Workplace support lacking on migraines
Migraine sufferers aren’t getting the support they need at work, three charities — the Migraine Trust, Migraine Action and the National Migraine Centre — have warned.
One in seven people — nine million Britons — suffer from migraines — and each year 25 million days are lost through migraine from UK work or schools.
However, a YouGov survey found that 70% of people are either unsure or do not know whether migraines can be classed as a disability. Under current legislation migraines may be classed as a disability if its severity and frequency impacts on a person's working life.
The survey also found that two-thirds (64%) of UK adults believe employers don’t understand very much or at all about the nature of migraines and their effects on their staff.
One sufferer, Fiona McKenzie, was told by one of her former employers she would be fired if her absences due to migraines didn’t improve.
McKenzie’s not alone, previous research from the Migraine Trust showed that almost one in five people had lost a job through the condition.
Another finding of the survey, released in Migraine Awareness Week which runs from 3-9 September, was that less half of UK adults quizzed (49%) believed schools and universities failed to understand migraine’s nature and its effects on their students. Meanwhile, almost half (46%) didn’t realise that migraine was a genetic condition.