If your employer doesn't have a policy on reasonable adjustments, give them this.
If your employer doesn't set out accessible processes explaining how employees can actually be included, in my opinion, they are not wholly inclusive. Instead of focusing on external speakers and campaigns for National Inclusion Week, they should focus on the experiences of internal employees and the information they receive.
Real inclusion is not visible, it's not a checkbox, or metrics: it should be the day-to-day, vulnerable conversations and support provided to foster a truly inclusive culture year-round.
As I previously worked in mental health & disability law, I sometimes consult for companies on diversity and inclusion. This draft policy on reasonable adjustments is something I usually sell, but as it's National Inclusion Week, and 73% of people surveyed don't have access to such a policy... here's what I see as inclusivity.
You can even use this example template letter.
An explanation of the policy is below:
1. Purpose
Having procedures set out to support disabled people to access reasonable adjustments ensures they, and relevant colleagues, can understand how to access the help they need.
Every person with a disability will have different needs, which may change over time. Disclosing a disability can be extremely stressful, so it's important to remember the 'human' at the centre of the policy and explain legal terms (like disability, disclosure, and reasonable adjustments) in accessible language.
It's also strongly advisable to have one person identified as a contact in relation to this policy, as sometimes people may just want to have a conversation without any formal 'disclosures', or they may feel uncomfortable telling their line manager in the first instance. Centralising this knowledge also means there will be experience and expertise to draw upon.
2. Disclosure
Disclosure is when a person tells an employer about a disability affecting them, which might be for a variety of reasons. It's advisable to set out exactly what this looks like, how it can happen (e.g email or conversation?) and what happens next.
It is strongly advisable to ensure immediate practical support measures are confirmed as quickly as possible. Given the nature of disabilities, it can be incredibly stressful and difficult for someone to tell their employer and ask for help, which should be recognised. They should be supported accordingly, and a follow up discussion about reasonable adjustments should be arranged as soon as possible in an appropriate format. Reasonable adjustments agreed upon should always be recorded.
Employers should ensure all relevant employees are supported appropriately, such as by arranging training for managers or colleagues, if relevant. It's extremely important that managers are aware of their duty to properly implement reasonable adjustments and that they feel confident to do so.
3. Requesting Reasonable Adjustments
It's usually better to have a collaborative and supportive conversation instead of simply expecting someone to know what adjustments they need... because many people won't know, especially if they've been diagnosed with a disability as an adult. ADHD wasn't even diagnosable in adults until 2008, so to suddenly find out your coping strategies aren't actually 'normal' is very overwhelming.
Explaining what reasonable adjustments are and what the process looks like is very important. Asking for help is difficult for anyone - for someone with a disability, who may have already been suffering intensely throughout their life for the challenges they experience... it is INCREDIBLY vulnerable. This is especially important for neurodivergent conditions like Autism and ADHD where having certainty, information, and clarity about processes is helpful.
This includes any meetings to discuss reasonable adjustments, which may also be absolutely terrifying (even if it doesn't seem like it!), so it's advisable to stick to an accessible process and offer additional support for the person, such as bringing along another person to the meeting.
I suggest these conversations address the below questions:
Does the disabled person know about and understand the resources available to support them? For example, this and other policies, Access to Work and independent experts such as Occupational Health?
How does the disabled person feel about talking about their disability and how would they like to be supported? (e.g work routine, structure, flexibility, training, formats of communicating).
What tasks or aspects of their role or situation does the disabled person find difficult?
What reasonable adjustments does the disabled person feel they need to manage their disability? Could anything else be done to overcome the challenges they experience?
What questions does the disabled person have about the process and how can they be made to feel most comfortable when discussing their disability, especially in terms of language used?
What questions do any other relevant employees (e.g managers) have about the process and how they can be made to feel most comfortable to support the disabled employee with making reasonable adjustments and otherwise?
What adjustments are considered to be reasonable? If any are considered unreasonable, why is this, and what alternatives could be offered?
What timeframes are there to consider?
Does a referral need to be made to Occupational Health or other independent expert?
Who else may need to be informed about any reasonable adjustments?
If solutions are agreed, they should be recorded in a Workplace Adjustment Agreement within a set timeframe, and a date should be set to check in on how helpful these adjustments are.
