Reasonable adjustment is about removing or minimising obstacles that disadvantage workers who suffer from a disability. The disability may be physical, mental or both.
“Reasonable” is the key word here. Organisations are not expected to make adjustments that it cannot afford to make or is not practical to do so.
All cases should be considered on an individual basis and when considering what reasonable adjustments to make, organisations should consider:
– How easy is it to make the adjustment?
– Can we afford to make the adjustment?
– How successful would the adjustment be in removing or reducing the obstacle for the employee?
– Will the adjustment have an impact on the health and safety of other employees?
It is important to point out the size of an organisation and its access to external funding (ie Government funding) need to be considered also. In a worst case scenario, if the case should end up at an employment tribunal, this aspect would be a factor they would contemplate, for example, a tribunal may expect more from a larger organisation as they may have greater means, in terms of resources and finances.
Many adjustments will be low cost/no cost or on balance less costly than absence and easy to implement:
– Temporarily or permanently amending working hours
– Phased return to work after absence
– Amending performance objectives
– Providing a specialist keyboard
– Temporarily doubling up (employees) on specific pieces of work
There is no expectation or requirement for an organisation to change the basic nature of the role which is being undertaken. Should an organisation deem any requests to be unreasonable they can lawfully refuse the request but be careful this is a subjective measure.
Lastly and to summarise, make sure you review on an individual case-by-case basis and if you are unsure seek additional advice.
