Working with a Health Condition: Navigating the Workplace Through the Lens of Health Psychology

Living with a chronic or long-term health condition is never easy. The physical symptoms, emotional toll, and day-to-day unpredictability can affect every aspect of life — especially work. Whether it’s diabetes, chronic pain, asthma, anxiety, depression, multiple sclerosis, or long COVID, millions of people across the UK and beyond juggle their careers while managing ongoing health challenges. Yet, discussions around chronic illness and work often remain taboo or stigmatised.

This blog delves into the experience of working with a health condition through the lens of health psychology. Drawing on models such as the Biopsychosocial Model, the Health Belief Model, the Theory of Planned Behaviour, Self-Regulation Theory, and Lazarus and Folkman’s Stress and Coping Theory, we explore how individuals cope, make decisions, seek support, and maintain their productivity at work. We also reflect on the role of employers, organisational culture, and policy in creating inclusive, health-sensitive workplaces.

Understanding Health Psychology in the Workplace Context

Health psychology focuses on how biological, psychological, and social factors influence health and illness. It explores how people understand their health, how they make decisions, and how they behave in response to illness or health threats. In the workplace, health psychology offers powerful tools to understand how individuals with health conditions manage work responsibilities while maintaining their well-being.

Let’s begin with a foundational model.

The Biopsychosocial Model: A Holistic Perspective

Developed by George Engel in 1977, the Biopsychosocial Model moves beyond a purely medical or biological understanding of illness. It posits that health outcomes are the result of interactions between:

• Biological factors: genetics, physical symptoms, medications, or physiological changes.

• Psychological factors: mood, personality, coping mechanisms, beliefs.

• Social factors: workplace culture, relationships, stigma, and socioeconomic status.

Applying the Biopsychosocial Model to Work

Consider someone with rheumatoid arthritis. Biologically, they might experience joint pain and fatigue. Psychologically, they may feel frustration, anxiety, or low self-esteem. Socially, they might encounter misunderstanding from colleagues or lack of accommodations. Managing all three domains is essential for successful work participation.

Employers who recognise this model understand that supporting employees with health conditions isn't just about ergonomic chairs or medical leave—it also involves mental health support, open communication, and inclusive culture.

Health Belief Model (HBM): Decisions and Disclosure at Work

The Health Belief Model (HBM) helps explain how people make decisions about their health. It includes several key components:

• Perceived severity: How serious the individual thinks their condition is.

• Perceived susceptibility: How likely they feel they are to be impacted.

• Perceived benefits and barriers: Weighing the pros and cons of taking action (e.g., disclosing a condition at work).

• Cues to action: Triggers that prompt health-related behaviour.

• Self-efficacy: Confidence in their ability to act.

Disclosure Decisions and HBM

Imagine an employee with epilepsy. They may perceive their condition as severe (perceived severity) and feel a seizure could happen at work (perceived susceptibility). They might believe that disclosing the condition could lead to better support (benefits), but fear discrimination or embarrassment (barriers). A recent seizure (cue to action) might push them towards disclosure—if they believe they can manage the conversation effectively (self-efficacy).

The HBM highlights the internal deliberation many people undergo before disclosing a health condition at work. Supportive HR policies, visible disability networks, and leadership examples can act as positive cues to action, reducing barriers and increasing self-efficacy.

The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB): Intentions and Workplace Behaviours

Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) explains how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control shape intentions and behaviours. It’s useful in understanding how employees approach self-care, request adjustments, or manage workload while living with a condition.

Case Study: Managing Fatigue with Chronic Illness

An employee with fibromyalgia may intend to ask for a flexible schedule. Their:

• Attitude might be positive (“It will help me manage pain and be more productive”).

• Subjective norm could include supportive colleagues or managers who encourage balance.

• Perceived behavioural control is crucial—if they believe they can make the request and it will be honoured, they’re more likely to act.

However, if they believe their manager is unsupportive or that others will view them as lazy, they may suppress their intention. TPB shows that organisational culture has a significant role in shaping whether people act in ways that benefit their health.

Self-Regulation and Chronic Illness Management at Work

Self-regulation theory explores how people monitor, evaluate, and respond to discrepancies between their current state and their goals. In chronic illness, self-regulation is critical: individuals constantly balance symptoms, treatment, rest, and productivity.

Workplace Example

Take a graphic designer with migraine. Their goal is to finish a client project, but they start experiencing visual aura and fatigue. Self-regulation involves:

• Monitoring: Noticing the early symptoms.

• Evaluating: Assessing whether pushing through is possible or harmful.

• Responding: Taking a break, using medication, or adjusting lighting.

The challenge is that self-regulation can be undermined by workplace expectations, guilt, or financial pressure. Chronic self-regulation demands energy and resilience—which is why organisational support and flexibility are crucial.

Stress, Coping, and Adaptation: Lazarus and Folkman’s Model

One of the most influential frameworks in health psychology is Lazarus and Folkman’s Stress and Coping Theory. It views stress as a dynamic interaction between individuals and their environment, mediated by:

• Primary appraisal: Is this situation a threat, challenge, or benign?

• Secondary appraisal: What resources do I have to cope?

