Case Study:
Tony's Story
Tony worked as a supervisor on an offshore rig for a large petrol company, working one week on and one week off. It was known by the company that he had Type 1 diabetes but it had never affected his work so it was not raised as an issue by him or his employer until one day, while on the rig, he suffered a hypoglycaemic episode. The first-aid trained staff were unsure how to treat Tony so they airlifted him to the nearest hospital. The company had a policy that any staff medically evacuated with Type 1 diabetes following a hypoglycaemic episode had to take a six month break. During this time there were questions asked about his ability to return to normal duties and Tony feared he would lose his job.
Tony sought information from the local state office of Diabetes Australia, consulted with diabetes educators and medical specialists and as a result learned how to manage his diabetes much better. He returned to work as his general health improved substantially, and the first-aid staff on the rig were trained to better manage diabetes cases negating the need to airlift Tony or any other worker as a result of a diabetes episode.
If you think that you may have been discriminated against in the workplace, do not ignore it. Come forward with any complaint you may have. Complaining will ensure that your legal rights are protected, and that other people are not subjected to the same discriminatory behaviour.
If you feel comfortable doing so, you may wish to discuss the problem with the person concerned, and ask them to stop their discriminatory behaviour towards you.
If you do not feel comfortable confronting the person directly, or if you have discussed the matter with them and the behaviour has continued, talk to your manager, human resources manager or union (if you are a member). They should be able to tell you what you can do. You may also wish to use your employer's complaints procedure to make a formal complaint.
If you are not satisfied with the way your employer deals with your complaint, you have the right to take your complaint to an external agency (see 'How can I make a complaint to an external agency?'). However, you do not have to make a complaint to your employer before you complain to an external agency.
Next Section: How can I make a complaint to an external agency?
