Employer signposting resources

Improving support for staff with arthritis or musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.

We know that good health is good for us all, good for business and a healthy workforce is a productive one. As well as being a duty of employers, it also makes good business sense to support staff who have arthritis or an MSK condition. Whether that is looking at what ‘reasonable adjustments’ you can implement, to supporting staff with a claim to Access to Work.

Supporting staff on sick leave or need support to remain at work.

  • The network of NHS Occupational Health teams is available to provide the locally based services you need. The team can work with you to assess and provide impartial and professional advice on any absenteeism and support your employees to get back to work as quickly as possible. Their absence management strategies focus on early interventions and will help your business to support staff back to work.
  • ACAS advice for employees and employers in England, Scotland, and Wales. This includes guidance on reasonable adjustments, flexible working, managing sickness as well as access to mediation.
  • Health and Safety executive HSE advice for employers on the duty to protect workers from the risks of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) being caused or made worse by work.
  • HSE guidance for employees with MSK conditions.
  • HSE information on risk assessments.
  • Labour Relations Agency in Northern Ireland has written a useful guide on managing sickness absence.
  • Working Health Services Scotland, WHSS provides free and confidential advice and health support for the self-employed and people working in companies with less than 250 employees. The service aims to help employees manage their condition and remain at work. Where necessary, the programme can provide quick access to counselling, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy. Employees can refer themselves to WHSS.
  • Business Disability Forum is a member organisation aimed at helping employers provide an inclusive workplace.
  • The Musculoskeletal (MSK) Health Toolkit for employers and further education institutions. Information on supporting young people in the workplace and in FE. This toolkit sets out practical advice for employers and FE institutions to help adolescents and young people maintain good MSK health and help those with existing MSK conditions to thrive in their environment.
  • National Institute of health and care excellence NICE quality standard covers England and Wales. It advises how to help people return to work after long-term sickness absence, reduce recurring sickness absence, and help prevent people moving from short-term to long-term sickness absence.
  • Guidance on supporting staff back to work after sickness. Healthy Working lives (Scotland).
  • Health and Safety executive NI HSENI provides guidance on supporting staff while sick and on their return to work.

Resources for employers and employees on MSK conditions  

  • MSK Aware is a workplace programme that supports the needs of employers and employees to help prevent work loss. The principle of MSK Aware is to “help people help themselves”. Enabling employers and employees to identify any problems with musculoskeletal health in their workplace and providing them with holistic solutions and resources that are based on need, evidence, and best practice.
  • Musculoskeletal Health Toolkit for Employers. This toolkit developed in partnership with ARMA, provides practical advice for employers regarding employee musculoskeletal health and reducing workplace absence. This musculoskeletal health toolkit can help you understand the challenges specific to your workplace, reduce the risks of problems, help to keep those with existing problems in work and aid recovery where possible.
  • Back online BACK-on-LINETM is a digital online platform designed to help people better manage low back pain in the workplace and whilst working from home. It offers a self-assessment tool to understand what is contributing to your back pain. The platform has been developed by a Cardiff University team of academics from the School of Healthcare Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the Data Innovation Research Institute in collaboration with physiotherapists and occupational health managers from Cardiff and Vale and Aneurin Bevan UHB. The project has further support from Cardiff University Biomechanics and Bioengineering Centre Versus Arthritis.
  • Pathway through Arthritis was developed by Wellmind Health and Versus Arthritis to empower people living with arthritis with the skills and knowledge to better self-manage persistent pain, Pathway through Arthritis is only available to individuals via licensed partners.

Research and policy 

 

Go back to Information for workplace professionals Go back to Working well with arthritis