help at work

jayneh

Hi i have just been told by my doctor that i have osteo arthritis in my ankles and one of my hands, i am taking pain killers etc. I used to work in an admin role in an office but about 8 weeks ago my manager told me that hours in the admin office had to be cut and i would have to work on the shopfloor which means being on my feet all day. When i get home i am in so much pain and find i cannot put my feet to the floor. Not really sure how i stand at work, do i need to get my doctor to write a letter to prove that i have difficulty. I dont want to lose my job as i really love it.

helpline_team

Hi jayneh

Thanks for your posting.

I’m sorry to hear about the difficulties you are experiencing at work.

Your employer is required to make ‘Reasonable adjustments’, which can include relocating duties that you find difficult to perform because of your arthritis and allowing you to take short, regular breaks..

For more information on this see page 12 of our booklet on Working with arthritis at http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Listedbytype/Booklets/main_content/WorkingbookletJan11.pdf.

For further help and advice you could contact the Equality & Human Rights Commission (www.equalityhumanrights.com) or the Disability Law Service (www.dls.org.uk).

You could also speak to your doctor to ask them about the possibility of writing a fit to work note which could exclude or limit certain tasks.

You are welcome to ring us on 0808 800 4050 if you would like to have a chat about your current situation.

Regards

Nick
Helplines Team