(Below is Part 2 of a four-part series on chronic pain in high school and college. It was penned by a college student who has dealt with chronic pain throughout her academic career. The four-part series will cover four important aspects of college life – Academics, Dating, Employment and Social Life. Here’s Part 2 on how holding a job while in school can be difficult if you deal with chronic pain. Part 1 on Chronic Pain and Academics can be seen here.
How Chronic Pain Affects Your Job
If you struggle with chronic pain, I’m sure the thought about getting and keeping full-time employment will have crossed your mind at some point or another. From my experiences I can offer suggestions and a few pieces of advice.
As you search for a job, search for a company that is employee-focused and cares about everyone in their company. Many companies will have similar positions for people of a certain major, but one of the biggest differences in the job you have comes from the company and culture at your workplace. Companies that stress work flexibility and employee support are the places to seriously consider because they will be more likely to offer flexible work hours (allow for doctor appointments, leave early on a bad pain day and work late another, etc), flexible working location (home or in-office), ergonomic work stations (sit-to-stand desks, supportive chair, etc), and other services for employees such as a gym, nurse, or physical therapists on-site.
During an interview, it is perfectly appropriate to ask questions that relate to company culture, how employees are treated and any other specific questions you have to help give you an idea of whether or not that company goes out of their way to make sure employees can comfortably and effectively get their work done. Once you have the job offer, you can ask HR more specific questions, including any concerns you might have or if they can make any accommodations before you accept the offer. When you start working (whether it’s a summer job, part-time position, internship, or full-time role) speak to your boss and project manager about your health and how it can sometimes affect how you need to work. If you don’t share this information, you won’t be able to ask for working accommodations and they won’t be able to understand what’s going on and how to help you to be successful at work.
Personally, I have found being up-front and honest really helped me because my project manager was able to look into ergonomic work stations and was very understanding if I had to leave in the middle of a day for a physical therapy appointment, go home early or even work from home on a day that my pain was bad. If you put in the effort to research the places you want to work at on sites like Glassdoor, Business Insider, and the company’s website, and you speak to your HR representative about work accommodations, I have no doubt you will be able to work in the field of your choice even while dealing with chronic pain.
Part 3 on Chronic Pain and Social Life in College will be published on Wednesday.