These past few months, we handled 2 cases of employees with chronic conditions that felt like they were mistreated. One complained that her medical leave certificate was rejected, and another complained that she was unfairly transferred out of her department.
As we dived into the cases, I noticed that some managers tend to not have the courtesy, or should I say, bravery, to take the lead in discussing the chronic conditions together with the employees. Some managers just take the chronic condition at face value, some did not even bother to actually confirm the condition and just accept rumours, and not doing anything to help. Of course, it is understandable to think that by acknowledging the condition, the employees may "bully" the managers to get what they want. But, some employees with chronic conditions may actually need genuine help, and we may miss this group of people.
Having a chronic medical condition, be it physical or mental, is not something someone wishes upon themselves. But, they have to live with it. Some managers may think that they do not have any role to play in making the condition better—this is where they might be wrong. Employees spend average 9 hours per day during working days (which is usually most of the week) in the workplace; how can it be possible that there is nothing that managers cannot do?
I noticed that trouble almost always started when the employees never had the opportunity to have a direct discussion with the managers. This may be due to they were not given the opportunity due to a busy schedule or high workload, or some managers just have a closed-door policy, or their chronic condition affected their judgement (especially in cases of mental health issues). My personal opinion is that managers should approach first because, for one, the manager is the one with the sane mind and better health (if this is the case) and, two, the first thing that a manager has to be is human. There is nothing wrong with going down the stairs to the employee's level to ask him or her directly about their health if they refused to see you. I think when managers actually show that they care, half of the problem is solved.
The discussion should be a professional two-way communication where the employee can talk freely about his or her condition and the manager can explain about the expectation that he or she has for the employee. The most important issue that needs to be discussed is the long-term plan for said employee's condition; this would benefit both parties. The manager needs to ensure that said employee has a plan of management by experts regarding her condition that is sustainable and enables him or her to get the best out of their lives currently, both personally and professionally. The discussion should end with both parties understanding each other's priorities and expectations.
It is understandable that the first reaction towards someone who we deem as "problematic" is to hate them and shut any opportunities for them. But we need to keep an open mind and at least try to talk to them to see if there are any possibilities of change or betterment within them, especially when you are in a position that makes you responsible for them. This sounds like a fantasy, yes, but always remember that stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a change. This concept is the same in our life - how can we expect him or her to change when we chose to treat them exactly the same as how everyone else treats them? We can only judge after we have faced the problem.
As someone in healthcare and the current trend of emphasizing mental health, it is quite saddening to see healthcare workers struggling to get attention and understanding in their own workplace. Especially when the solution can be as simple as talking to each other.
We should stop saying, "Oh, he/she has always been like this" or "alah dia tu memang macam tu" because if no one took a step to care, then of course it will stay like that. We need to start creating a space in the workplace where people would actually want to come to work and know that problems can be discussed and solved.
If you have the power to create change and safe space, please start doing so.
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