I feel like those of us with disabilities and chronic illness do not get taken into consideration enough when employers debate on whether WFH should be allowed for employees, and as we all know, society in general tends to sleep on us when trying to decide on a widespread system to implement. I would like to hear from those of you guys who are disabled or have chronic illness on what WFH means for you and how it affects your daily life.
I myself have a chronic condition that affects the way I deal with food. Anything I eat can land me with horrible abdominal pain at any time, and I end up getting stuck in the bathroom for 15 minutes to an hour, depending on how cranky my body happens to be. No treatment or diet completely gets rid of the problem; I’m basically stuck like this even with medical help. Whatever I do or wherever I go, if I plan to eat, I need to make sure I’ll have lenient access to a bathroom in case of a flareup. Otherwise, I’d have to skip meals to avoid those, and I don’t need to be starving myself for entire work shifts just to avoid judgment from coworkers despite my productivity still being satisfactory at the end of the day.
WFH gives me more time to eat when I need to, the ability to deal with flareups in peace, more privacy, and comfort. While my productivity could be better, even after lost time, I still significantly exceed expectations, so there is no reason I should ever be required to go back to the office. My employer does not need to be aware of all my bathroom visits, and I should not need to sacrifice my comfort and dignity to stroke someone else’s ego.
The employers should not be the only people to benefit from WFH.