Insecure, me? Never

How can chronic illness add to and create job insecurity? 

Job security feels like a luxury nowadays, with the looming giant of “AI” seeing an increase in layoffs, reduction in entry-level roles and a tough job market. Adding in chronic illness and the feelings of job insecurity increases exponentially. 

What is job insecurity anyway?

I know what you are thinking, “there is another thing I have to be insecure about?”, as if social media hasn’t made us insecure about everything.

Unlike the latest diet and exercise trends, job insecurity is rooted in science and has a fair amount of research behind it. Job security, in the scientific literature, is defined as “the perceived threat to the continuation of one’s job or the desired aspects of the job” (Shoss, 2017). Which largely means, in normal people's language, is having thoughts that your job is not safe or that the parts of your job you like are at risk of being taken away.

That is not to say this is all in someone's head; there are very real reasons for someone to feel insecure about their job. Societal changes, whether it is layoffs, the increased use of AI in workplaces, an inconsistent job market and the generally shittiness of the world, mean that it is very normal to feel insecure about your job right now.

What if you are also chronically ill? 

Chronic illness always adds an extra layer of nonsense to our lives, and our careers are no different. Having a chronic illness or disability can negatively impact how secure we feel in our jobs. Whether it is having unpredictability in symptoms, rigid working conditions, fears around bias and disclosure or even not knowing what your legal rights are, adds to stress and insecurity around work. 

On top of this, those of us with chronic illness are more likely to be in lower-paid, insecure jobs, such as part-time, temp or gig work. It is insecurity on top of insecurity, not seen since the ’90s heroine chic era. 

What is even messed up is, job insecurity impacts your psychological and physiological health, aka being chronically ill and insecure about your job means you are more likely to get sick and possibly another chronic illness. Oh, the joy and the irony.

So what can we do about it?

We are unlikely to ever get rid of our chronic illnesses, as much as we wish we could. Equally, we are unlikely to be able to change the mess that is late-stage capitalism and therefore need money to live. So what can we do?

1. We will start with the most practical one - knowing your rights. Each country will differ slightly, but there are protections around employment and disability. So, even if you don’t think of yourself as disabled by having a long-term condition, it means you are likely to be covered by the law as a disabled person and can request reasonable adjustments.

2. Selective disclosure - your employer isn’t your medical team, they don’t need to know everything about your health, tell them the bare minimum you need to be able to secure your required needs and accommodations. 

3. The obvious one is trying to secure a remote role, which I know is easier said than done. A hybrid role, where you negotiate the number of days you are in the office, may also work. This could be considered a reasonable adjustment, but be strategic about when you bring this up. 

4. Diversify your income -, it is always wise for all women to have multiple income streams, for those of us who are chronically ill. For some, that may look like having a side hustle, or for others, it may look like having a more portfolio career, where you aren’t reliant on one employer. This can be very dependent on what your chosen career is, energy levels and life circumstances. All women, however, should be investing. Chronically ill or not.

5. Having an emergency backup fund - life happens. Health problems happen. Not having to stay in a miserable job longer than we need to should be an option. Also, see investing.

6. I would never tell someone to retrain, especially if they enjoyed their job and weren’t in the financial position to do so; however, looking into alternatives of how you can do your job more sustainably for your health should always be encouraged. If you want to know what that looks like, book a call with me, and we can go through that. 

Going forward

Unfortunately, we won’t ever be able to fully get rid of our job insecurity. Much like how we can often have body insecurities, we can take steps to manage the insecurity so it impacts us less.  We don’t have to be stuck in chronic illness and job insecurity purgatory, even if at times it feels like we are.