1. Action for M.E.
Welfare Reform
Consultation Survey
October 2008

2. People still in
employment

3. Are you currently in paid employment?
Yes No
Total Responses: 982

4. Are you employed by someone else or self-
employed?
Employed by someone else
Self-employed
Total Responses: 181

5. Please select the closest match to the
sector of your current paid employment.
Agriculture, hunting and forestry
Fishing
Mining and quarrying
Manufacturing 5
Electricity, gas and water supply 1
Construction 3
Wholesale and retail 11
Hotels and restaurants 1
Transport, storage and communication 3
Banking, finance and insurance 14
Real estate 6
Public administration and defence 14
Education 40
Health and social work 18
Other community, social and personal services 14
Domestic services 1
International organizations
Other 49
0 10 20 30 40 50
Total Responses: 180

6. Which of the following best matches the
work that you currently do?
Managerial 11
Professional 65
Technical 10
Academic and research 10
Clerical 54
Service and sales 15
Manual 9
Craft 2
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Total Responses: 176

7. How many hours do you currently work
each week?
None
1-5 hours
6-10 hours
11-16 hours
17-24 hours
25-40 hours
Over 40 hours
Total Responses: 180

8. Have you had to change your hours of work as
a result of your illness?
Yes No
Total Responses: 173

9. If yes, how many hours did you used to
work each week?
1-5 hours
6-10 hours
11-16 hours
17-24 hours
25-40 hours
Over 40 hours
Total Responses: 142

10. Comparison of current hours of work
and former hours of work
Former hours Current hours
1-5 hours 6-10 hours
11-16 hours 17-24 hours
25-40 hours Over 40 hours

11. Have you had to change your employment as a
result of your illness?
Yes No
Total Responses: 176

12. If yes, which of the following best
matches the work that you used to do?
Managerial 17
Professional 30
Technical 1
Academic and research 4
Clerical 10
Service and sales 10
Manual 9
Craft
0 10 20 30
Total Responses: 81

13. If you have had to change your employment, please
select the closest match to the sector of your former
area of paid employment.
Agriculture, hunting and forestry 1
Fishing
Mining and quarrying
Manufacturing 3
Electricity, gas and water supply 1
Construction
Wholesale and retail 8
Hotels and restaurants 1
Transport, storage and communication 1
Banking, finance and insurance 8
Real estate 2
Public administration and defence 3
Education 10
Health and social work 8
Other community, social and personal services 2
Domestic services 2
International organizations 1
Other 27
0 10 20 30
Total Responses: 78

14. Have you ever had a relapse as a result of your
employment?
Yes No
Total Responses: 175

15. If your current employer has made arrangements to
enable you to remain in paid employment, what
arrangements have been made?
No arrangements 40
Flexible hours 64
Working from home 28
Special equipment 9
Lighter duties 34
Frequent breaks 31
Support from occupational health 34
Re-training 2
Transport to workplace 2
Allocated car parking 10
Regular meetings with employer 31
Buddy at work 10
Understanding attitude 52
M.E. awareness training
Time off for medical appointments 40
Quiet place to rest 16
Other 33
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Total Responses: 168

16. If further adjustments are required, which of the
following would help?
Flexible hours
Working from home
Special equipment
Lighter duties
Frequent breaks
Support from occupational health
Re-training
Transport to workplace
Allocated car parking
Regular meetings with employer
Buddy at work
Understanding attitude
M.E. awareness training
Time off for medical appointments
Quiet place to rest
0 10 20 30 40
1st 2nd 3rd
Total Responses: 133

17. If further adjustments are required, which of the
following would help?
Flexible hours 25 16 8
Working from home 34 17 5
Special equipment 3 4
Lighter duties 6 10 8
Frequent breaks 6 5 6
Support from occupational health 5 2 4
Re-training 1 4
Transport to workplace 10 4 6
Allocated car parking 3 6 4
Regular meetings with employer 21
Buddy at work 2 4 2
Understanding attitude 11 15 17
M.E. awareness training 8 15 16
Time off for medical appointments 6 10 11
Quiet place to rest 15 13 16
0 15 30 45 60
1st 2nd 3rd
Total Responses: 133

18. How far do you travel to work?
I work from home
0-2 miles
3-5 miles
6-10 miles
11-20 miles
Over 20 miles
Total Responses: 174

19. What is your main mode of transport to
work?
I work from home
I drive
Passenger
Taxi
Bus or train
Cycle
Walk
Other
Total Responses: 171

20. How long typically, do you spend
travelling to work?
Less than 5 minutes
5-15 minutes
16-30 minutes
30 minutes - 1 hour
1 hour - 2 hours
More than 2 hours
Total Responses: 169

21. How would you describe how supportive
your employer is in relation to your M.E.?
Very supportive
Supportive
Neither supportive nor unsupportive
Unsupportive
Hostile
I am self-employed
Total Responses: 170

22. How well informed would you say your
employer is in relation to your M.E.?
Very well informed
Quite well informed
Less informed than they should be
Not informed
Misinformed
I am self-employed
Total Responses: 171