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: 

• Your rights at work
• Reasonable adjustments
• Managing your diabetes at work
• Time off work for illness and check-ups
• Applying for a job with diabetes
• Being self-employed with diabetes
• Time off work to support someone else

Your rights at work 

One in six working people with diabetes feel they’ve been discriminated against by their employer because of their diabetes. 

If you feel you’ve been mistreated, remember you have rights. 

As someone living with diabetes in England, Scotland or Wales, your rights at work are set out in the Equality Act 2010. If you live in Northern Ireland, you are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. 

Both these acts state the steps employers must follow in their treatment of employees and job seekers who have a disability. While you might not think of your diabetes as a disability, you should be protected by these acts.

Read what to do if you would prefer not to tell your employer about your diabetes.

The Equality Act 2010 describes a disability as a physical or mental impairment that has a serious long-term negative effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. 

If you take medication, the decision is based on how your impairment would affect you if you didn’t take the medication. So, to ask whether diabetes fits the description of disability, you must consider the effect of diabetes if it wasn’t being treated. 

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has guidance for workers and guidance for employers on the Equality Act, which gives information on what the law means in practice and includes practical examples. 

For a more detailed description of the legislation and to see the Act itself, go to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Acas and the Equality Advisory Support Service  can also provide further advice.  

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is where you should go for more information and advice about the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and how that applies to you in Northern Ireland. 

You can also contact our helpline staff, who are here to support you if you're having issues at work.

Reasonable adjustments 

Disability law is about making things fairer so people with a disability have the same chance at a career as others. This means your employer may need to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ so you can do your job. 

If you're living with diabetes, a reasonable adjustment might include:

• Flexibility over when you eat such as having your meal and tea breaks at different times of the day to other workers if appropriate.
• Flexibility over managing your diabetes, for example, testing your blood sugars or treating a low blood sugar when you need to.

• Providing a private place to take medication (such as insulin) which feels comfortable.

   

You can get advice on reasonable adjustments from the Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) at your local Jobcentre Plus office, or the Disability Employment Service if you’re in Northern Ireland.  

Access to Work is a government programme to help keep people with long-term conditions and disabilities in work. You should speak to them if your employer can’t or isn’t willing to make reasonable adjustments so that you can carry on working. 

There’s more detail about employer obligations on the Equality and Human Rights Commission website. 

What if I don’t want to tell my employer I have diabetes? 

It is your decision whether or not to tell your employer that you have diabetes, but if you need your employer to make reasonable adjustments for you at work, you will need to provide some information about the impact your condition has on your ability to work. 

If you feel unable to tell your employer you have diabetes, you may wish to seek a fit note from your GP. 

This may simply be a recommendation that you work from home or in a different role, given the functional impact of your condition. If possible, the fit note should also say that your condition has lasted, or is expected to last, for more than 12 months. This can help show that your diabetes is covered by the Equality Act 2010.

Your employer should meet the recommendations of a registered medical professional. However, ideally, the letter would mention your condition to make sure you benefit from protection under the Equality Act 2010. 

"At work, things became progressively difficult. I began reading up on my rights and even joined a union, as I didn’t feel I was being treated fairly or safely.  I often found myself over-explaining my condition because I didn’t feel believed. It seemed that no one really understood diabetes, and I felt like I had to be very open about personal details – such as experiencing hypos – to many people. Eventually, I resorted to sharing written information about my condition with managers’  Read Donita’s story in full.

Managing your diabetes at work

It is common for people to report feeling stressed at work. If you're feeling stressed, it can make managing your diabetes more difficult.

There can be lots of misconceptions about diabetes. If you feel comfortable talking to your colleagues about the condition, it can help to raise awareness about diabetes.

The better your colleagues understand your diabetes, the easier it will be to get the support you need. A good first step can be to share our information about diabetes and let them know about our guide on supporting people with diabetes in the workplace. 

Encourage your colleagues to ask you questions and give them the information they need to help. You may find it helpful to explain what support you might need and what to do in an emergency. 

If you didn’t talk about your diabetes when you applied for the job, it’s a good idea to tell your line manager about it sooner rather than later.

They’ve already decided you’re the best person for the job and will want you to be the best you can be at work. And if they don’t know about your diabetes, they may not be able to give you the support you need. 

While working, it can help to be organised to manage your diabetes safely. Some people find putting reminders for blood sugar checks and taking medication in their calendar helpful. Look at what meetings you have at the start of the day so that you can plan around them.

Take regular breaks if you can. And talk to your manager about flexible working options, which can make it easier to manage your diabetes and do your work.

Looking after your wellbeing is an important part of managing your diabetes. If you're finding work difficult, talk to your manager about the support available. Your workplace may offer an employee assistance programme, an in-house counsellor or other wellbeing resources.

Working shifts

If you work shifts or nights, you may find it harder to manage your diabetes. Changes to your routine can affect when you eat, take medication and check your blood sugar levels.

If you're finding shift work difficult, talk to your diabetes healthcare team. They can help you adjust your diabetes management to fit your working pattern. You can also speak to your employer about reasonable adjustments if you need extra support.

“I've had to make some adjustments at work – regular breaks, keeping jelly babies nearby and letting my managers know about my condition. I've also told all my colleagues, too, which is not something everyone does, but I feel safer knowing they know.” Online forum member

Treating your diabetes at work

It can help to be prepared for managing your diabetes during the working day. You may find it useful to:

• Make sure you have hypo treatment at work.
• Ask if there is a space you can keep hypo treatments and a sharps bin if you would find this helpful. 
• Carry supplies in case of unexpected changes to your workday or problems with your equipment. Such as spare insulin, CGM sensors or insulin pump cannulas.
• If you use your phone to help manage your blood sugars or insulin doses, ask if you can keep this with you while working.

