Employers’ Support Needed for Employees Suffering from Arthritis
The charity has called for more efforts on part of the employers in order to help such employees lead a full working life. According to the respondents, the best support that can be provided to workers is flexible working hours and an attitude of understanding towards absence caused due to the disease.
75% of the respondents still working acknowledged the fact that suitable adjustments made by their employers enabled them to continue in their work. 70% of the non-workers stated that arthritis was directly responsible for their loss of jobs. 64% of such respondents had requested support from their employers but only one out of three got the desired support.
Following the survey, the charity is now launching an ‘Employers’ Pledge’ campaign to insist employers to pledge their commitment towards providing better working conditions to employees suffering from this debilitating disease.
Rachel Haynes, Arthritis Care’s director of public affairs, said that the pledge urges the employers to contribute towards an inclusive workforce that reflects the true composition of the society, and thereby prove themselves as better employers. Most employers are ignorant of the fact that simple adjustments can be made to help these employees, and that the government has schemes like Access to Work for such employees.
Simple steps like providing sick employees with a supportive chair or allotting flexible hours to help them evade the rush hours can provide them the required support and enable them to continue working.
For those in organisations who are involved in human resources management, training and development the Certificate in Employment Relations, Law and Practice (CERLAP) is designed to help companies to implement effective HR policies around employment relations and get-to-grips with the key issues that impact on employment practice.
