Featured Research Summary: The State of Migraine Disease in the Workplace 2021
How employers perceive migraine disease, provide accommodations, and incorporate practices to help improve the chances of success
Posted on 01-24-2021, Read Time: - Min
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Although most have heard of “migraine headaches,” relatively few have a good understanding of what migraine disease is or how it affects employees. In fact, many employers and employees alike struggle to differentiate the terms “headache” and migraine. There are, after all, more than 300 types of headaches, and only one-tenth have known causes, which further adds to the confusion. The HR Research Institute, in partnership with the not-for-profit health policy organization Aimed Alliance, conducted this study to help inform the human resources (HR) community about migraine disease.
Some Key Findings
- There is much confusion about whether migraine disease can be considered a disability.
- Migraine disease often carries a stigma, particularly among direct supervisors.
- HR professionals agree that migraine disease takes a toll on employees’ well-being and company productivity.
- Employers vary widely in terms of how they accommodate employees with migraine disease.
- Half or more responding HR professionals are often not sure about whether their organization’s health coverage imposes restrictions on medications used to treat migraine disease among those that do know, however, a considerable proportion impose such restrictions.
- HR professionals indicate that their organizations are most likely inclined to offer various types of support in the future to employees with migraine disease.
Is Migraine Disease Considered a Disability?
Just 48% of HR professionals agree or strongly agree that migraine disease can be considered a disability in their organization. However, if we confine ourselves to the population that excludes “don’t know” responses, this increases to three-fifths (60%). This is concerning given that several courts have found that under certain circumstances migraine disease can be viewed as a disability requiring reasonable accommodations. Respondents from larger companies (78%) are more likely than those from mid-size (61%) and smaller companies (41%) to say that migraine disease can be considered a disability.
Do Migraine Attacks Impair Employee Productivity?
Employees suffering from migraine attacks sometimes (66%) or often (20%) have impairments in their ability to work. Productivity losses from migraine disease in the workplace have the potential to be expensive due to both absenteeism and “presenteeism.”
Our research shows that 75% of participants say employees with migraine disease use paid or unpaid sick days “sometimes” or more often. A further 64% say employees at their organization are working through their migraine attacks at least some of the time. Twenty-seven percent say employees use Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) at least some of the time due to migraine attacks.
Our research shows that 75% of participants say employees with migraine disease use paid or unpaid sick days “sometimes” or more often. A further 64% say employees at their organization are working through their migraine attacks at least some of the time. Twenty-seven percent say employees use Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) at least some of the time due to migraine attacks.
Are Employees Comfortable Asking for Reasonable Accommodations?
While not every employee will be comfortable asking for an extra accommodation, employees appear to be far more comfortable asking HR (71%) for an accommodation than direct supervisors (41%). If we exclude respondents who say they do not know, these proportions increase to 85% and 61% respectively.
How Well Do Organizations Support Their Employees?
When asked how likely their organization is to make changes in the workplace to reduce the risk that an employee will suffer from a migraine episode, only 17% say it is very likely, though another 32% say it is somewhat likely. Nearly a quarter, however, say they just do not know. When we exclude those respondents, a majority say that their organization is either very likely (22%) or somewhat likely (42%) to make such changes. However, this still leaves more than a third (36%) saying it is unlikely.
Are there benefit restrictions on medications to treat migraine? What do migraine management leaders do differently? Check out the key suggestions on how organizations might become more successful in fostering greater acceptance and support for migraine disease.
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