#working with ms

[marlodonato]

When you DON'T get the job because of MS.

Today I found something in my computer archives that broke my heart for a few minutes. It was a training schedule that I had put together for a new manager starting with my company. I assigned areas to myself and other managers, where we would teach him over the induction week. I assigned myself to many of the areas, because quite frankly, I was the authority on those areas. This is something I do all the time in my job. So why was it so sad to look back at it? Because this was for a role that I should have gotten. Multiple sclerosis stopped me from getting it. It was not the company's fault. The job required someone to work 5 days a week and I could only manage 3 at that time. Fatigue was destroying my work and social life. Losing out on a job is palatable when you lose to someone else.....They were more suited....they knew the role better....They knew the boss.....shit, they had the better shoes and handbag...whatever. But losing out because of illness, especially in the prime of your life.....Now, that is a gut wrenching pain that you cannot know unless you go through it.

[marlodonato]

Hire People With Multiple Sclerosis: Reason 1

Cost Effectiveness.

I am a prime example of this. Okay, people with MS have different symptoms, but one that seems to be common in most is fatigue. I am no stranger to this. There was a time when I went to my boss and told him I had to quit because I was too tired. When I say "tired," I mean every night that I came home from work, I could not cook dinner, I could not take a shower, and on some occasions, could not lift my limbs to take my clothes off.

So he offered me to work 3 days a week instead. I reluctantly tried it. Could it really make that much of a difference? Well, it was life changing. I became a different person; a person who could think clearly and methodically at work. I felt fresh and full of ideas. I became more productive than I had been the whole year prior, struggling to work 5 days.

Over the next couple of years I became energetic enough to work 4 days a week. This was largely because of the medication I was on. I found 4 days to be the perfect life balance for me. I need one day a week to sleep most of the day, and working 4 days allows me that.

So what does it mean for the company?

Well, pretend they would normally pay me £30,000 a year, for working 5 days. Well, divide that by 5 and times it by 4.  So now they would need to pay me only £24,000 a year. Huge savings for them!

I still get the same amount done in 4 days as I would in 5 (more about that in reason 2 on Tuesday). They not only get an employee who spends more time with her family and looking after herself, but also one who is more dedicated and loyal to their company because of it. As I said earlier I have more energy and ideas to bring to the table.

Do you know that companies are starting to offer their employees a new work schedule that consists of working 5 days one week and 4 days the next? This is a way for them to save money whilst giving employees more time to spend with their family. I guarantee those employees are happier and more productive.

Something like that would work well for someone with relapsing- remitting MS, or perhaps someone newly diagnosed. 4 or 3 days (or even other types of part time) is perfect for many, like me, who have had MS for a while.

Modified work hours are the way of the future anyway. We are no longer living in a nine to five world. People want to appreciate their lives. People with MS know how to do that more than most. Hire someone with MS who needs modified hours and you will get someone who not only appreciates their life, but appreciates YOU. Someone who will be dedicated to your business and save you money.

[marlodonato]

Hire people with Multiple Sclerosis!

This week I was invited by Silja Chouquet, the owner and CEO of Whydot GmbH http://www.whydotpharma.com to speak at the International MS Patient Summit in Zurich. The topic of conversation was Living and Working with MS. It was in conjunction with Novartis.

As the discussions of the day continued, I started making a list in my mind; a list of why disabled people, especially people with ms, make BETTER employees.

The list comprised things I have thought about for a couple of years, but never before in a list order. I started to think about these things when I did some lecturing on management and leadership at Greenwich University. In those lectures, I thought about what I do as a manager that empowers people. How do I lead people? Almost all of my answers came from my illness.

So.....in the coming week, Monday though Friday, I am going to give a reason a day. 5 reasons why an employer should hire someone who has Multiple Sclerosis.

Stay tuned....