Healthy practices
In your aesthetics clinic, you are likely to have a medically trained member of staff on hand to deal with any first aid issues that arise during working hours, however, as an employer, you also need to be aware of how to deal with employee health issues that are not due to accidents or acute illnesses.
Chronic health issues may not cause medical emergencies at work, instead they may mean that an employee needs a little more support and flexibility from their employer. You may need to allow a team member to change their schedule to accommodate essential appointments with healthcare professionals, consider letting them change some of their duties if they struggle with particular tasks, or you may need to be understanding if your employee needs to take time off work due to a period of ill health.
Although an employee with a chronic condition such as diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, or a severe allergy may be experienced in managing their own health, you should still consider what you as an employer can do to be supportive, and assess the situation to ensure that the health and safety of your employee or their colleagues is not at risk.
DISCRETION AND DATA PROTECTION
Data protection laws provide employees with the right to keep their medical history confidential. In certain circumstances an employer can ask an employee to disclose information on a health condition, for example, if it is considered to be something that could endanger the health and safety of a team member. However, you should always ask your employee to give you information with their consent.
If an employee does not disclose a health issue to you, then you are unable to make provisions that would protect your workers, including the employee in question. However, many employees with a chronic condition are likely to want their employer to be aware of it, as it could put them at risk if they do not.
Speak to your employee in private, record the information you collect, and follow the same data protection rules you would do for patient information. Allow your employee to check the information you have recorded if they request to.
You should not disclose an employee’s condition to your team unless your employee has consented to you doing so, and even if they have, you should use discretion and only advise staff members of essential information that your employee is happy to be made public.
"You should not disclose an employee’s condition to your team unless your employee has consented to you doing so"
MANAGING RISKS
Use your private meeting with your employee to collect information to inform a risk assessment, and demonstrate that you have followed the correct procedures to protect your employee and their colleagues from any potential risks in the workplace. Ask your staff member questions only related to health and safety at work, as there is no need for an employee to disclose anything more to their employer. Ask your employee to advise you of any precautions you should take to safeguard their colleagues or themselves, and make sure you have details on file for an emergency contact. Ask them if there is anything in the workplace that could affect their health.
After this meeting, assess your clinic for risks. If you are unsure of what to include in a risk assessment, and what to check or record, visit the Health and Safety Executive website for guidance. After you have recorded your risk assessment, address any potential risks. For example, if you have an employee with a nut allergy, you may need to set new rules on what food can be stored in communal areas.
You may have experienced nurses or doctors present in the clinic, but whoever your appointed first aider is, they should be made aware if an employee has informed you of any special precautions to take regarding their condition, to save time should an emergency arise. For example, your first aider should know where to find an employee’s medication if they have a severe allergy that can cause anaphylaxis, and understand the procedure to follow.
PROVIDING SUPPORT
Some health issues will not require you to take any further action other than to take details of your employee’s condition and conduct a risk assessment. Many staff members who suffer from a chronic condition will be able to manage it themselves, and will require no changes to be made to their surroundings, equipment, or schedule, and will be in a perfectly fit state to work normal hours. Other conditions may require you to make changes in the workplace.
You should address any potential risks in the clinic, but you should also consider if there are any changes you could make to to ensure your employee’s working week is less arduous. Small changes to schedules, tasks or equipment could make a significant difference to an employee who suffers from a medical condition, whether it manifests as pain, tiredness, a lack of mental clarity, or simply takes up time with medical appointments and treatments.
For example, if an employee is struggling with their schedule, consider whether you could change rotas, allow your employee to take additional unpaid leave, or reduce their working hours. If a team member suffers from a condition that causes pain, check that they have furniture and equipment that is comfortable and positioned correctly, and that they are not carrying out tasks that could exacerbate their condition.
UNDERSTANDING THE LIMITS
There will be some instances where it may be impossible for an employee to continue to fulfil the needs of their job, even if you make reasonable adjustments to suit their needs. It may be that your employee needs to change their duties substantially, and your business cannot accommodate changing them to an entirely new role. If an aesthetic therapist suffers from chronic pain, she may need to consider a role where she no longer performs treatments, but you may not have any non-clinical roles to offer.
If you dismiss someone who has a chronic condition and you have not made an effort to accommodate their needs, you could be accused of unfair dismissal, as employers are required by law to make reasonable adjustments to help an employee continue to work. In such circumstances you should always conduct assessments and ensure that you have provided the support and flexibility considered ‘reasonable’. It can be very hard to let go of an employee due to poor physical health, but business owners cannot be expected to employ people who are incapable of fulfilling the needs of their job.
Just ensure that both you and your employees follow the right procedures and act responsibly. Managing employees with chronic health conditions should not cause an additional strain on your business or your team members.
REFERENCES
Victoria Vilas is marketing and operations manager at ARC, an aesthetics recruitment consultancy. The ARC team helps organisations in the industry grow their businesses by hiring the most talented aesthetic professionals.
In your aesthetics clinic, you are likely to have a medically trained member of staff on hand to deal with any first aid issues that arise during working hours, however, as an employer, you also need to be aware of how to deal with employee health issues that are not due to accidents or acute illnesses.
Chronic health issues may not cause medical emergencies at work, instead they may mean that an employee needs a little more support and flexibility from their employer. You may need to allow a team member to change their schedule to accommodate essential appointments with healthcare professionals, consider letting them change some of their duties if they struggle with particular tasks, or you may need to be understanding if your employee needs to take time off work due to a period of ill health.
Although an employee with a chronic condition such as diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, or a severe allergy may be experienced in managing their own health, you should still consider what you as an employer can do to be supportive, and assess the situation to ensure that the health and safety of your employee or their colleagues is not at risk.
DISCRETION AND DATA PROTECTION
Data protection laws provide employees with the right to keep their medical history confidential. In certain circumstances an employer can ask an employee to disclose information on a health condition, for example, if it is considered to be something that could endanger the health and safety of a team member. However, you should always ask your employee to give you information with their consent.
If an employee does not disclose a health issue to you, then you are unable to make provisions that would protect your workers, including the employee in question. However, many employees with a chronic condition are likely to want their employer to be aware of it, as it could put them at risk if they do not.
Speak to your employee in private, record the information you collect, and follow the same data protection rules you would do for patient information. Allow your employee to check the information you have recorded if they request to.
You should not disclose an employee’s condition to your team unless your employee has consented to you doing so, and even if they have, you should use discretion and only advise staff members of essential information that your employee is happy to be made public.
"You should not disclose an employee’s condition to your team unless your employee has consented to you doing so"
MANAGING RISKS
Use your private meeting with your employee to collect information to inform a risk assessment, and demonstrate that you have followed the correct procedures to protect your employee and their colleagues from any potential risks in the workplace. Ask your staff member questions only related to health and safety at work, as there is no need for an employee to disclose anything more to their employer. Ask your employee to advise you of any precautions you should take to safeguard their colleagues or themselves, and make sure you have details on file for an emergency contact. Ask them if there is anything in the workplace that could affect their health.
After this meeting, assess your clinic for risks. If you are unsure of what to include in a risk assessment, and what to check or record, visit the Health and Safety Executive website for guidance. After you have recorded your risk assessment, address any potential risks. For example, if you have an employee with a nut allergy, you may need to set new rules on what food can be stored in communal areas.
You may have experienced nurses or doctors present in the clinic, but whoever your appointed first aider is, they should be made aware if an employee has informed you of any special precautions to take regarding their condition, to save time should an emergency arise. For example, your first aider should know where to find an employee’s medication if they have a severe allergy that can cause anaphylaxis, and understand the procedure to follow.
PROVIDING SUPPORT
Some health issues will not require you to take any further action other than to take details of your employee’s condition and conduct a risk assessment. Many staff members who suffer from a chronic condition will be able to manage it themselves, and will require no changes to be made to their surroundings, equipment, or schedule, and will be in a perfectly fit state to work normal hours. Other conditions may require you to make changes in the workplace.
You should address any potential risks in the clinic, but you should also consider if there are any changes you could make to to ensure your employee’s working week is less arduous. Small changes to schedules, tasks or equipment could make a significant difference to an employee who suffers from a medical condition, whether it manifests as pain, tiredness, a lack of mental clarity, or simply takes up time with medical appointments and treatments.
For example, if an employee is struggling with their schedule, consider whether you could change rotas, allow your employee to take additional unpaid leave, or reduce their working hours. If a team member suffers from a condition that causes pain, check that they have furniture and equipment that is comfortable and positioned correctly, and that they are not carrying out tasks that could exacerbate their condition.
UNDERSTANDING THE LIMITS
There will be some instances where it may be impossible for an employee to continue to fulfil the needs of their job, even if you make reasonable adjustments to suit their needs. It may be that your employee needs to change their duties substantially, and your business cannot accommodate changing them to an entirely new role. If an aesthetic therapist suffers from chronic pain, she may need to consider a role where she no longer performs treatments, but you may not have any non-clinical roles to offer.
If you dismiss someone who has a chronic condition and you have not made an effort to accommodate their needs, you could be accused of unfair dismissal, as employers are required by law to make reasonable adjustments to help an employee continue to work. In such circumstances you should always conduct assessments and ensure that you have provided the support and flexibility considered ‘reasonable’. It can be very hard to let go of an employee due to poor physical health, but business owners cannot be expected to employ people who are incapable of fulfilling the needs of their job.
Just ensure that both you and your employees follow the right procedures and act responsibly. Managing employees with chronic health conditions should not cause an additional strain on your business or your team members.
REFERENCES
Victoria Vilas is marketing and operations manager at ARC, an aesthetics recruitment consultancy. The ARC team helps organisations in the industry grow their businesses by hiring the most talented aesthetic professionals.
