Working from home can be a great option for someone with a chronic disease, but it’s a particularly good choice for diabetics. Here we cover everything you need to know about working online and diabetes.
Here we’ve listed the benefits of working from home as well as best suited jobs for diabetics. And many more interesting tips and tricks…
Let’s start by defining working from home, particularly working online from a home office.
What is Working From Home?
The Work From Home (WFH) culture is a relatively new one. It’s been around for the past couple of decades but has only recently gained widespread popularity. This is mainly due to the rise of small businesses and startups.
By embracing the Work From Home culture, companies can attract talent from all over the globe and allow their employees to work from wherever they feel most comfortable.
This article will look at what it means to work from home for diabetics, its pros and cons, and how you can implement Work From Home into your own company’s operations.
Benefits of Working from Home
Employee benefits of working from home include:
- More freedom for you to work where and when you want
- Spending less time commuting allows you to spend more time with family and friends.
- More time for yourself – less stress!
- Save money on office space by having fewer employees in the office at any given time.
- Allow employees to live wherever they want; this makes it easier for companies to recruit top talent who might not otherwise be willing to relocate for a job.
- More flexibility with scheduling means less absenteeism due to illness or other personal issues (i.e. no need to take sick days).
Other Benefits of Working From Home
1. Independency
You’re your own boss! You can decide what you will do, when and how you will do it, and how much time you’ll spend on each task.
You don’t have to worry about getting along with difficult coworkers — or impressing ones who aren’t so bad. Or, dealing with unnecessary drama and politics in your workplace.
Working from home also gives you a lot more control over how your work gets done, boosting productivity and satisfaction.
2. Communication Abilities are Enhanced
Remote communication methods such as Slack and Zoom have become the new norm, even post-COVID. Learning how to collaborate remotely has its perks.
You’ll become a communication expert while simultaneously increasing your productivity, saving time on commuting, money on office wear, and learning how to focus through any interruptions that might otherwise come your way.
Running a business from home can make you feel like a jack-of-all trades, which is not necessarily bad.
While you may miss the face-to-face time with colleagues, consider all of the skills you will gain by working remotely.
3. Increase in Productivity
Employees who work from home report that they often feel like they can get more done. They don’t have to worry about commuting, face-to-face interruptions and distractions, sick days in the office spreading, or the kids being in school—they can focus on their tasks.
You can work in your sweats and avoid small office talk with colleagues. Also, even better than relaxing in a pair of sweats, some companies allow employees who are constantly working from home to take vacation days from home.
Challenges of Diabetes
Now, let’s turn into diabetes, which results in hyperglycemic (high blood sugar) episodes and hyopglycemic (low blood sugar) episodes.
Here in this video, we explain hyperglycemic (high blood sugar) episodes…
Hypoglycemia is a condition in which your blood sugar (glucose) level is lower than usual. This is also known as low blood sugar.
When your body does not have enough glucose for energy, it uses fat for fuel instead. In the process, chemicals called ketones build up in the body.
Ketones are acids that are dangerous for the body when too many of them. When you have too many ketones, your blood can become acidic, leading to a diabetic coma or even death.
Some of the symptoms include,
- Blurred vision is an example of a visual disturbance.
- Seizures
- Consciousness loss
- Confusion, strange behavior, or both, such as the inability to accomplish ordinary tasks.
- Hypoglycemia, if left untreated, can lead to coma and death.
Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome (HHNS) is a life-threatening condition affecting people with type 2 diabetes. Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome occurs when excess fluid is lost in the urine, resulting in dehydration and elevated sugars.
When dehydrated, your body releases hormones that prevent you from urinating, causing even more water loss and higher glucose levels. HHNS symptoms develop over days to weeks and range from mild to severe.
Its symptoms include:
- You may have disorientation, slurred speech, or weakness on one side of your body.
- Rapid Heartbeat
- Blood sugar levels are pretty high.
- Thirstiness
- Dryness of Mouth
- Nausea, as well as vomiting, or a stomachache
- Urination frequently.
Long-term Complications of Diabetes
Diabetes is the most common cause of blindness, kidney failure, and amputations in the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and the UK.
Diabetes occurs when blood glucose levels are too high. The hormone insulin moves glucose from the blood into your cells to store or use for energy.
With diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes glucose to build up in your blood instead of moving into your cells.
Below are the long-term complications of diabetes.
1. Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy can cause blindness, if it’s not treated or managed well. It’s a leading cause of blindness in American adults. But early detection and treatment can help prevent vision loss.
Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes. It often occurs in people who have had diabetes for many years. The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely they will develop this condition.
If you’re diagnosed early, you might be able to prevent vision loss by controlling your blood sugar and blood pressure levels, quitting smoking, and getting regular treatment.
2. Kidney Failure
Diabetes is a severe disease that has reached epidemic proportions. One of its most devastating complications is kidney failure.
Kidney failure, also known as end-stage renal disease or ESRD, requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to treat. You can have kidney failure from type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes used to occur only in adults, but now it’s seen in children and teenagers.
Some experts believe that about 30% of people with diabetes develop kidney disease over decades of having the disease.
Kidney failure is the final stage of nephropathy when the kidneys have lost 90% or more of their function. In most cases, diabetes causes nephropathy. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure in the United States.
Its symptoms include,
- Breathing problems.
- Blood pressure regulation is deteriorating.
- Foot, ankle, hand, or eye swelling.
- Urine with protein.
- Urinary urgency
- Appetite loss is common.
- Confusion or inability to concentrate.
3. Macrovascular Disease
The macrovascular (large blood vessels) disease occurs when the walls of large blood vessels become damaged and diseased. This most often happens over a long period when a person has diabetes.
When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or use insulin effectively, causing high blood sugar levels.
High blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels throughout the body. If you have diabetes for a long time, you’re more prone to acquiring macrovascular disease.
Its symptoms include,
- Breathing problems.
- Physical exertion tolerance is reduced.
- Chest discomfort or a squeezing/pressure sensation. You may not have chest discomfort if you have autonomic diabetic neuropathy.
- Fatigue that lasts a long time.
- Palpitations.
- Legs and ankles are swollen.
When Can Diabetes Effect Your Job?
Finding out you have diabetes is likely to be upsetting, but it won’t necessarily stop you from getting the job you want. There are laws to protect people with diabetes against discrimination at work.
If you’re asked if you have a disability or a chronic disease during a job interview, your employer only needs to know if anything might affect how you’ll be able to do your job. A health condition that doesn’t affect your ability at work is not what’s considered a “disability.”
You don’t need to disclose your health before being offered a job for most jobs. There are exceptions, including work with the armed forces or police, where it’s essential for your health and safety or the health and safety of others that you disclose your medicals. You may also have to let them know if you’re on medication that could affect your ability to do a particular task.
Your employer should be able to help make any reasonable adjustments necessary, which may include:
- time off for appointments and training
- regular breaks so that you can eat or take medication
- moving your desk away from a draught or heat source
Pumping and injecting insulin
Insulin pumps are small devices that deliver insulin through a tube inserted under your skin. People with type 1 diabetes generally need to use them, but some people with type 2 diabetes may need to use them too.
If you have a pump, it’s best to wear it somewhere discreet, like under your clothes. If you have an injection pen, you need to keep it in a cool place during the day and store it in a bag or pack of ice overnight. You can store extra insulin in the fridge at work.
What Jobs You Shouldn’t Do If You Have Diabetes?
There are several jobs that you cannot hold if you have diabetes. An employer has the right to require a medical examination and ask for evidence of medical fitness to ascertain your suitability for any role.
Sadly, however, there are still instances where employment can be affected by diabetes. Certain occupations can be closed off to people with diabetes, either because they need to work with insulin or have severe hypoglycemia. To qualify as ‘severe,’ this must result in unconsciousness episodes or seizures.
The following positions (under current legislation) are unavailable to you as an insulin user:
- Armed Forces
- Fire Service
- Air traffic control
- Prison service
- Airline pilots and Airline Cabin crew
- Ambulance service
- Working Offshore
Because diabetes is a progressive disease, it can get worse over time. If you already have this disease, the best thing you can do is control your blood sugar level and keep the complications at bay.
For those with pre-diabetes or who have had diabetes in the past, keeping your blood sugar levels down is vital to preventing full-blown diabetes. To do so, pay attention to your diet, exercise regularly, and take appropriate medications as needed.
In the end, if you have diabetes, you have to be aware of the possible issues that could arise in your chosen profession. If you think your symptoms will negatively impact your ability to perform a job, it’s essential to bring these issues up with employers so they can be considered.
Diabetes is a severe condition, but it is definitely manageable for those committed to living with the disease.
