Are you exhausted? Well join the club! But imagine if that exhaustion wasn’t only a by-product of living in our modern times, but a physiological response to a multi-systemic illness that severely curtails your baseline energy levels. In today’s episode, we explore the world of chronic illness, particularly conditions like long-COVID, fibromyalgia, lupus, and ME/CFS, to better understand their impact on people’s capacity to work. 

We discuss the inadequacy of terms like ‘fatigue’ or ‘exhaustion’ to describe the experience of working and living with what one of our guests has termed ‘energy limiting conditions’, and what we think about as the great unnamed energy crisis of our time. We also discuss how organisations can create inclusive workplaces that are welcoming for employees of varying capacities and abilities. 

Host: Dr Peter Ghin

Guests:

Catherine Hale: Head of Consulting, Astrid/Founder, Chronic Illness Inclusion

Dr Jo Ingold: Associate Professor, Management, Deakin University

Ilena: Managing Director, start up

Mentioned:

2023: The state of the future of work 

Astriid

Energy impairment and disability inclusion

How flexible hiring could improve business performance and living standards

The business leaders hiding chronic illness 

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If you would like to suggest ideas for future episodes or reach out to us, please email work-futures@unimelb.edu.au