If you inject insulin or check your blood sugar levels, you'll know these are important parts of managing your diabetes safely. But not everyone you work with will understand why you need to do them. You shouldn’t feel embarrassed about it or feel the need to hide in the toilet. 

If you feel comfortable doing so, you can explain to your colleagues what you’re doing.

If you’re at risk of low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycaemia or hypos, tell your colleagues how to spot hypo symptoms and how to treat a hypo. This will help you to get support you need when you need it and help them to feel calmer and more prepared if they have to support you to manage a hypo. Talk to your first aider so that they know what to do in an emergency.

You could also create a workplace diabetes checklist to help your colleagues support you at work, including in an emergency. This could include:

• how to recognise the signs of a hypo
• where hypo treatments are stored
• when to call for emergency help
• your emergency contact details.

If you have a hypo at work, talk to your colleagues afterwards, if you feel comfortable doing so. You could explain why it might have happened, if you know why, or you can explain the things that make them more likely to happen to you. 

You can also let them know that you are at risk of having hypos because of the medication you take.

Time off work for illness and check-ups

Everybody needs time off work when they’re unwell or have a medical appointment – whether they have diabetes or not. 

Living with diabetes doesn’t mean you’re more likely to catch an illness, but you may be more affected when you do become unwell. You might also be more likely to develop other health conditions, which may be related to your diabetes, that require you to have more time off work.

You’ll also need regular check-ups as part of your annual diabetes review. Make sure your line manager understands why these checks are necessary – don’t apologise for them. Try to arrange multiple appointments in the same morning or afternoon if you can and give your manager plenty of notice.

Read your organisation's policy on time off for medical appointments and managing long-term conditions. The rules can vary from one workplace to another.

Always seek medical attention when you’re ill. Don’t wait until it’s urgent. This not only helps to make sure you are as well as you can be but could also reduce the amount of time off you need for any treatment and recovery. And keep your employer up to date with what’s happening so that they can support you in the best way possible. 

“I work for a council and was penalised for taking time off for appointments that I had no control over the timing of. I got in touch with HR, and now I can attend appointments without losing out financially.” Online forum member

Time off work for a diabetes education course

Many diabetes education courses are held during the day and can take place over several days or for a few hours each week. This means it is quite likely you'll need to ask for time off work to attend. 

Explain to your line manager that the course will help you manage your diabetes and mean you’re less likely to need time off in future. And you’ll have a lower risk of developing diabetes related complications that could affect your work. 

Some course providers, like DAFNE, have materials you can pass on to your employer that explain the benefits. 

Use our template letter to put your leave request in writing. You can ask a member of your healthcare team to write to your employer. They can explain why the course is important and how it could help your health in the long term. You may have the right to go on a course under the Equality Act.

If you can't take time off work, or classroom-based learning isn't right for you, talk to your healthcare team. They can tell you about any evening or weekend courses available locally. Or can help you to find an online course that you can do at a time that suits you.

You can also sign up to our Learning Zone for free educational support online that’s tailored to your needs.

Applying for a job with diabetes

When you apply for a new job, your potential employer will want to find out if you have the necessary skills and experience for the role. 

If you meet the needs of the job description, having diabetes doesn’t mean you’re less likely to get the job.

For most jobs, there’s no legal obligation to tell an employer you have diabetes. The Equality Act makes it unlawful for them to ask about your health before offering you work. 

But talking about your diabetes from the start can show that you’re positive about your condition. It can even be an opportunity to give examples of how resourceful and well organised you are. 

In some cases, the organisation may ask if you have a disability. This may be: 

• to find out if you need any support during the recruitment process
• if they are part of a "Disability Confident" scheme 
• to monitor how many people with a disability apply for jobs.

Telling them about your diabetes shouldn’t affect your application. Any information you give them must be kept separate and confidential.

Some professions do have special requirements because of the demands of the role. The employer will need to decide whether your diabetes poses any additional risk at work. If your condition could affect your ability to do the job or make you unsafe, think about reasonable adjustments that could help you.

If you are applying for a job that involves driving, we have information on how to apply for a licence for different vehicles.

Can organisations refuse to employ someone with diabetes?

We’ve campaigned successfully to stop employers from banning people with diabetes from applying for roles.

In the emergency services, blanket bans have now been lifted for people with type 1 diabetes and people with type 2 diabetes using insulin. It’s now up to your local service to decide.

For example, some NHS Ambulance Trusts have rules about people with diabetes applying for jobs as ambulance crew. You should expect to be fairly assessed against any locally applied rules by someone who understands the job role and how diabetes is managed.

However, the UK armed forces are exempt from the Equality Act and have a blanket ban on employing people with existing diabetes. If you develop diabetes while you are a serving member of the armed forces, however, you will not automatically be discharged. Your case will be individually reviewed by experts.

Being self-employed with diabetes

Self-employment can seem like the easier option when you have diabetes. But you shouldn’t feel like it’s your only choice. Weigh up your options carefully and decide what will work best for you.

Being self-employed gives you more flexibility to attend appointments. But self-employed people don’t get sick pay or holiday pay. And working alone can mean you lack the support of colleagues and the social benefits of teamwork.

Time off to support someone with their diabetes

You may need time off to support someone with diabetes. If you have to do this it can help to find out your employer's policy on carers’ leave. Talk to your manager about the condition and how you’re helping, so they know how important it is and understand your needs.

Discuss options for flexible working if you need to give long-term support. Remember to look after your own wellbeing too. It can help to find out if your workplace has any programmes that can help you such as employee assistance programmes, in-house counsellors or mindfulness resources.