With relatively simple policy changes, education, and compassion, employers and policymakers can make work safer and more productive for people living with diabetes
Make sure to prioritise mental health — stress, shift work, and burnout affect blood glucose control. Ask about flexible scheduling, if needed |Image used for representational purpose only | Photo Credit: AP Illustration / Peter Hamlin
Every year, World Diabetes Day (WDD) brings the global diabetes community together to raise awareness, push for better care and policies, and support the more than 530 million people living with diabetes worldwide. WDD is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and observed every year on November 14, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, co-discoverer of insulin. In 2025, the campaign continues under the multi-year theme ‘Diabetes and Well-being’ with a special focus on diabetes in the workplace and the slogan ‘Know more and do more for diabetes at work.’
Why the workplace?
Globally, about 7 in 10 people living with diabetes are of working age — which makes workplaces crucial settings for prevention, early detection, ongoing management, and support. Stigma, lack of workplace accommodations, and poor access to care at work can undermine physical and mental well-being and reduce productivity and financial security for people with diabetes. The WDD 2025 campaign calls on employers, co-workers, and policymakers to remove barriers, provide reasonable adjustments, and build supportive environments so people with diabetes can thrive on the job.
The 2025 campaign
The WDD 2025 messaging breaks down into practical asks for multiple audiences:
Employers: Implement diabetes-friendly policies (flexible breaks for glucose monitoring/insulin, safe storage for medication, non-discriminatory sick-leave policies), provide health checks and workplace wellness programmes, and train managers to recognise and support employees living with diabetes.
Health systems & policymakers: Ensure access to affordable medicines, education, and occupational health services that coordinate with employers.
Co-workers & unions: Reduce stigma by learning about diabetes, offer peer support, and advocate for reasonable accommodations.
People living with diabetes: Know your rights at work, keep an up-to-date diabetes care plan, and discuss needed adjustments with organisation attached physicians or your treating doctor.
What workplaces can do
- Introduce a simple workplace diabetes policy (breaks, medication storage, emergency plan)
- Offer regular (voluntary and confidential) health checks and risk assessments
- Train managers on mental-health impacts and reasonable accommodations
- Create a non-discrimination reporting channel and anti-stigma messaging
What employees can do
Plan ahead to monitor your glucose and insulin dosing dosing during work hours and keep supplies accessible and labelled. Also, carry quick sources of carbohydrate for hypoglycaemia and make sure colleagues know what the emergency protocol in such cases is. Make sure to prioritise mental health — stress, shift work, and burnout affect blood glucose control. Ask about flexible scheduling, if needed.
Do your bit
Coordinated action can reduce avoidable complications, protect livelihoods, and lower the economic and societal cost of diabetes over time.
You can take part by using official WDD materials (posters, social media assets) to run awareness drives during Diabetes Awareness Month and on November 14. Employers can run a short workplace webinar on diabetes basics and reasonable adjustments. Health organisations and NGOs can organise free check-up camps, stigma-reduction workshops, and distribute educational toolkits.
World Diabetes Day 2025 is a practical reminder that diabetes care and well-being extend beyond clinics into daily life — including the places where most adults spend a large portion of their time: workplaces. With relatively simple policy changes, education, and compassion, employers and policymakers can make work safer and more productive for people living with diabetes. The campaign’s call is clear: Know more, and do more for diabetes at work.
(Dr. Sai Krishna Chaitanya P. is which the department of endocrinology, Naruvi Hospitals, Vellore. saikrishna.p@naruvihospitals.com)
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