If you’ve been diagnosed with a heart condition, you may feel anxious about it affecting your job and career.

You may also feel nervous about speaking to your employer about your health or any changes you may need. UK law requires most employers to make reasonable adjustments, so you can continue working despite the changes to your health.

For example, getting time off for appointments, or having a phased return to work or more flexible hours, may help if you have low energy. If you have a physically demanding job, you may need to change to a less challenging role. If you’ve had a procedure, you may need to move cautiously to allow your wounds to heal, which may also affect the type of work you can do.

You don’t need to tell your employer anything about your health if you don’t want to and if it’s not affecting your work. But if you need some support, here are some things to help start the conversation:

• Know your rights. An advisor at Citizens’ Advice can tell you what you’re entitled to. They may direct you to information specific to your job.
• Bring some leaflets. Sharing information with your employer about your condition can help them understand what you’re going through and what you need.
• Come prepared. Write down what you’d like to say and ask for before the meeting. It’ll help you remember everything you want to share.
• Be specific. Consider how long you need these adjustments for: Are they likely to be permanent or temporary?
• Book a follow-up. Your needs may change over time, so get a date in the diary to review them.

You can read more about how heart conditions may affect your job on our pages about working with a heart condition.

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