This toolkit is to help employers to provide their employees with epilepsy with good support at work.
The toolkit includes:
People with epilepsy can struggle to find employment more than other people.
People with epilepsy also have one of the lowest rates of employment among disabled people. Just over a third (34%) of people who identified epilepsy as their “main” health condition are in employment, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Many people with epilepsy are also underemployed, working in jobs that don’t utilise their skills or potential.
Some people may not know much about epilepsy or how to help if a colleague has a seizure. In a 2016 poll, a quarter of respondents stated that they would be concerned about working with someone with epilepsy. 63% of those people said it was because they had no idea about what to do to help a colleague during a seizure (YouGov, 2016).
In 2018, Epilepsy Action commissioned the Institute of Employment Studies (IES) to carry out research into why people with epilepsy are disadvantaged at work and what would help reduce the gap.
Specifically, it looked at
The research included interviews with employers. Employers said they would find helpful:
This toolkit provides the resources employers said would help them.
Read the IES research to find out more about the challenges people with epilepsy face at work and how employers can support them.
Epilepsy Action would like to thank the following people for their contribution to the Employer toolkit:
Rachel Shopland | HR manager, Family Lives
Dr Melissa Maguire, FRCP MD | Consultant neurologist and honorary clinical associate professor, Leeds Neurosciences and University of Leeds, Leeds General Infirmary
Jenny Kelly | Epilepsy nurse specialist, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
The people who shared their story for the case studies
Everyone who gave user feedback
The Garfield Weston Foundation
The Adint Trust
The Henry Lumley Trust
Epilepsy Action fights to improve the lives of everyone affected by epilepsy.
Our free helpline offers confidential and accurate information and support when people need it most, and our national network of support groups offers a lifeline to people close to home.
We support healthcare professionals, researchers, educators and employers so that together, we can create a better, fairer future for all people with epilepsy.
Fundraising at work is not only fun and rewarding, but also a great way to boost working relationships and encourage team building, all while making a real difference to the lives of people affected by epilepsy.
There are lots of ways you and your company can support people affected by epilepsy, from a simple lottery syndicate, to a team trek up Kilimanjaro!
The Employer toolkit is researched and evidenced to provide accurate up-to-date information. A referenced version of the the information is available to download and print at the bottom of each page.
Find out more about Epilepsy Action’s information quality standards.
Explore the toolkit using the menu at the top of the page or go to the homepage.
If you’d like to print the information on this webpage or see the information with references, download it here.