Seeking a graduate placement with chronic fatigue by Erin Thompson

I am a Legal Advisor at Linklaters as part of their trainee programme. I joined in September 2022 via an Australian hiring scheme and now I’m on my 2^nd rotation.

I secured my placement around the time when I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue in 2020-21, and so, it was important for me to make sure that I had an inclusive employer. I wasn’t able to meet anyone before I was hired due to it being a virtual process during Covid, however, from talking with current trainees and people I knew at the firm, I was able to hear about their positive experiences and understand more the firm’s ethos for inclusivity.

Having chronic fatigue affects me in a number of ways at work, including increased tiredness, body pains and brain fog. With the help of my employer, I was able to suggest and also find the right adjustments to benefit from in the workplace. These have included:

• The right physical set-up of my working environment – monitors in the right place, desk space in right place, footstool.
• Breaks at set times.
• Working hours with options to go home and continue working there, if long hours.
• Regular check-ins with my supervisor – able to be open if not feeling too good on certain days so colleagues appreciate how I am and why I maybe slower or appear a little less enthusiastic.
• Regular and increased HR contact as a touch base
• Communication at all times.

Being open about my condition

Once diagnosed, it was important to me to be open about my situation and so, I talked through the implications with the graduate and trainee recruitment team. We discussed different measures that could be put in place, and one of these measures was deciding to push back my training contract by 6 months. They were happy for me to delay my placement to give me time to come to terms with my condition. Prior to starting, I also had to study and do my SQE (LPC equivalent). This was something else I had to consider in the context of my condition, and the recruitment team were very open to me about putting things in place so that I could continue to study.

Building a Relationship of Trust

For me I believe it’s important to be open and build a relationship of trust and support from the beginning because then there’s time to put things in place before starting. In addition, with the relationship established, it becomes easier to seek support when issues may arise once starting work. With this relationship came regular contact with the graduate and recruitment team, this gave me the opportunity to consider different options that would be best for my chronic fatigue at regular intervals. They were also able to offer advice and suggestions of what others had benefited from previously which was helpful as I was dealing with a new condition.

Support When I Started

Having 2 years between my diagnosis and starting my job, helped me figure out what worked for me, what my triggers were and what I needed to put in place before I started. It made asking for the support easier as I was able to build a relationship with my contact in the graduate and trainee recruitment team early on.

At the start of my job, my contact was able to arrange the necessary steps for me to take. This included having a Health & Safety assessment, sharing my condition with my direct supervisors and colleagues, both through a formal process with the HR team and through informal conversations.  It was very helpful to have the HR team also having these conversations with my team, as it meant that my team was able to understand why I may be needing to take a break or go home at a certain time, for example.

Since then, I have been able to maintain a formal record of my condition on my file, that is consistently updated and shared with my supervisors. Because of all of this, on my first day, I was able to openly discuss my condition with my team and start putting in place the right things for me.

Communication is Key

Overall, the most important point is that communication is key. It’s not always easy, especially as you start, and you don’t want to be talking about it all the time. You can feel vulnerable talking about your personal experiences. But I have always found people to be receptive, and talking to them from the perspective of wanting to teach them about is when they can be most helpful and supportive.

Importance of a Network

I joined the relaunched Diversability Network at Linklaters which provides a supportive community and an opportunity to meet others with different conditions from all levels across the business. I reached out to the person running the network, who proved to be an important person to be able to share experiences with. I think looking for a network that suits you is a good thing to ask about when looking at different organisations, as you can see if the organisation has support networks and individuals that you can reach out to.

You often don’t realise that there are so many others in the firm that have other or similar conditions to yourself as they are not always visible. Talking to people about their experiences can be really helpful to gain support and have an avenue to discuss your needs in a comfortable space so you don’t feel alone.

I still struggle a bit and challenge myself all the time, balancing the requirements of the job but also needing to manage my condition. The nature of the work can be challenging and long. Taking breaks is not always easy and conducive, however, I found that no one pushes back when you explain your condition, why you need the support and take the actions that are important to you. It can be difficult being forceful, especially when starting out, as you want to make a good impression and be a team player, however you have to be conscious of how you are to stay well. You’re not helpful to anyone if you burn yourself out and therefore can’t be productive. It’s in everyone’s best interests to look after yourself and request the support you require.