Applying for reasonable adjustments

What are reasonable adjustments?

You are the expert in how your condition affects you and will know your job well enough to judge what reasonable adjustments could make a difference to how you manage work.

Reasonable adjustments might include specialist equipment, adjustments to your role, or a change to your work pattern that will remove some of the problems you face at work. However, we understand that it can also be hard to know exactly what is available or what could make a difference to you.  

Some examples of reasonable adjustments in the workplace are shared within the EHRC website, with videos of those who have applied for adjustments. These may help you consider your own situation and how they could apply. Working together with your manager or workplace support can help you to identify what would work and how it could be implemented.

To help you identify what you need, consider these five points:

1. Know your rights: Do some research, check out your company’s policies and advice for staff on sick leave, flexible working, disability. If you are unsure where to find the information, your manager, HR, Health & Safety, or union rep should be able to signpost you. Organisations such as ACAS and GovUK website as well as your union website will have information on your rights within the workplace.
2. Speak with your employer about your workplace needs, this could be your line manager, Human resources, Occupational Health practitioner or your Health & safety representative. 
3. If you are a member of a trade union, your union rep can be a good source of support. The union website will often have helpful information too.
4. Disability Employment advisers and work coaches within your local job centre can provide information or refer you to support to help you remain in or return to work.
5. An Occupational Therapist (OT) can often provide you with advice on what might help you within work, as well as support any application for adjustments.

Combined, working on improving your understanding of your condition, and strategies to manage it, along with reasonable adjustments from your employer or Access to Work scheme can help you remain in or return to work.

When preparing to ask for adjustments or support, it can be useful to discuss with someone you trust and/or write them down. We have created a document, ‘Work adjustments planner’. This is aimed at helping you assess how your condition impacts on work and identify what would help to address the barriers to work. With sections where you can record your symptoms and how they impact on your work.

Listed below are some questions to consider if your condition is impacting on your capacity to work:

• What work tasks do you feel need to be reviewed, adapted, or removed to make your role manageable?
• Can you swap some tasks and find alternative tasks you can do instead?
• Is there specialist equipment, computer software or training that may help make your job easier?
• Consider your hours and location; would you benefit from working from home, flexible or reduced hours, shorter working week, or longer breaks between workdays?
• Remember to consider those periods when your condition fluctuates or flares, you start new treatment, or experience a setback. You may need additional support to help you continue to work, over and above what you have already agreed during the times when your condition is stable.
• Do you know if you need a health and safety review to ensure you are working safely?
• Is travel to and from work part of the problem, do you have times when you struggle to drive safely, or travel on public transport?
• Consider who can help you work through this – manager, HR staff, job centre staff, union rep, occupational therapist, employment adviser, local advice service?
• Would you benefit from an Occupational Health, Ergonomic or Access to Work assessment to help you identify what you need?

Megan and Gary share examples of adjustments agreed with their employer.

“I’m not allowed to have the yellow fever vaccine with my meds so they won’t roster me for the travel locations I’m not allowed to go to such as African and south American countries. That’s an adjustment they’ve made.”

“I work for a firm that customises trucks. They made my life easier giving me the jobs where I didn’t have to climb around inside the vehicles too much. At the end it was virtually bench work, so they’d take the interiors out of the vehicle, and I’d strip it down on the bench, taking the electrics out and unpacking it all etc.”

Writing down what you need and agreeing adjustments or changes to your work routine can be a good way of ensuring that you have an agreement. This can also be useful if there is a change of management or review of jobs within the company.

Access to Work scheme

While you can discuss and agree reasonable adjustments with your employer, you may find these are not enough to remove the barriers you face. You may also need specialist equipment and support which can be funded through the Government's Access to Work (AtW) scheme.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) have developed a Health Adjustment passport, this can be helpful when making a claim to the Access to Work scheme, especially if you know what you need. It is available to download on the UK Gov website. The purpose of this document is to assist you to identify barriers and the equipment, adjustments or support you need to do your job more effectively. This can then be used to apply for Access to Work grant. There is a short video explaining how it can be used. It is not a requirement to use the health adjustment passport to apply for Access to Work, although it can be useful if you know exactly what you need.

While it is not essential to use an adjustment document to apply for adjustments or support such as those we have mentioned, they can be a useful tool. Helping you shape your thoughts and consider what, if anything, could make a difference to improving your work capacity. You can choose to share the document or simply use it as a personal reflection log to record what you need. If you do share it, you can specify who has access to it.

If you're unsure or don't know what would work for you or what is available, you can apply to Access to Work for an independent assessment of your workplace needs. The assessor will discuss your condition with you and the challenges you face. They will explore options that may make a difference. Detailing their recommendations within a report which will then be sent back to your AtW advisor for consideration.

As the symptoms of arthritis and related MSK conditions are often not visible, can fluctuate, or you may experience ‘flares’, it can make it difficult to explain the day-to-day impact they have on you. It can help to have access to an information booklet on your condition or links to our website when discussing your condition.

You're the expert in your condition and how it affects you.

• Identify what changes you need when your condition is being controlled.
• Consider any further adjustments or flexibility that may be needed during the periods when you are experiencing a flare, changes to your treatment or other issues.

This will ensure you have what you need to work if, or when your condition changes.

Over time, you may experience a change to your condition and capacity to manage work. Regularly reviewing the adjustments and support you receive can often highlight additional modifications that may be required.

Once a decision has been made by AtW, you will be sent the report and details of any items recommended, it will include cost sharing agreed with your employer. Your employer will be advised of what has been agreed and how to reclaim any costs incurred once equipment or services are purchased. They will not see the full report.

