There are approximately 150,000 people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK. MS is a legally recognised disability under the Equality Act 2010 and affects the central nervous system by damaging the protective coating around the nerves. It is an unpredictable and fluctuating condition with wide-ranging symptoms including fatigue, severe pain and challenges with movement, thinking and feeling. MS can impact people’s ability to stay in work. The MS Society estimated that in 2022 the employment rate for people living with MS was 47%. This is lower than both the UK disability employment rate (54%) and the non-disabled employment rate (82%). While leaving work may be the right choice for some people with MS if their symptoms make it difficult to continue working, people with MS who are in work should have the workplace protection and support to thrive and flourish at work. The Work Foundation’s new report, No Compromises: Supporting people with MS to thrive in and out of work, highlights the barriers and enablers to staying and progressing in work for people with MS and identifies how government and employers can help them thrive at work. The report was based on the findings from an online survey of 1,125 people with MS, undertaken in partnership with and funded by the MS Society. WORKPLACE CHALLENGES The majority of people with MS (96%) who responded to our survey indicated that MS had an impact on their ability to work. For some, the symptoms of MS make it too difficult to stay in employment. A quarter of survey respondents said that the severity of their MS meant that they were unable to work at all. A third of respondents (35%) who had left a job because of their MS highlighted that no additional support would have helped them stay in work. These figures suggest that leaving a job can be the right choice for some people with MS and they should be able to do so without having to worry about their financial security. However, people with MS who can work often leave employment earlier than they would like to, or miss out on the opportunity to progress in their careers due to a lack of workplace support. Survey respondents reported experiencing several challenges at work from unmanageable workloads, a lack of flexible work options, and inaccessible workplaces. More than a quarter (26%) had to contend with unmanageable workloads, while 19% stated that inadequate wages made it hard to cover living costs. A lack of flexibility was a key workplace challenge too. One fifth of respondents (21%) cited a lack of flexible working hours as a workplace challenge, while 34% of those whose health had been compromised by staying in work said that the lack of flexibility over working hours was particularly challenging. A further 22% said they have a flexible arrangement that does not meet their needs. While flexible working arrangements are not a panacea and can create their own sets of problems, having them is a key priority for job seekers with MS. 53% of 28 |
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