It’s good to know your rights as someone with this condition too, particularly if you want to break into some specific fields.
Why Working from Home is a Better Option for Diabetics?
With the recent global pandemic of Coronavirus, many companies have sent employees to work from home.
“Working from home” or “telecommuting” is a means of being able to perform one’s job tasks remotely outside of an office environment with an internet connection.
This means that these workplaces are quickly transitioning work to your home. So why is this a better option for people with diabetes?
Lockdown has shown that many people can work from home, and some plan to keep remote working after Coronavirus. If you have diabetes, this is better for your health because you may be at higher risk of a bad COVID-19 outcome.
Employers should aim to meet exceptionally high health and safety standards when considering the needs of employees with diabetes. This is because the risk of illness or injury could be more significant for individuals with poor control of their diabetes.
You are not expected to have flawless control of your diabetes at all times, but there are safety precautions that can help you feel comfortable at work and prevent accidents from happening. These precautions need to be agreed upon jointly between you, your employer, and the employee care team.
12 Best Work From Home Jobs For Diabetics
Want to work from home with diabetes?
Many jobs can be done from your house or from a remote office setting.
These are 12 best positions for people with diabetes to put in a solid day’s work with an employer that understands their health conditions.
1. Graphic Designer
Freelance graphic designers can find work-from-home jobs with companies that want to add interactive, cutting-edge elements to their websites without the overhead of a full-time design team.
If you have experience in web or print design, those are valuable skills for companies looking for a freelance graphic designer to create ads, logos, and websites.
Here’s one of the best tutorials on PhotoShop.
The freelance graphic designers seeking remote design jobs will see that working from home gives them the flexibility to balance their lives better.
Permanent design jobs often require you to spend long hours in the office. Thus, they can be challenging if you are diagnosed with diabetes as you may miss out on your meals, exercise, and other vital requirements.
2. Full-Time Health Coach
If you are diabetic, working from home may be a better option for you than working in the office.
Most health coaches do not have a traditional office. They work from home or from their cars, meeting with clients and running group programs at different locations throughout their city.
The work environment for a health coach is flexible and lends itself well to someone with diabetes who is looking for a career change or who may need a flexible job that accommodates their condition.
Working from home is an excellent option for people who have type 2 diabetes. Here are some reasons why.
Fewer Stress
People with diabetes face a lot of stress on a day-to-day basis. Blood sugar levels can be affected negatively by stress, causing insulin to be needed at more significant levels.
When you don’t have the pressure of actually having to go into an office, you’ll find that your blood sugar seems to stay lower and more stable.
Reduced Risk of Infection
It’s much easier to catch the flu and other illnesses when you spend a lot of time around people in general, especially if you’re around other health professionals or working as a retail clerk.
But if you work from home, you don’t have to deal with this risk of getting sick as often.
Improved Organization
You might not realize it, but organizing your time at home will enable you to manage work tasks better. Even if you teach for yourself, do health coaching, write ebooks or training videos, or even run corporate wellness programs, the better organizational skills you have outside of work, “mainly” at home, “the better organized your work life. Will be.”
Here are some Tips and Resources for starting a Health Coaching Business.
3. Diabetes Wellness Instructor
Understanding how to manage diabetes and finding the motivation to do so are the two most important tasks a diabetic faces.
A diabetes educator is a specialist in diabetes care who works with individuals and groups of people so they can understand their disease and better manage their health.
The role also includes creating care plans that address the individual’s needs and personal goals and evaluating them continually so adjustments can be made when necessary.
Diabetes education can help your patients gain greater control over their blood glucose by teaching them how to manage it through healthy eating, physical activity, monitoring, and medication use. The healthcare team is there to help ensure the best chance of living a long and active life with diabetes.
4. Research And Engagement Specialist
You will provide leadership to develop and implement advocacy strategy and action plans, knowledge management, and capacity building in this position. Ensure that partnerships on advocacy between internal and external stakeholders translate into a more integrated approach.
For example, as the COVID-19 Engagement Specialist, you will work with the Director of Partnerships and Advocacy, Director of Communications, and other partnerships and Advocacy team members to fulfill PAI’s mission to represent its members’ perspectives to key stakeholders within the humanitarian sector. You will be responsible for shaping our public health emergency donation policy and leading donor engagement on COVID-19.
