Insulet Survey Reveals Widespread Workplace Bias Against Diabetes, Launches Inclusion Campaign

Nearly 590 million people worldwide live with diabetes, and roughly seven in ten are of working age. Yet when they arrive at their offices, many find themselves navigating not just the medical demands of their condition but a workplace culture shaped by misunderstanding, fear of disclosure, and indifference to their needs. Insulet Corporation, the medical device company behind the Omnipod insulin pump system, commissioned a global survey of nearly 10,000 workers across 11 countries to measure the scope of this problem. What emerged was a portrait of systemic workplace bias that extends far beyond individual awkwardness.

The survey, conducted between mid-September and late September 2025 across more than ten industry sectors in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, and Saudi Arabia, found that 79 percent of workers with diabetes have experienced bias or misunderstanding at their jobs. Four in ten reported workplace-related anxiety tied to managing their condition. One in five conceals their diabetes from colleagues or supervisors entirely. The numbers suggest a workplace environment where people with diabetes are forced to choose between disclosure and invisibility, neither option comfortable.

The gap between what colleagues without diabetes think they know and what they actually understand is striking. While 57 percent of workers without diabetes say they feel confident supporting colleagues with the condition, 61 percent cannot confidently identify the symptoms of type 1 diabetes. Yet nearly half can name Harry Potter characters or their country's top football teams. The survey captures something beyond mere ignorance: it documents a hierarchy of what workplaces choose to know. One respondent, Judy Mitri, a communications professional in Canada who uses an Omnipod device, framed the issue plainly: diabetes may not be visible, but it shapes mental health, physical health, and emotional well-being. A little empathy, she said, goes a long way.

The practical barriers are equally concrete. Eighty-six percent of workers with diabetes experience obstacles at work because of their condition. More than half struggle with at least one of three specific problems: inadequate private spaces for managing their condition, limited food options, or insufficient breaks. These are not abstract complaints. They are the daily friction that makes work harder for people already managing a chronic illness. Employers, the survey suggests, have clear opportunities to remove these obstacles. Offering private spaces, expanding food choices, and granting adequate breaks would address barriers for the majority of workers facing them.

Insulет is launching a campaign called "The Day Diabetes Showed Up to Work" to coincide with Diabetes Awareness Month, which begins November 1. The company is releasing a suite of resources: a whitepaper on healthcare provider support, an infographic summarizing survey findings, personal narratives from Omnipod users and employees living with diabetes, and practical checklists for supporting colleagues. The campaign also includes charitable donations through Insulet's corporate giving program to the American Diabetes Association and the International Diabetes Federation, employee letter-writing initiatives for children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in partnership with Breakthrough T1D, and sponsorships of community events throughout November.

The survey also found that mindfulness tools show measurable impact, with respondents reporting reduced stress, better sleep, and less anxiety when such resources are available. Ashley McEvoy, Insulet's president and chief executive officer, framed the campaign as an effort to "spark action in the workplace" that allows people with diabetes to focus on their work and their lives. The company has signaled this is not a one-month initiative. Insulet says it will continue driving awareness, support, and inclusion throughout 2026 and beyond. What remains to be seen is whether employers will move beyond awareness to the structural changes—the private spaces, the flexible breaks, the food options, the mindfulness programs—that the survey data suggests would actually change the experience of work for the millions of people managing diabetes while trying to do their jobs.