Working together is the key to a good co-worker relationship. Despite your illness and limitations, you can never leave your co-worker with the impression that you are lazy or that you are shirking your responsibilities. Without saying a word, your co-worker may notice your level of productivity has dropped, especially on certain days. Anticipate the questions before they're even asked, and be prepared to explain how arthritis is affecting your work.

Explain to your co-worker that having the job is as important to you as it is to them. Be open and honest while communicating with your co-worker. Draw upon your friendship and express how you need their support and understanding. Talk about the difficulty of juggling life at home and life at work. Gain their respect by telling them how you would deal with the situation if roles were reversed and your co-worker had arthritis and you were healthy.

Your co-worker may notice that you have given up breaks during the work day just to keep pace with everyone else or that you are using more sick days than usual. Your vacation time may go for recuperation rather than leisure activities. Co-workers will begin to notice and appreciate the sacrifices you are making just so you can keep working.

How Your Co-worker Can Help

Just as friends help one another, so it should be with co-workers. Small concessions can make a huge difference with regard to getting through the day. You may ask your co-worker to:

• Switch break times or lunch hours with you (for example, you may need to go earlier in the day)

• Keep the room temperature a little warmer for your comfort

• Let you have the more comfortable chair

• Trade a task (e.g., co-worker lifts heavy boxes and you answer the phone)

• Help you conserve energy by forming a car pool to work

There are so many ways a co-worker can help you if you develop an understanding. It's imperative for your co-worker to know you will never take advantage of their generosity and that you will return favors.

The Ideal Co-worker Relationship

You spend many hours a day at work. Some people spend more time at work than with their families. Like friends and family, coworkers also want to be able to help you and often don't know how. The ideal co-worker relationship should have a foundation of honesty, mutual respect, patience, understanding, and sharing. Your coworker shares work space with you. By mere proximity, they are in it with you, but they are in it with you in a less literal way as well.

Don't be afraid of letting your supervisors know much you appreciate the kindness and consideration from your fellow co-workers — it's one way of paying back your co-workers. By telling your supervisors, you won't be diminishing your value at work, but instead, you will be enhancing everyone's value as a cohesive unit.