Written by Louis Maxwell, First Contact Practitioner, HCPC PH128483. Updated 2026-10-10. Pending clinical review.
How to use this toolkit
This toolkit takes you step by step from working out what is hard at work, through talking to your employer and asking for changes, to managing flares, sick leave and what to do if things go wrong. Facts about the law and benefits were checked on GOV.UK and nidirect on 10 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice: for your own situation, use the free advice services listed at the end.
Most of the law described here applies in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own employment and disability law, which is similar in many ways but not identical. Where it differs, we say so.
Step 1: Know your legal protection
In England, Scotland and Wales, the Equality Act 2010 protects disabled people at work. GOV.UK says you are disabled under the Act if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. Substantial means more than minor or trivial, and long-term usually means 12 months or more. The effect is judged as if you were not taking treatment, so arthritis that is well controlled by medicines can still count.
GOV.UK says the Act covers application forms, interviews, job offers, terms of employment including pay, promotion, transfer and training, discipline and grievances, and dismissal or redundancy. It also means your employer must make reasonable adjustments so that you are not put at a substantial disadvantage compared with people who are not disabled.
In Northern Ireland, similar protection comes from the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Advice is available from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and the Labour Relations Agency.
Read more: Your disability rights in the UK: the Equality Act 2010
Step 2: Work out what is actually hard
Before you talk to anyone, spend a week noting which parts of your job cause pain, stiffness or fatigue, and when. Be specific about the task, not the diagnosis. This makes it much easier to suggest changes that work, and it gives you a record if you need one later. Use these prompts:
- Getting to work: how long the journey takes, whether you can stand on a train or bus, walking from the car park or station, stairs.
- Start of the day: morning stiffness, how long it lasts, how it affects early starts.
- Sitting and standing: how long you can do each before you need to move, and whether your chair, desk or workstation helps or hurts.
- Hands and arms: typing, writing, gripping tools, opening doors, lifting and carrying, reaching overhead.
- Moving around: walking between sites or floors, kneeling, crouching, climbing ladders.
- Fatigue: when in the day it hits, and what happens to your concentration.
- Flares: how often, how long, and what you can and cannot do during one.
- Appointments: how often you need time off for rheumatology, blood tests, physiotherapy or infusions.
Step 3: Decide what to tell your employer
You do not have to tell your employer about your arthritis. But an employer's duty to make adjustments generally applies when they know, or could reasonably be expected to know, about your condition. Telling them often opens the door to practical help, and it means they can take your condition into account when looking at absence or performance.
Plan what you will say. A short, plain explanation of your condition, how it affects your work on good and bad days, and two or three changes that would make the biggest difference usually works best. Keep it factual and focused on solutions. Afterwards, send a short email summarising what was agreed, so there is a written record.
During recruitment, GOV.UK says an employer can only ask about your health or disability for limited reasons, such as finding out whether you can do a task that is essential to the job, or whether you need adjustments for the interview.
Step 4: Reasonable adjustments that often help
GOV.UK gives the example of providing a special keyboard for someone with arthritis. Other adjustments that commonly help people with arthritis include the following. What is reasonable depends on your job, the cost and how effective the change would be.
- Equipment: an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, voice recognition software, a supportive or sit-stand chair, a sit-stand desk, a headset, lighter tools or trolleys.
- Hours: a later start on stiff mornings, a phased return after time off, part-time hours, or breaks spread through the day.
- Place: working from home on some days, a desk near the entrance, lift or toilets, or a parking space close to the door.
- Duties: swapping heavy lifting, long periods of standing or lots of handwriting with a colleague, or adjusting targets during a flare.
- Policies: time off for medical appointments, and adjusting absence trigger points to allow for disability-related sickness.
- Communication: a regular check-in with your manager, or an agreed flare plan.
Step 5: Ask for adjustments in writing
Informal conversations are a good start, but putting your request in writing makes it clearer and gives you a record. Keep the letter or email short:
- Say that you have arthritis and that you are asking for reasonable adjustments.
- Explain briefly how your condition affects specific parts of your job.
- List the changes you are asking for, and how each one would help.
- Mention any supporting advice, such as from occupational health, your GP, physiotherapist or rheumatology team.
- Ask for a meeting and a written response within a reasonable time.
- Suggest a review date, for example after three months.
Read more: Workplace adjustment letter templates
Step 6: Use occupational health and Access to Work
If your employer has an occupational health service, ask for a referral. An occupational health adviser can assess how your arthritis affects your work and recommend adjustments. Their report often carries weight with managers.
Access to Work is a government grant that can pay for practical support beyond what your employer must legally provide, such as specialist equipment, taxis to work if you cannot use public transport, or a support worker. You do not pay it back and it does not affect your other benefits. GOV.UK says it will not pay for reasonable adjustments. In Northern Ireland, there is a separate Access to Work (NI) programme.
