The Impact of Arthritis at Work - The Silent Career Killer no one wants to talk about

Target: Employees suffering in silence and employers watching productivity bleed.

Arthritis isn't "old people stuff" - It is already wrecking 1 in 10 workers and costing the economy billions.

This episode rips the lid off: 

* What arthritis actually is.

* The Four types hammering desks and factory floors.

* How modern workplaces accelerate damage.

The latest Arthritis UK 2025 numbers show 50% of sufferers say it destroys their ability to work, 39% have already quit or been forced out, and presenteeism is quietly torching more output than absenteeism.

Exposing the £3-4 BILLION productivity black hole and prove that ignoring it is the most expensive mistake a company can make.

Your body isn't the problem - broken systems are.

At the Chronic Edge, we don't do fluffy motivational talks, we provide data-backed wake-up calls showing that illness is expensive data you can no longer afford to ignore, and show you that illness is not a burden - ignorance is!.

LINKS / MORE INFO

Arthritis UK 2025 report - here

MSK ROI Tool - here

Arthritis UK - Left waiting, left behind report - here

Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2026 - here

#gallup2026 #MSKROI #Arthritisintheworkplace #illnessisnotaburden #workplacewellness #thechronicedgeunleashed 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Hello everybody and welcome to the Chronic Edge Unleashed, where neurodivergence and chronic illness collide with high performance careers. I'm your host, Elliot Evans, and today's episode of Illness Is Not a Burden, we're going full throttle into something that is destroying careers, bank accounts, and companies bottom lines, and something another another condition that I do have myself, and that is arthritis in the workplace. Now it's not the one of like, you know, I'll fall over and I'll shatter into a thousand pieces like glass. This is the real one. This is the one that makes 50% of people say that their condition wrecks their ability to work. And 39% of those people are straight up forced to quit or get forced out. Now, if you're listening to this and you've got joint pain that flares at your desk, or you're an employer watching absorption and presentism eat away your productivity, then this episode is your no BS playbook. So what we're covering here with what arthritis actually is, the different types that hit the hardest at work, how modern workplaces are making it worse, the latest UK numbers that will make you angry, and most importantly, the cold hard return on investment actually supports people instead of pretending it's just not my problem. Illness is not a burden, it's a signal that your systems are broken.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

So let's fix it. So buckle up. This one's kinda sting. So what is arthritis?

SPEAKER_01 1:53

So let's look at the basics. Most people, including a shocking number of GPs and managers, still think arthritis is just for old people. Well they're wrong. Arthritis is an inflammational condition of the joints. Causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and a reduced range of motion. It can hit one joint or twenty. It can be constant or flare like hell. And it doesn't care if you're 25, 65, 40, 2, really doesn't care. There are over 10 million people in the UK that live with some form of it. That is one in six, and I am one of them. So here's the truth. Your immune system or your cartilage, or both, decide to turn on you. Pain becomes the background noise until it isn't. Fatigue is real, not a I stayed up too late. Type of fatigue, or you know, it's been a long day, but the kind that makes you get dressed feel like a workout. There are some days putting on socks is like running a marathon and showering.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

God, that that is one hell of a hard time after showering.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

So the workplaces, they are designed for people who assume that everybody works out like a 25-year-old athlete. Sit for eight hours, type on keyboards that destroy your wrists, lift, twist, stand on concrete floors. Stress cortisol spikes that makes that inflammation worse.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

So let's look at a myth build build busting number one. It's just wear and tear. Some types are autoimmune.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

So they develop. They're not just, you know, I'm old. Some are crystal deposits, some are your body attacking itself, like it's a personal vendetta. And this isn't laziness or getting older. It is a medical condition that demands real adaptations. So what are the different types? Okay, well the types that actually matter at work, they're about a hundred. But these four are the main ones that punch the hardest when working nine to five, or let's be honest, eight to late. Cause we all know. You don't start at nine o'clock and finish at five. That might be your hours. But some people turn up early, and some people work really late. We'll open that laptop well after six o'clock. We all know, we all know. So let's look at the four. We have starting off with osteoarthritis. Oh way. This is the one I have. And the most common. This is where cartilage breaks down. Weight-bearing joints like your knees, hips, spine, and hands scream when you sit, stand, or type on the keyboard. Office workers get it from repetitive strain, warehouse or retail from physical demands. And the brutal fact is it is progressive. It's not a case of like you've got it and that's it, it does get worse. And without support, you are looking at reduced mobility and an early exit. From work, not from life. Although, you know, can happen from other things. Next up, we've got rheumatoid arthritis, RA. My sister, for example, which is autoimmune. This is where your immune system attacks the joint lining, systemetrical pain in small joints, hands, wrists, feet, morning stiffness that's the that can last for hours, fatigue that makes you question your career choices, and flares that can knock you out for days. This one loves to hit younger professionals hard. For example, as I mentioned, my sister, my sister started off with juvenile arthritis in her teens, and it developed into rheumatoid arthritis. Probably always rheumatoid arthritis, they're just different names. And this massively hit her. But she doesn't let illness be a bird because obviously she's my sister. But she already had that before. Next is uh one I really struggle with pronunciation. You probably noticed that quite a bit.

SPEAKER_00 6:43

But we got um Ankle losin spondylitis A S or PSA Pisoratic Arthritis.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

I've no idea if I pronounced these correctly. I'm yeah I'm I'm dyslexic, you know, I'm trying to read off of the things and everything. I have no idea if I've built these right, but anyway, these are the sneaky spine and ethnic attackers. PSA comes from the skin, and AS fuses with your spine over time. Sitting at a desk, butcha. Standing at meetings, hell. These destroy your posture, your focus, and your ability to commute. And finally we have gout. Yeah, it is. Gout is a type of arthritis. The rich man's disease. Which is a myth, by the way, that occurs and hits anyone with high uric acid. Suddenly excutiated attacks, often with the big toe, but it can hit any joint. And imagine trying to present to the board while your foot feels like it's on fire. So then the main four. Obviously, like I say, there's a there's a hundred, so there's lots of different combinations in there. Also, just to look at it from a younger point of view, a juvenile idiopathic arthritis. This is where kids and young children and young adults carry this into their careers. So do not assume that age will protect you because it will not. Now the workplace doesn't differentiate, it just demands output.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

And when your body says no, the system says tough.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

So how does the workplace affect employees with arthritis? This is where it gets a little pretty ugly. Work doesn't just happen to people with arthritis, it actively makes it worse, and sometimes vice versa. In relation to physical, you've got repetitive tasks with poor ergonomics, cold offices, communicates on public transport that is never accessible when you need it. Presenteism is the silent killer. You're at your desk but functioning at forty per cent.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Your productivity tanks, mistakes rise, and resentment builds.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

You don't look sick. That gaslighting from colleagues and managers, the anxiety about asking for adjustments because you're seen because you feel fear as being seen as unreliable. One in three employees with long-term conditions haven't even told their bosses. That's fear. That's not privacy. Looking at the economic, you're looking at reduced hours, lower earnings, early retirement. The data shows that people with arthritis are 20% less likely to be employed. For lower social grades, it's even worse. 49% forced out versus the 28% in higher grades. Workplaces just weren't built for peak physical uh sorry, let me put it this way. Workplaces were built for peak physical specimens with zero chronic conditions or issues. Hybrid work helps, but without deliberate design, ergonomic setups, flexible hours, the understanding of flares, we are still forcing people to choose between their health and their pay packet.

