Advice on Reasonable Adjustments
Advice for Heads of Departments, Sections or Units, Managers and HR staff
Reasonable Adjustments for Staff
The University has various duties under legislation regarding support and care of staff with disabilities. One of these duties is the provision of reasonable adjustments*. Managers are responsible for ensuring staff have the appropriate equipment and support to enable them to carry out their work safely and effectively. Managers should be aware of the needs of their staff and take a proactive and anticipatory approach to reasonable adjustments. Alternatively staff may themselves request a reasonable adjustment.
If you feel you have identified a requirement for a reasonable adjustment or a member of staff makes a request for a reasonable adjustment, please contact: Karen Bush, Equality and Diversity Manager, diversity@essex.ac.uk, ext 3506.
In some cases a reasonable adjustment is needed to provide extra protection for an employee with a health condition. Without the adjustment their health condition or disability may worsen. For example; an employee who has a back condition may find that a standard operators chair is insufficient to prevent discomfort.
We can then arrange appropriate assessments and equipment trials for the member of staff concerned and funding for any reasonable adjustments required. This assessment enables adjustments to be reviewed and recommendations to be appropriate to the needs of the individual. Reasonable adjustments should be treated as a matter of high priority.
Disclosure of disability
A member of staff does not have to have previously disclosed a disability in order to request a reasonable adjustment. The definition of disability** in legislation is quite comprehensive and a member of staff may not consider their condition to be a disability.
Confidentiality
If a member of staff requests a reasonable adjustment it is important that a high level of confidentiality is maintained and that information is only shared on a need to know basis in order to facilitate the reasonable adjustment required. For example: information can be shared with Equality and Diversity, the Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Service or the Fire Safety Officer.
Though staff may be willing to share information about their disability with others the decision must be theirs. In the case of an obvious visible disability others will be aware of such a person’s disability, however, details relating to a person’s disability and any arrangements made should be treated as confidential and information only shared with the agreement of the member of staff concerned.; It may be necessary to discuss disclosure of some information where the adjustment may have a significant impact on others; however this should initially be discussed with the disabled person. For example if a reasonable adjustment requires staff to change offices for reasons of access for a disabled person.
Funding of reasonable adjustments
There is a central fund for reasonable adjustments for staff, and there are also opportunities for external funding in some cases. Therefore provision of reasonable adjustments should not be seen as an extra financial outlay either when recruiting new staff or providing support for existing staff. The Equality and Diversity Unit will follow up each case and arrange funding appropriately.
What other adjustments might be necessary?
Staff with a mobility or sensory impairment should contact the Fire Safety Officer John Crust jcrust@essex.ac.uk, ext 4847 to arrange a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan.
The law requires that we ensure that everyone can safely evacuate in case of a fire. Special arrangements can be necessary for various disabilities, both permanent and temporary. These will be decided in consultation between the individual and the Fire Safety Officer and recorded as a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP).