Making your job work within your care plan

You may need to make some changes at your workplace so you can continue to manage diabetes on the job. Once you have some ideas of how to manage your diabetes at work, meet with your employer privately and discuss your needs.

Here are some ways to help deal with diabetes at work from The American Diabetes Association (ADA):

• Take breaks to check blood sugarBlood sugarOr blood glucose. The main sugar (glucose) found in the blood, and the body’s main source of energy., eat a snack, take medicine, or use the bathroom
• Find a place to rest until blood sugar becomes normal
• Keep diabetes supplies nearby and make sure you are able to keep food where you can easily get it
• Find a space to monitor and take medicine—always have the ability to test blood sugar and inject insulinInsulinA hormone made by the beta cells in the pancreas that helps sugar move from the blood into the cells. Insulin is also an injectable medicine that is used to treat diabetes by controlling the level of sugar in the blood. anywhere at work
• Ask about shift flexibility and see if there’s a chance to work a different work schedule that fits your needs, or to work a standard shift instead of a swing shift

Find a more complete list of management tips on the ADA website. 

Disclosing your diabetes: when to tell and when not to

If you need any changes made to your workplace, then you will definitely need to tell your employer about your diabetes. But in many cases, it is completely up to you whether you want to make it known to the other people you work with. Deciding to "go public" about diabetes can be a hard decision. Here are some ideas to help you decide who to tell on a case-by-case basis.