• Monique A M Gignac, Xingshan Cao, and Jessica McAlpine.
• Institute for Work and Health, Toronto Western Research Institute, and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2015 May 1; 67 (6): 855-64.

ObjectiveTo examine the availability, need, and use of workplace policies for workers with osteoarthritis (OA) and inflammatory arthritis (IA) and their association with employment outcomes.MethodsParticipants (n = 219) were employed, ages ≥25 years, and diagnosed with OA or IA. They were recruited through community advertising and rheumatology clinics in 2 Canadian provinces. Respondents completed a 35-45-minute telephone interview assessing demographics (age, sex), health (diagnosis, pain, activity limitations), work context (job control), employment outcomes (workplace activity limitations, absenteeism, productivity losses, reduced hours), benefits (extended health, short-term leaves), and accommodations (flexible hours, modified schedules, special equipment/adaptations, work-at-home arrangements). Regression analyses examined differences in benefit/accommodation need and use.ResultsMany participants reported that arthritis impacted their work. But with the exception of extended health benefits, ∼50-65% of participants reported not needing each individual benefit/accommodation, although only 7.3% of respondents reported needing no benefits or accommodations at all. Greater job control and education were associated with greater perceived need and use of benefits/accommodations. Need was also associated with greater activity limitations, and disclosure of arthritis was related to use of benefits/accommodations. Participants needing but not using workplace policies often had significantly poorer employment outcomes compared to those using benefits/accommodations.ConclusionFindings are relevant to workers with arthritis and to employers. Results suggest that individuals with arthritis are unlikely to be a drain on workplace resources. Many individuals do not use benefits/accommodations until needed, and among those using them, there were generally positive relationships with diverse employment outcomes.© 2015, American College of Rheumatology.

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