• Coping strategies: Problem-focused (changing the situation) or emotion-focused (changing the emotional response).

Coping at Work

A person with diabetes who forgets their insulin may appraise this as a major threat. If they feel they have time, privacy, and support to manage it (secondary appraisal), they may respond calmly. If not, they may feel panic or shame. Their coping strategy might involve problem-solving (getting insulin quickly) or emotion-focused actions (talking to a colleague, breathing exercises).

Chronic workplace stress, when compounded by health challenges, can lead to burnout or reduced functioning. That’s why supportive coping resources—like employee assistance programmes, mental health days, or chronic illness support groups—are so vital.

Identity, Stigma, and the “Sick Role”

Sociologically, being “ill” often comes with a specific set of expectations—resting, seeking treatment, stepping back from responsibilities. Yet, people working with long-term conditions don’t always fit this mould. They're often expected to perform as if they are fully well, or feel guilt when they can't.

This creates “role strain”, especially for those with invisible illnesses. There's a constant tension between:

• Managing symptoms vs. maintaining performance.

• Asserting needs vs. avoiding stigma.

• Seeking support vs. staying silent.

Invisibility can be both a shield and a burden. While it protects from overt discrimination, it can lead to disbelief, minimised symptoms, and emotional isolation.

Employers’ Role: Creating Psychologically Healthy Workplaces

Workplaces play a crucial part in shaping how individuals cope with health conditions. Evidence-based approaches include:

1. Flexible Work Arrangements: Remote work, adjusted hours, and job-sharing can help employees manage symptoms.

2. Training and Awareness: Managers should understand chronic illness, mental health, and inclusive practices.

3. Confidential Support Systems: Access to occupational health, EAPs, and disability advisers is essential.

4. Clear Policies and Procedures: Employees should know their rights and options regarding reasonable adjustments.

5. Promoting a Culture of Trust: Normalising conversations around health builds psychological safety.

Emphasising the Human Behind the Health Condition

When we talk about chronic or long-term health conditions in the workplace, it is easy—especially in policy, procedures, and strategy discussions—to focus on diagnoses, symptoms, or performance metrics. But behind every label or line in a medical record is a person navigating a profoundly personal and often invisible journey.

Living with a health condition while working requires not just physical stamina, but also emotional strength, adaptability, and self-advocacy. It involves making difficult daily decisions about how much to share, how to manage symptoms, when to ask for help, and how to deal with stigma, judgement, or misunderstanding. These choices are not just clinical—they are deeply human.

Some people carry the weight of invisible symptoms—pain, fatigue, anxiety—that others may not see but that shape every working day. Others face unpredictable flare-ups that interfere with meetings, deadlines, or the ability to maintain a consistent routine. For many, every morning brings a calculation: “Can I make it through today?”, “Will my body cooperate?”, “Will others understand?”

In such situations, understanding becomes more than a workplace virtue—it becomes a necessity. It is not enough for managers or colleagues to be aware of the policies around disability or sickness absence. What truly matters is the willingness to see the individual as a whole person: someone who may be resilient, committed, and capable, while also managing real, persistent health challenges.

This means fostering a workplace environment where people feel safe to be honest about their needs, where vulnerability is met with compassion rather than scepticism, and where flexibility is not seen as favouritism but as a form of equity. It means rejecting the idea that someone must “prove” their illness, and instead trusting in their lived experience.

Health psychology teaches us that people’s perceptions of control, self-efficacy, and support significantly influence their health outcomes and workplace performance. When individuals feel seen and respected—not just accommodated—they are more likely to engage fully, contribute creatively, and remain committed to their roles.

In essence, recognising the human behind the health condition is not just a moral imperative—it is a psychological one. It reduces stress, enhances coping, and builds a foundation for mutual trust. It shifts the focus from “How is this condition a limitation?” to “What support does this person need to thrive?”

Creating truly inclusive workplaces demands that we move beyond abstract empathy and instead cultivate practical, everyday understanding. This includes listening without judgement, offering choice and flexibility, respecting privacy, and continuously learning about the different ways health conditions can manifest and impact people.

Ultimately, no policy or model can replace genuine human connection. It is in the small moments—how we respond when someone says they’re struggling, the language we use, the space we make for difference—that true inclusion lives. To honour the dignity of people living and working with health conditions, we must centre their humanity in every interaction, every policy, and every cultural norm we build.

Final Thoughts: Bridging Theory and Practice

Working with a health condition is not just a medical challenge—it’s a deeply psychological and social one. Health psychology provides a rich toolkit for understanding how individuals experience work with illness and how workplaces can either hinder or support their journey.

Employers must recognise that productivity and well-being are not opposing forces. When workers with health conditions are respected, empowered, and accommodated, they contribute uniquely valuable perspectives, resilience, and dedication.

For individuals managing their own health at work: know that your experience is valid. Your health does not diminish your worth. With the right supports, you can thrive—not just survive—in your career.

Resources and Further Reading

• “The Psychology of Health: An Introduction” by Keith J. Petrie and John Weinman

• Mind UK: Workplace Mental Health Resources

• Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

• Spoon Theory by Christine Miserandino

• British Psychological Society: Division of Health Psychology

• Health Psychology Journal – Current research in workplace health psychology