpful for the employees as they can find an isolated place where they can take off while they are experiencing a bad pain.
  • Think of cubicles: It is definitely a bad choice to sit on the chair all day long. Therefore, while you are investing on the office equipment, you have to rethink it and bring things that make the lives a bit easier. Let them have the space to stretch and maintain better health.
  • Include quality equipment: if the employees are more into physical activities, you should do the best for them to ensure better work. Therefore the more you invest on advanced equipment, the better you can do for your employees.

Give Regular Break From Work

Whether the employees have a sitting job in front of the computer or maybe a lot of physical activities, both can be strenuous on their pain. Therefore encourage more short breaks so that they can feel instant relief from pain and offer improved productivity.

When the employees go for a break after every hour, not only it becomes valuable for their health but also can make them feel refreshed. Therefore with more short breaks, you can actually help them to feel the relief and not let the pain grow.

Bottom Line

These are some of the most common things that you can do for the employees suffering from chronic pain. Since work stress is normal and it can combine with physical pain to intensify the chronic pain, taking these simple yet highly effective steps can become a lot more valuable in their lives.