Types of adjustments and adjustment processes

This resource guides you through what responsibilities you might have as a manager in this process and the  adjustments that can have the greatest impact on barriers.

The reasonable adjustment process

How adjustments can be identified and implemented will vary from organisation to organisation. Employers should have a reasonable adjustment policy that managers can read and a clear procedure to follow for identifying and implementing adjustments in a timely fashion.

You will have the skills, knowledge and authority to implement some adjustments yourself but for others you may need to call on your colleagues or external organisations for help.

Most large employers will have a reasonable or workplace adjustments policy and process which you should follow. The place to start is always with the person needing the adjustment. Talk to them to find out exactly what issues they are facing so you have all the facts.

Deciding what adjustments are needed

Sometimes the person will be able to suggest a solution themselves, but don’t expect every disabled person to be an expert either on their own disability or on the adjustments that can be made. They might be learning to cope with the effects of their disability, and neither you, nor they, may be aware of adjustments that are possible in your workplace.

In most cases, adjustments will be relatively simple, inexpensive – or even free – and easily implemented. In some cases, however, it will not be immediately apparent what needs to be done. In such cases, you will need to speak to other people in your organisation and perhaps obtain reports from experts like:

• Workplace assessors
• The employee’s doctor
• Specialist organisations
• Your organisation’s occupational health adviser
• Access to Work.

Types of adjustment to consider

It is impossible to provide an exhaustive list of the types of adjustments that might be needed but they could include:

Equipment

For example:

• Voice activated software
• An adapted keyboard or mouse
• A new chair.

Flexible working arrangements

For example:

• Allowing someone to change the hours they work (for example, so that they don’t have to travel during rush hour)
• Allowing someone to work from home sometimes or always.

Changing the working environment

For example:

• Making a door easier to open
• Providing natural daylight bulbs
• Changing the height of shelves.

This can also include making an exception to a hot desk policy for example, so that someone who needs a fixed desk for mobility reasons or because – say – they experience extreme anxiety if they do not know where they will be able to sit or need a quieter environment.

Changing expectations

For example:

• Removing the requirement for an employee to attend large meetings if these are a particular cause of anxiety and are not critical to a job.

Remember that the employee will still need to be kept up to date and in touch in other ways.

Redeployment

For example:

• moving someone to a more suitable job when a vacancy arises if no adjustments will enable them to do their existing job.

This is the final adjustment we recommend that employers consider once all other options have been exhausted.

These are just examples of adjustments and not an exhaustive list.

Different people need different types of adjustments, sometimes for similar impairments. It will depend on things like how they are affected by the condition they have, and the role they work in. So, for example, something that works for one person with dyslexia may not be the best solution for another.

What are the most common types of workplace adjustments?

In Business Disability Forum’s 2023 Great Big Workplace Adjustments Survey research report, data showed that the most common types of adjustment provided in the workplace were:

• Flexible working or adjusted hours (47 per cent),
• Time off to attend appointments or therapies to help manage conditions (42 per cent),
• Ergonomic equipment (42 per cent),
• Assistive technologies (24 per cent),
• Alterations to the working environment such as altered lighting or being exempted from hot desking (18 per cent),
• Adjusted duties and/or targets (18 per cent),
• Additional or longer breaks (18 per cent),
• Adjustments to make travelling to and in work easier, such as travelling at different times or getting taxis (13 per cent).

See the full results of the survey here.