Migraines In The Workplace

Migraines are a disease, which affect many people especially in the workplace. From requiring bed rest to just needing to stay in a dark room until it passes, migraines affect a large population of the world. This can cause economic burdens, alter work schedules and cause loss of work output. Overall, it’s a burden not just on the patient with pain and frustration but also the workplace. Studies have shown how education on this neurological disorder can improve the workplace environment not just for the employee but also for the company. This will be discussed in absenteeism versus presenteeism, being prepared for a migraine attack, and finally, the positive effect the workplace has in supporting their workers with migraines in their
workplace.
According to Çiğdem ŞEN1 (2011), “Migraine is a common and disabling disorder that affects roughly 12% of the adult population in western countries”. They go onto say “that 3⁄4 of migraineurs have reported functional incapacity and disability during an attack and more than half of them in need for bed-rest” (p. 466). The Mayo Clinic has described some common symptoms of the migraine as pain on one side or both sides of your head, pain that feels throbbing or pulsing, sensitivity to lights or sounds, and sometimes smells and touch. Additional symptoms are nausea and vomiting, blurred vision and lightheadedness, sometimes followed by fainting. Many workers will call in sick or go home to take care of the headache. This is called absenteeism. Schultz (2009) says “ Absenteeism can be measured by an employee’s time away from work typically consisting of illness-related scattered absences, short- and long-term disability, and workers’ compensation. While absenteeism and disability are significant components of productivity, costs associated with these components are only part of the total cost associated with lost productivity”. (p. 366). Many workers feel
like they cannot leave work when migraines occur. This can be due to not having sick leave to feeling they are too valuable to the companies success. Even though they are sacrificing comfort of work this is not always a good thing. Schultz describes this concept as presenteeism. Schultz says “Presenteeism measures the decrease in productivity for the much larger group of employees whose health problems have not necessarily led to absenteeism and the decrease in productivity for the disabled group before and after the absence period”. Schultz further stated “The average migraine patient reports losing the equivalent of 4.9 workdays annually due to presenteeism because of migraine symptoms.” (p. 372). Now just think, that’s employees trying to work through the pain. Next employees and employers need to be prepared for migraines. This can significantly decrease lost time in not just the patient but also other employees who are assisting in the care of the individual. This can be from taking the patient to a clinic because they can’t drive, picking up their kids from school, and less importantly doing additional work for the employee. Berry states “Recognizing and differentiating headache types are the first steps toward containing direct and indirect costs of migraine and increasing the quality of life of migraineurs.” (p. 54). She further goes into details about knowing the triggers, which include “Lighting, video display terminals, stress, smells, and noise.” (p. 54). Knowing and understanding these triggers can reduce the number of migraines thus increase work put and increasing sales for the company while increasing the health and reducing stress of the employee. If a migraine does occur employees can be prepared with what McLean calls a “migraine work survival kit”. These kits should include an ice pack for the head; a microwaveable hot pack for the neck or shoulders; ginger ale, juice, or water; acute pain medications; and a bag similar to an airsickness bag if the person is prone to vomiting. If a dark, quiet room is not available to the migraineur, an eye mask and a set of earplugs should also be packed. Money for taxi fare home and/or telephone numbers of people who have previously agreed to drive the person home (and/or pick up children from school as required) should be readily available in the kit. The individual should be encouraged to stock whatever additional items he or she anticipates would be helpful during a migraine attack”. (p.124). Lastly, research shows companies should support their employees who have migraines.
To do this, employees have to disclose the medical condition to their employer. This can prepare the employer to alter work schedules or duties. McLean says “The migraineur, therefore, should be encouraged to be candid with his or her employer about the migraine diagnosis, to describe how symptoms manifest and what self management strategies are effective, and to reassure the employer that he or she is actively engaged in attempts to manage the disorder.” (p.124). These tips can allow the employer to be readily available to assist in helping the employee eliminate the headache without added stress or worries but also eliminate those work place triggers such as the excessive noise, lighting
etc.
Conclusion
As someone who has suffered with migraines and being alienated for those headaches, I feel change needs to be made in all work places not just ours. My headache started and was immediately followed by nausea. I notified my supervisor who took me to the emergency room. The migraine was caused by an underlying health condition in high blood pressure. My headaches continued on a daily basis and then I began to have a episode in the middle of each night at around two o’clock. I would be awake for approximately two hours before falling back asleep. If my supervisor would have been educated on absenteeism and presenteeism, his being prepared for my migraines, and the positive effects he would have had in supporting me through that period, he wouldn’t have made the comment it was affecting my work. This added undue stress as I was awaiting a referral appointment with my doctor, which was not for another three weeks. Knowledge is power and can help employees through trying times, which they cannot change.