World Parkinson’s Day

Each year on the 11^th of April, communities across the globe come together to mark World Parkinson’s Day to raise awareness and celebrate those who live with Parkinson’s Disease, or Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s is the fastest growing progressive neurological condition in the world and currently affects around 145,000 people in the UK (Parkinson’s UK, 2023). 1 in 37 of us will be diagnosed with it at some point in our life and there is currently no cure. Many of us are familiar with the three main symptoms of Parkinson’s, which include a tremor, slowness of movement, and rigidity, but there’s actually over 40 different symptoms, which look different on everybody.

Living with Parkinson’s can be difficult. At Bouygues E&S, we’re committed to caring for each of our employees’ health and wellbeing, supporting them in the workplace and beyond.  Where possible, we’ll work alongside employees to explore reasonable adjustments to their working routine, location, equipment, or tasks. In addition, our employee-led Peer Support Network offer a compassionate, understanding space for employees to share their experiences of disability and receive support from the community.

Tim Bracher, Technical Services Manager at Bouygues E&S, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2007. He joined Bouygues E&S in 2013 and noted the understanding and flexible attitude towards disabilities throughout the recruitment process. He’s enjoyed both formal support through flexible working practice throughout his time at Bouygues E&S as well as the informal support of the Peer Support Network, of which he is a passionate advocate.

Several years later, a Senior L&D Manager at Bouygues E&S learned that her brother had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Through the Peer Support Network, her and Tim connected. She later shared her experience of the support she received:

“I was really grateful to Tim for taking the time to talk to me; it was really enlightening. He gave an honest but inspirational account of his journey and how he'd managed his diagnosis, which helped me gain some context and feel more positive. He also helped me manage my expectations of how medications could help my brother and how long the journey might be. Crucially, he offered to talk to my brother, which was exactly the support he needed at that time. He was dealing with such uncertainty, and as much as we all wanted to help, to talk to someone who actually understood what he was going through was key.”

Tim Bracher added: “I love the Bouygues E&S’ approach to health, wellness, and disability awareness. People are the greatest asset that a company has, and the Peer Support Network is an amazing resource providing an important support system and feel-good factor that I’m proud to support. I believe all companies should provide, or have access to, support networks.” 

We’re proud to be able to support our employees through what can be a difficult time. With 2 people being diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the UK each hour, we hope that by sharing Tim’s story this World Parkinson’s Day, we can encourage other businesses to join us in raising awareness of this condition.