If the solution is not straightforward, such as requiring budget sign-off, or if solutions are unknown, the matter should be escalated as relevant, such as to HR, with interim measures agreed upon, recorded and shared.
4. Independent Assessments
The average person with a disability may have no idea what 'Occupational Health' means or involves, and a referral can unsurprisingly, also be quite stressful. It's generally said to be to establish what reasonable adjustments may be helpful, but also helpful to confirm the nature of a person's disability (i.e whether it triggers this legal duty. In my experience as an ADHD Coach, it usually does!)
It might feel like taking an exam on how 'disabled' they are, with a random stranger - having to show they are still employable, but just need help. For this reason, it's advisable to explain as much of the process as possible (including any standard questions such as in relation to how their performance may be impacted) and ensure the person is reassured throughout!
It is SO important that after the meeting and report has been received, a follow up discussion is had as soon as possible. Far too often I hear of employees who have the OH assessment and never have any 'formal' follow up conversation where the adjustments are discussed, implemented and recorded.
5. Making reasonable adjustments
Explaining how adjustments are assessed for 'reasonableness' (i.e in relation to resources, effectiveness, practicability, costs, and so on), is sensible to share for implementation purposes and transparency. This is especially complicated by Access to Work, who can provide support additional to reasonable adjustments, such as electronic notebooks, which can become complicated - especially as applications can take 5-6 months to be processed!
Giving timeframes is also really important - a person who is at the centre of this process is likely to be feeling very vulnerable, so being clear on when they can expect to receive what by is super important. This also goes for any reviews of adjustments - they may not always be effective, so it's a continually changing process.
6. Workplace Adjustment Agreement
A Workplace Adjustment Agreement is a living record of reasonable adjustments agreed to support an individual, which should be accessible for an employee, their line manager (and/or any new ones), and HR to access at any time.
Adjustments should be set out in a positive and supportive way that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based. They should explain how an individual can use the adjustment when needed (e.g when a person might wish to work from home or flexible hours, and the process for communicating this to others, setting out the dates for when coaching sessions would happen, or explaining what is meant by providing ‘written instructions’ e.g by using a briefing document for new products setting out key dates and objectives).
An example template for a Workplace Adjustment Agreement is below:
This is a record of the reasonable adjustments agreed to support [name]. This agreement may be reviewed and amended as necessary with the agreement of [name] and their line manager.
Regular review sessions have been scheduled as agreed at: [relevant dates]
Individual:
I have: __________
This may impact me at work in the following ways: _______________
The reasonable adjustments that have been agreed to support me are: _______________
Anything else relevant to note (e.g referrals that have been made): _________________
Date adjustments agreed: _______________
Date adjustments implemented (if relevant): _______________
Dates this Agreement will be reviewed are:____________
My point of contact for this is: ____________
Any other individuals who will be or are aware of these adjustments are: ____________
Employer:
Please let us know if there are any changes to my health condition which have an effect on your work, if you would like to discuss any of the agreed adjustments, if you have any questions, or have any issues to discuss. We are here to support you.
Individual’s signature: _______________ Date: _______________
Employer’s signature: _______________ Date: _______________
7. Access to Work
If you are UK based, adding in a reference to Access to Work can simplify this process and significantly support your employees. This Government scheme can help fund additional support for people with health conditions at work. Employees do have to share a contact from their workplace for Access to Work to confirm employment, so it is strongly recommended to specify a person who can do this, to save lots of back and forth.
It's important to mention that this doesn't replace the internal reasonable adjustments process - Access to Work applications can take 5-6 months to be processed, and typically don't involve much of other colleagues, such as a person's line manager.
All workplaces are very different, but having something along these lines set out in an accessible policy is a no-brainer. Ensuring people know how to access the support that is available to them removes barriers and aids true inclusivity.
I should add a disclaimer here that no liability is accepted for relying on this or following the advice - it's just my best shot at summarising the highly complex world of disability and reasonable adjustments at work in as general a way as possible!
Letter to ask for reasonable adjustments policy is here. The fully policy (worth £300+) is here.
If you'd like to join a course on ADHD at Work, head here.