GOV.UK also says you can get advice on reasonable adjustments from the Disability Employment Adviser at your local Jobcentre Plus.
Read more: Access to Work for arthritis: complete guide
Step 7: Request flexible working
GOV.UK says all employees have the legal right to request flexible working, from their first day in a job. You can ask to change the number of hours you work, when you start or finish, the days you work, or where you work. This is called a statutory request.
Put your request in writing with the date, a statement that it is a statutory request for flexible working, the change you want and when, and whether you have made a previous request. Acas has a free template. Your employer must deal with it in a reasonable manner, discuss it with you before refusing, and make a decision within 2 months unless you agree to longer. If they refuse, they must give the business reasons.
Flexible working and reasonable adjustments overlap. If the change is needed because of your arthritis, you can ask for it as a reasonable adjustment as well, which puts a stronger duty on your employer.
Step 8: Make a flare plan
Flares are hard to predict. Agreeing a plan in advance with your manager reduces stress for both of you. A flare plan might cover:
- How you will let your manager know, and who else needs to know.
- Whether you can work from home, start later or switch to lighter duties for a few days.
- Which tasks can be paused or covered by colleagues.
- How time off for flares will be recorded, and whether disability-related absence is recorded separately.
- When you will check in, and how you will plan a return to full duties.
Step 9: Time off, sick pay and fit notes
On 10 October 2026, GOV.UK said Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is £123.25 a week or 80% of your normal weekly earnings, whichever is lower, paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks. You must be an employee, have done some work for your employer and have been ill for at least one full working day. Your contract may give you more through a company sick pay scheme.
If you are off for more than 7 days in a row, including non-working days, you need a fit note. A fit note can come from a GP or hospital doctor, registered nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist or physiotherapist. It can say you are not fit for work, or that you may be fit for work with changes such as a phased return, altered hours, amended duties or workplace adaptations.
If your SSP ends or you do not qualify, you may be able to claim Universal Credit or New Style ESA. Your employer should give you form SSP1.
Read more: Sick pay, fit notes and time off with arthritis · ESA and Universal Credit for arthritis
Working from home comfortably
Home working can help with commuting and morning stiffness, but a kitchen chair and a laptop on the sofa can make joint pain worse. Your employer's duty to make reasonable adjustments can apply to home working too, and Access to Work can count your home as your workplace.
- Raise the screen to eye level with a laptop stand, and use a separate keyboard and mouse.
- Use a chair that supports your lower back, with feet flat on the floor or a footrest.
- Set a timer to change position every 20 to 30 minutes.
- Keep frequently used items within easy reach to avoid twisting and stretching.
- Ask whether your employer will provide equipment or an assessment of your home workstation.
If you are self-employed
The Equality Act duty to make adjustments applies to employers, so if you work for yourself you need to build flexibility in yourself. Access to Work can still help self-employed people with equipment, travel and support, as long as your annual turnover is at least £6,500. Statutory Sick Pay is not available if you are self-employed, but you may be able to claim New Style ESA if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions, or Universal Credit depending on your income. Plan for flares by keeping a buffer in your schedule and your savings where you can.
Step 10: If you are thinking of changing role or stopping work
Sometimes, even with adjustments, a job no longer fits. Before resigning, consider asking about redeployment to a different role, reduced hours, or a career break. Leaving a job can affect your income, pension and benefits, so get advice first.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP), or Adult Disability Payment in Scotland, is not means-tested and can be claimed whether or not you work. It can help with the extra costs of arthritis and may make reduced hours more affordable.
Read more: Benefits, PIP and financial help directory
Step 11: If things go wrong
If you feel you are being treated unfairly, raise it informally first and keep notes of dates, conversations and emails. If that does not work, use your employer's grievance procedure.
Acas gives free, impartial advice on workplace rights in England, Scotland and Wales, and the Equality Advisory and Support Service can help with discrimination questions. GOV.UK says you usually have to make an employment tribunal claim within 6 months of the problem happening or your employment ending, and you must tell Acas before you make a claim. The time limit is put on hold while Acas tries to help resolve the dispute. Northern Ireland has a different process through the Labour Relations Agency.
Citizens Advice, Scope, Disability Rights UK and trade unions can also help. We are not connected to these organisations.
When to get medical help
If work is making your arthritis worse, speak to your GP, physiotherapist or rheumatology team. Treatment might need adjusting, and they can suggest changes on a fit note or refer you to occupational therapy. Get same-day advice from your GP or NHS 111 if a joint suddenly becomes hot, swollen and very painful, especially with a fever. If stress at work is affecting your mental health, talk to your GP.