“I recently did an assessment through the Government Access to Work scheme for work, so I have all the equipment I need to be able to continue working. I’ve got a cushion for the car to support my lower back when driving, a smaller laptop that is easier to handle and gives me better grip as it’s lighter to carry, arm rests for when I’m typing, a trolley bag for my laptop and any paperwork, suitable supporting chair for my desk. Work have approved everything I’ve asked for and that’s really positive and supportive. It was my line manager that told me about this scheme, I wasn’t even aware of it beforehand.”

Applying for Access to Work

Access to Work is a government funded employment support programme that aims to help more disabled people, and those with long term health conditions, start or stay in work. It can provide practical and financial support if you have a disability or physical or mental health condition.

You may find that your employer will put in place some adjustments that help you work, however you may need additional equipment or support beyond this. That is where AtW comes in.

An Access to Work grant can pay for practical support to help you:

• start working
• stay in work
• move into self-employment or start a business.

How much you get depends on your specific circumstances. The money does not have to be paid back and will not affect your other benefits.

Applying for Access to Work is something you need to do yourself; your employer can’t do this for you. You do not have to wait for your employer’s agreement. If you need someone to speak to Access to Work on your behalf, you can tell the Access to work team this when you make your application.

You can also request to be contacted by phone or email, whichever is your preference.

Access to Work will need to speak with a named individual within your workplace. This could be your manager or someone from the HR team. Talking to your employer about your plans to apply to AtW will ensure they are aware and can advise who is the best person for AtW to contact.

As part of your initial application, you will need to provide Access to Work with information:

• your contact details.
• your workplace address and postcode
• the name of a workplace contact who can confirm you work there (they will not be contacted without your permission)
• email address or work phone number of your workplace contact.
• information about your condition, how it affects your work and what support or equipment you think you need. Remember to consider times when you may need additional support if your condition fluctuates, or you experience a flare. Keep your descriptions simple and practical, don’t assume they have knowledge of your condition or the barriers you face.
• Do not worry if you are unsure what equipment would help you. AtW can arrange for an independent assessment of your work needs.
• If you are about to start work, you will need a job offer letter or email that includes your start date (you can apply for Access to Work up to 12 weeks before your start date)
• If you are a job seeker and need support to attend interviews, you will need a letter or email confirming a job interview date.

Once your application has been received, an Access to Work advisor will contact you to discuss what support you require.

Access to Work will also contact your employer to agree any ‘cost sharing agreement’ they may need to contribute to. This will consider how long you have been employed by them and the size of the company. This is to establish how much if anything, that your employer will need to contribute.

Assessing your needs

• If you know what equipment or support, you need you can detail this within your application.
• If you are unsure what would help you in work, you can request an assessment of your workplace needs.

An independent assessment can be funded by AtW, where a workplace assessor will speak with you to understand your role and the tasks you have difficulty with. They will then recommend what could help you continue to work. This may be ergonomic tools or equipment, specialist software, training or travel support, or a combination of all of these.

The assessor will be in touch to arrange a date to meet with you. After the assessment you will receive a copy of the report and a decision letter from ATW which will outline what they have awarded. It will detail the items, the cost for each and what your employer might have to contribute. They will also advise your employer in writing what they have agreed to fund and if they are required to contribute towards the costs. This could be to fund all or part of the recommendations from the report.

Your employer will only have access to the decision of what has been awarded and how they can reclaim any agreed costs.

They will not be sent the actual report, if you wish you can share this with them.

Costs

Claims from new employees up to six weeks from starting work will normally be paid in full. If you have been working for your employer for more than six weeks, then your employer will be expected to cover some or all of the costs or the award.

There are specific levels for cost sharing depending on the size of the business.

Access to Work will cover up to 80 per cent of the approved costs between the pre-set limit (detailed below) and £10,000.

The amount the employer is required to pay towards any award is determined by the number of employees.

• 0 - 49 employees – employer contribution is nil
• 50 - 249 employees – employer contribution is £500
• 250+ employees – contribution is £1,000.

Example

1. A new member of staff has applied to AtW within the first six weeks of starting work. They have been advised that ATW agrees they need:

• An ergonomic chair due to pain they experience in a standard chair.
• A roller ball mouse due to arthritis in their hands.
• Dragon naturally speaking software to enable them to speak to their PC instead of having to type, which causes pain in their hands and wrists.
• Headset and microphone to use with Dragon software.
• Training on how to use the software.

As they are within the six-week limit, their employer is not required to contribute to the costs. Their employer will be advised to purchase the items and reclaim the costs directly from AtW within a specified time period.

2. An employee of two years who works part time within two areas of the office - on reception and sometimes at their desk within the main office. They have developed arthritis in their neck and hips. This causes pain in arms, shoulders, and hips, which is now impacting on their capacity to manage some tasks. They have asked AtW for an assessment of their needs as they are unsure what would help. This assessment is funded by AtW.

The assessor recommends:

• A trolley to save them carrying folders and files across the office.
• A perch stool to use when on the reception area, instead of standing at the reception.
• A height adjustable desk to allow them to change positions to ease pain.
• An ergonomic chair.
• Ergonomic keyboard and mouse along with an angle poise monitor arm which allows them to position the screen.

As the employer has 80 members of staff and the employee has been employed with them for more than six weeks, they will need to contribute the first £500 of the costs. ATW will fund the remainder of the costs.

What can Access to Work fund?