5. Talent Apprentice
The effect of an apprenticeship is employed on both the employees and the employer. Apprenticeships are beneficial for employees because they increase their salary and improve their chances of getting hired. Employers make a significant profit because they save money on recruitment expenses and overtime pay.
Remote employees are no less committed to your business; in fact, our research has shown that remote workers are actually more engaged than in-office staff.
This isn’t just because distant workers feel more valued and trusted – those who work from home also have fewer distractions and the ability to get through their workload quicker.
6. Virtual Nurse Coach
Nurse Coaching provides a safe, non-judgmental space for people who have had diabetes or another chronic illness for a while, or have just recently been diagnosed, to share their experiences and be heard.
Working from home as a Nurse Coach grants you an opportunity to enhance the lives of our clients while actively managing your own health needs.
When we work from home, our patients and clients become our local community where we can directly support others within our sphere of influence. This alone is empowering.
We have the freedom to educate, support, and positively impact the communities we live in – all elements that bring great fulfilment to our daily lives.
7. Freelance Writer
Freelance writers produce whatever written text their clients need, either working from home or in a rented office space.
The most commonly create advertising copy; however, some freelance writers produce specialized materials, such as manuals and reports. These materials may be made by individuals or work as part of a larger organization.
Here’s is a success story of Content Writing.
There’s no question that the freelance industry is growing as more people discover this work arrangement’s practical and lucrative benefits.
Being a freelancer allows one to enjoy BOTH; autonomy and flexibility. For people with diabetes, it means more frequent bathroom breaks, spending less time in the office chair, and even working out during lunch.
8. HelpDesk Technician
A support technique is a general term that covers various roles within the IT industry. A support technician is responsible for providing technical assistance to customers or other employees, generally through the phone or live chat.
So, if you would instead work remotely than in an office, or you’re someone who wants a better job where you can make the most of your skills and qualifications without having to interact with lots of different people daily, a remote IT help desk technician might be the perfect job for you.
Benefits of working from home include health insurance, flexible hours, and remote access.
This video explains what Helpdesk Technicians do.
9. Tutor
Tutors can work with students in real-time to talk through problems and come up with solutions together, whether that means helping them complete homework assignments or study more effectively for exams.
Fast-paced learning styles that may not be effective for every child or adult student can also benefit from tutoring. Working at home allows a tutor to work around your schedule, so you don’t have to worry about fitting this into your busy day.
10. Software Developer
With its mix of people, places, and various problems to solve, software development is never dull.
Working in software development allows you to: Be creative. As a developer, you’ll be building something from the ground up.
Whether designing the next great app or enhancing third-party software with the latest features, building new solutions is a constantly changing process that blends art and engineering.
11. Virtual Assistant
The world has become a global village, and evolving technology has facilitated companies to hire remote workers.
Virtual assistance is an excellent example of this trend. If you have some administrative skills, you can offer your proficiency to international clients as a virtual assistant. This can be done as a part-time and a full-time home-based job, depending on your preference.
Remote work helps people with diabetes enjoy their day-to-day lives away from the hassle of checking up on their blood sugar every now and then. This is due to its schedule flexibility as compared to traditional office jobs.
Check this out, which explains more about virtual assistants.
12. Online Marketer
Being a Digital Marketer is not any different from the core elements of being a salesperson.
Due to the nature and uniqueness of the job, it would be easy to assume that Digital Marketers are all super-geniuses in business and marketing but are just digitally inclined because they were born in a particular generation.
Beware of Scams – How To Avoid Online Job Scams?
Unfortunately, online job scams remain a troubling component of the work-from-home job market.
Even as the number of legitimate remote job opportunities and remote workers increases, it’s essential to know when a prospective employer is trying to take advantage and how you can protect yourself.
All right, let’s examine the red flags that should give you pause if you encounter them during your job search.
- Consult reputable sources.
- Be wary of jobs that ask for information about your bank account.
- Be wary of quick money schemes.
- Anonymously post your resume.
- Working with a reputable agency or client is a good idea.
Conclusion
If you’re like most people, you probably spend about a third of your day at work at someone’s office. So, for a diabetic, working from the comfort of home can be a great option.
Whether it’s your office or the kitchen table, you can increase your productivity and reduce daily commuting, saving you time and money.
It’s no secret that there are perks to working from home, such as flexible schedules and more time for family and friends, so we’ve compiled a list of jobs that are most suited for a person with diabetes. Seeking a job as a diabetic is a hurdle; that’s why we compiled this list for you.
