Colitis, or ulcerative colitis, is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes ulcers to form within the digestive tract. These ulcers can lead to lots of secondary symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhoea, rectal pain and bleeding, weight loss, fatigue and fever.
There is currently no cure for colitis and this means that people with the condition live with it and its symptoms on a long-term basis. It is a condition that can cause both physical and mental distress. Some people with colitis often need to undergo surgery and/or have a colostomy bag fitted. Living with a colostomy bag (or Stoma) is a big change and it can cause many people anxiety and upset as they deal with the transition.
As such, people who live with colitis need care and support. Especially so at work. Living and working with colitis can prove very difficult at times and it is vital that people with the condition receive the right kind of support from their jobs and employers.
At Careers with Disabilities, we care about helping to provide this support for disabled job seekers. We have created this page within our Disability Advice Hub to provide advice and guidance for both job seekers with colitis and employers working with people with the condition.
Support for Job Seekers with Colitis
If you are looking for a job as someone with colitis, you will probably have a lot of worries about how working will go with your condition. You may even worry that you will never be able to maintain a job because of your disability. It is important to know that you can indeed get and keep a job even when you have colitis. It is all about conducting your job search in the right way. Here are our tips:
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Connect with others with the condition:
When you are looking for a job with colitis, you may feel isolated and alone. You may feel that no one understands what you are dealing with. The best way to combat this is to reach out and connect with others with the same condition. You can do this through social media, local support groups, and charities such as Crohn’s and Colitis U.K. It is much easier to deal with things when you have others on your side.
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Disclose your disability in interviews:
It might not always feel comfortable, but disclosing your disability as early as possible can be very beneficial during the recruitment process. For one, you are entitled to the reasonable adjustments you need even in the interview process, so you can be as comfortable as possible. Secondly, you can figure out how this potential employer will treat you once they know about your disability. If you don’t get the support you need in the application process, why would you continue with that company?
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Looking for inclusive employers and accessible environments:
Actively looking for working environments that suit you is the best way to conduct your job search. You should only work somewhere that can give you the exact kind of support you need. This prevents a lot of pain, stress and disappointment over time. You can use our inclusive job board and directory of accessible employers on Careers with Disabilities to do so.
As someone with colitis, you may have hurdles and barriers that other people do not. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t find the right job for you in a way you are supported. It is just about knowing where to look.
How Employers Can Help
How an employer supports an employee with colitis can greatly determine how happy and well they are at work. We can’t underestimate how important genuine employer support is to disabled employees.
When it comes to colitis, there are certain strategies of support that employers can and should provide. These include:
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Challenging stigma and unconscious bias:
You should take the time to check out the campaign named “It Takes Guts”. This campaign helps people living with Crohn’s and Colitis to share their stories and tackle the stigma that exists around inflammatory bowel diseases. Take your time to read through these stories and encourage similar practices in your workplace. The more comfortable your employees feel at work, the easier it will be for them to disclose their disability and ask for the reasonable adjustments they need.
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Understanding the power of reasonable adjustments:
As an employer, you probably hear the term reasonable adjustments very frequently. It is important to remember that they are more than a buzzword and they do, in fact, hold a lot of power for disabled employees. Listening openly to adjustment requests and processing them as quickly as possible is the best way to support your employees with colitis. Listen to what they need as individuals and do your best to provide it. If you need financial help for this, check out the Access to Work scheme.
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Continuing to learn and develop:
When it comes to being an inclusive employer, you won’t make all the changes you need overnight. It takes time, effort, and practice. Take as many learning and training opportunities as you can and commit to continually improving your inclusive practice. This might include taking part in the Disability Confident government scheme. It also should include checking out our resources for employers on Careers with Disabilities. The more you know, the more you can help.
Find the Jobs and Resources You Need on Careers with Disabilities
For disabled job seekers, you can check out our catalogue of support and live Disability-Friendly job board to find everything you need to connect to the job of your dreams.
For employers, take a look at our services for employers and how we can help you be as inclusive as possible. You can also check out how to post a job on our inclusive job board so you can connect with as many diverse job seekers as possible.
It’s all about working together.