SPEAKER_00 10:34

And the employers. Losing talent, institutional knowledge and diversity.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

It's not woke or anything like that. It's profit and loss. It's data. So let's look at some latest UK figures. And the Arthritis UK 2025 data. I haven't got the latest data for the 26, but we're still in it, so we're alright. Now these are the numbers that should be on every CEO, especially CFO's desk. These are from the Arthritis UK's October 2025 report entitled Left Waiting, Left Behind, and the State of MSK Health 2025. It's damning. It really is. There's no shiny other reports anywhere else. This was surveyed over 8,000 people living with the conditions. Now what do they find? 50% of people with arthritis say it impacts their ability to work. Of those, 39% have stopped working entirely because of it. 35% of retire of retired people say arthritis played a major part in their decision to retire early. People with arthritis are 20% less likely to be in work than those without it. One in ten current UK employees already have an MSK condition. MSK conditions cause 23.4 million lost working days in 2022. The third biggest reason after minor illness and other. This is not a personal health issue. It is a hundred billion pounds plus national economic drag. And it's getting worse as the population ages and work hours increase. What about the return on investment for companies that actually support employees? We've just been talking about the negatives. Now this is the bit, if you're in a CFO, use is the bit you bookmark for your return on investment. The UK government backed MSK return on investment tool, Public Health and England York, Health Economics and show clear wins. I'll pop the links in, don't worry. STR start, so but S capital S T small AR capital T back stratified care up to two hundred and twenty six pounds in social return on investment for per one pound invested, which includes productivity. That is massive. Vocational advice in primary care looks at about 11.14, so 11 pounds fourteen social rate of return per £1, saving four work days per patient. Early physio and self-referral equals financial return on investment as much as £8 per £1 in some models. Simple economic not economic ergonomic adjustments and flexible working often under £500 per person or free if policy changes and deliver a 15 to 25% productivity gains, absenteism drops, and retention boosts. In the real world, companies running a proper MSK or wellness programs can see a 25% or plus reduction in related healthcare costs, 35% drop in workers' compensation claims, and in some manufacturing cases, the overall disability management program's hitting a 27 to 1 return on investment with 66% sick leave reduction. Real data real data makes masses amounts of difference. Now if you're not supporting your people with arthritis, it is the most expensive form of penny pension. You pay in lost talent, higher recruitment costs, lower engagement, and repetitional damage. Now supporting them with adjustments, flexible hours, understanding managers, access to physio, ergonomics, and you will get loyal experience. High performing humans who deliver. The data doesn't lie. Companies winning in 2026 onwards are the ones treating chronic conditions as a competitive advantage, not a cost center. Now as we close off this particular episode, arthritis in the workplace isn't going away. You need to know your rights under the Equality Act, push for reasonable adjustments, and remember your value isn't your pain on any level on a bad day.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

Let's start again. Remember, your value isn't your pain level on a bad day. So employees or job seekers, you need to document everything.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

Know your rights under the Equality Act. And as I've just said, remembering your value isn't your pain level on a bad day. Illness is not a burden, you're worth more than that. And employers, stop waiting for the government to fix it. Ridiculous waiting for that. We're here forever. Implement the low-cost wins now. Measure your return on investment, your people and your profit and loss accounts will thank you. So if this episode has hit home, share it with your manager or HR and maybe drop a review. We'll be uh adding the community. I think I've mentioned it a couple of times, but that'll be going live in June says. Um I'm got just a couple of fixes just to get that in, and I'll pop some links in there as well. And next time, in this is not a burden, we will be unpacking of the strategies for thriving with arthritis, not despite them. In our next uh chronic unleashed episode, we will be back to the audit. Yes, so the employees, you're back to the audit for that one. We'll do a look at more about the numbers on there. Then for strategies, we'll do some news, see what what happen what's happening with the edge and other things, and then we'll go on to the building your inclusive workplace for arthritis. So I want to thank everybody for this episode. I've really enjoyed it, and we'll be back again very, very soon. Same time next week. So you've got to remember that illness is not a burden, it's data. Use it. Unleash your edge. I'm Elliot Evans.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

I'll see you on the other side. Goodbye.