Michele's LinkedIn post from 9/16/2021:
"Ugh, she's always taking off work with some kind of ache or pain."
"She takes off "every month" - take a Motrin and get on with it!"
"Have you noticed how much time he spends in the bathroom? It's ridiculous - it's not fair to the rest of the team."
"Yeah, but if you really had cancer you'd be bald."
These are actual things I have heard or had said to me. At #work. Really.
By 2020, the US Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 157 million Americans will be afflicted with a chronic illness and the US Census Bureau estimates 96% of chronic illnesses are invisible.
Just because someone looks healthy to you doesn't mean they aren't dealing with something in the background. Listen more. Judge less. Show grace.