Insulet is taking diabetes awareness into the workplace. Having found 79% of people with diabetes have faced bias or misunderstanding at work, the medtech giant is rolling out a range of resources intended to trigger changes in how workplaces approach the condition.
The campaign, dubbed “The Day Diabetes Showed up to Work” and launched amid the start of November's Diabetes Awareness Month, is based on a survey of almost 10,000 people. Insulet gathered the views of individuals with different forms of diabetes, caregivers and people without the condition across more than 10 sectors in 11 countries.
Almost 90% of people with diabetes surveyed reported experiencing barriers at work due to their condition, and more than 40% of people with diabetes and caregivers said they have workplace-related anxiety tied to the metabolic disease. Around one-quarter of respondents reported fears that diabetes could limit opportunities or lead to workplace discrimination and judgment, and a similar proportion of people said they conceal their condition.
The figures may reflect gaps in knowledge of diabetes among people in the workforce. Almost 60% of people without diabetes said they feel confident supporting colleagues with the condition, but 61% of those individuals admitted to being unable to confidently identify Type 1 diabetes symptoms. One-fifth of people with diabetes, meanwhile, said poor awareness from colleagues makes their jobs harder.
Using those results, Insulet has identified ways workplaces can improve. Offering private spaces, a variety of food options and adequate breaks could address many of the workplace barriers experienced by people with diabetes, and Insulet flagged mindfulness tools as a way to reduce stress and anxiety while also improving sleep. Adopting those tools can build resilience and reduce burnout, the company said.
The findings are reflected in the resources Insulet has created for Diabetes Awareness Month. For its “The Day Diabetes Showed up to Work” campaign, Insulet has loaded up its “Diabetes Hub” webpage with an infographic highlighting “The Silent Burden of Diabetes in the Workplace” and quotes about workplace well-being from people with diabetes.
The website offers tips for supporting colleagues with diabetes, explaining how to use empowering language, challenge stereotypes and avoid judgmental comments. The company also linked to resources that nonprofits diaTribe and dStigmatize have created to help promote respectful, stigma-free conversations around diabetes.
The awareness campaign comes as Insulet, maker of the Omnipod line of insulin pumps, looks to keep growing under the leadership of former Johnson & Johnson MedTech executive Ashley McEvoy. Named Insulet CEO in April, McEvoy oversaw a 33% revenue jump in the second quarter. The growth took Insulet’s quarterly revenue past $600 million for the first time.