Building a Migraine-Friendly Workplace

You can make your workplace work for you by introducing accommodations that mitigate your migraine and make the environment more accessible.

The workplace can feel like a minefield of potential triggers when living with migraine.

When employees are left to fend for themselves, workplace conditions — whether harsh lighting, chatter in an office environment, loud noises on a construction site, or overstimulation working in hospitality — can feel like an overwhelming obstacle.

However, with a few adjustments, any workplace can be made more migraine-friendly to ensure everyone is ready to unleash their productivity without sacrificing their well-being for the bottom line.

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What can trigger migraine at work?

“The workplace can be a volatile environment, even in the best of times, because there are many people in one place producing different stimuli,” says Dr Thomas Pontinen, an interventional pain medicine specialist. “Potential triggers include environmental factors like fluorescent lighting, screen glare, background noise, and poor air quality.”

“Compounding with harsh workloads, burnout, and deadlines, this recipe can do a number on [those with migraine],” he continues.

Abi Stevens, a freelance illustrator with chronic migraine, resonates with this. She has worked in a school and an office environment and now works primarily from home in a migraine-friendly haven.

In addition to the external environments, an ongoing trigger is stress; she says, “It’s a big factor in my chronic migraine becoming significantly worse and eventually having to leave my previous job.”

For people working outside the traditional office environment, physical exertion, such as lifting their arms over the head, can be a common trigger. Chiropractic neurology specialist Dr Thompson Maesaka recommends exploring the root of your attacks to make managing them at work easier.

“I’d first figure out if it’s a heart rate problem or a muscle problem that will tell you more specifically what type of care you need,” he says. “Do everything possible to increase your migraine threshold, like blood sugar stability, supplementation, hormone balance, and neck strength, which can all help your system tolerate more activity and stress before triggering an attack.”

Identifying the accommodations you need

“When it comes to handling and preventing migraine, specifically, it’s just a matter of identifying triggers and working around them,” advises Pontinen. “Having a solution for a worst-case scenario can take a lot of stress off your shoulders, even if you don’t intend to use it.”

There’s no universal list of workplace triggers, so it’s essential to conduct some self-analysis to identify risk factors in your specific environment and match them with potential solutions.

Office workers should consider everything from the lighting and ergonomics of their office equipment to the air quality and noise levels. Manual laborers or anyone working outside an office should think about the physical pressure of manual tasks, smells, noise levels, and lighting.

Write down every trigger and match it with a possible accommodation, like a quiet break room, better ergonomically designed chairs or keyboards, or requesting colleagues not to wear strong-smelling colognes.

Pontinen advises us to examine every tiny detail in case we may overlook potential triggers because “familiarity with the office environment means many [migraineurs] might overlook triggers, especially when they don’t have a choice but to show up to work every day.”

“Ultimately, it’s going to be a bit of trial and error,” he continues. “Avoid the smells, loud noises, or lighting situations that trigger migraine; wear ear protection, eye protection, and respiratory protection whenever helpful.”

Communicating your needs

Now that you know how to make work migraine-friendly, communicate with your manager and colleagues. Although requesting accommodations can feel daunting, you have the right to ask for reasonable adjustments.

“Self-advocacy is important; I think things might’ve played out differently with my past employer if I’d known more about my rights as an employee,” says Stevens.

Stevens has applied these lessons to freelance work by communicating health issues with clients to ensure accommodations. “I let people know my health is variable, so it’s better to give my slightly longer deadlines if possible,” she says.

Utilize available resources to make this process easier. Contact your union representative to advocate on your behalf or request a third party to sit in on any conversations and act as an unbiased reporter.

“I would advise people to speak to a union if they have one and to request a referral to occupational health because they can come up with things that will help you, and they will give feedback to your work on your behalf,” Stevens adds. “Never have a meeting without representation or a recording device.”

“Even if there’s a slight chance of running into problems, protect yourself,” she continues. “The workplace is a lot more hostile to disability than people would like to think.”

Making your environment migraine-friendly

Once you’ve flagged the key issues to your employer, the next step is implementing these accommodations.

In office environments, order ergonomic seating and install ambient lighting to avoid light triggers. Other steps include incorporating regular screen breaks and using noise-canceling headphones.

“Short-term workplace solutions can be effective in ensuring a migraine doesn’t progress to an unmanageable level,” says Maesaka. “Things like noise-canceling headphones, dedicated quiet rooms, and migraine-break rooms can all help take someone on the verge of getting a migraine.”

“Even just the availability of these options can do a lot for someone psychologically because it shows the employer is aware and empathetic to your situation,” he adds.

Your options are more limited when working in jobs that require manual labor or long periods of standing. However, it’s still possible to make your environment migraine-friendly by creating a dark room to lie down in when the pain spikes, requesting reduced hours, and wearing sunglasses or earplugs at work to minimize additional noise.

“Physical jobs are one of the most difficult things to try and work around in cases like these,” Pontinen says. “The first thing to focus on is health holistically. You should be fueling your body with great nutrients regularly and getting plenty of rest and recovery time in, if possible.”

What can employers do?

“Employers need to know that migraine is a variable condition and a chronic condition and not just an isolated attack,” says Stevens. “Remember, they’re human too; they’re in pain and want to work; this is something they have no control over.”

Managers must stay informed about their responsibilities to protect the well-being of chronically ill or disabled employees. Productivity is essential for a business, but so is compassion and understanding.

“To create a supportive environment for employees with migraine or any other medical condition, it is important that they feel they can be open about it and voice their needs,” adds Florence Weber-Zuanigh, a diversity and inclusion expert who founded Diversity in the Boardroom. “Fostering psychological safety at work and leading by example are both key.”

The bottom line

“Disability is a natural part of the human experience, and organizations should build inclusive systems and processes,” says Dr Jennifer Camota Luebke, CEO of Relay Resources, a nonprofit championing disability inclusion. “This means intentionally and proactively creating a workplace culture where accommodations are not ‘extra’ or ‘special’ but rather are a normalized part of the workplace environment and experience.”

Ultimately, creating a migraine-friendly work environment is about teamwork between you, your employer, and your colleagues.

Work together to create an accessible environment that caters to everyone’s needs while forging a cohesive, productive team.