Reasonable adjustments: what employers need to know

What the law says

Under the Equality Act 2010, employers in Great Britain have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and job applicants. The duty applies where a provision, criterion or practice, a physical feature of the premises, or the lack of an auxiliary aid puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage compared with people who are not disabled. The employer must then take such steps as are reasonable to avoid that disadvantage.

A person is disabled under the Act if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Many neurodivergent conditions, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia, can meet that definition. Whether a particular person does is about the effect on them, not the label.

When does the duty apply?

The duty arises when the employer knows, or could reasonably be expected to know, that the person is disabled and likely to be at a disadvantage. It does not require a formal diagnosis to be on file, and it does not wait for the employee to use the words “reasonable adjustment”. If a manager has been told about a condition, or has good reason to think one is affecting someone’s work, the organisation is on notice.

That is one reason managers need to know how to respond to disclosure well, and to involve HR when they do.

What is “reasonable”?

There is no fixed list. What is reasonable depends on how effective the adjustment would be, how practical it is, its cost, the size and resources of the employer, and whether help such as Access to Work is available. In practice, for neurodivergent employees, most adjustments are cheap and simple:

• Written instructions and written confirmation of what was agreed
• Agendas and papers sent in advance
• A quieter workspace, a consistent desk, or noise-cancelling headphones
• Flexible start and finish times, or some remote working
• Extra time for written tasks or tests, or assessing in a different way
• Assistive software: text-to-speech, dictation, planning tools
• More frequent, shorter check-ins
• A mentor or buddy, particularly during onboarding
• Changes to how recruitment is run, such as questions shared in advance

Adjustments change how the work is done. They do not change what the job is, and they do not mean the employee is held to a lower standard. Where equipment or specialist support is needed, Access to Work, a government scheme, can help with the cost.

The process in practice

1. Have the conversation. Ask the employee what would help. They usually know.
2. Agree the adjustments and write them down. Share the note with the employee.
3. Implement them promptly. Delay undermines the whole thing.
4. Review after an agreed period. Needs change, and so do jobs.
5. Keep it confidential. Health information is special category data. Share only what is needed with the people who need it.

Occupational health can advise where the right adjustment is unclear. HR should be involved where the adjustment affects contracts, hours, roles or other people. Legal advice is worth seeking where a request is refused, where there is a dispute, or where the adjustment would affect performance management, redundancy or dismissal.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for a diagnosis before doing anything.
• Refusing an adjustment because “we treat everyone the same”. The Act requires treating disabled people differently where that removes a disadvantage.
• Agreeing an adjustment and then not implementing it.
• Treating a disclosure as a reason to expect less, or to avoid managing performance.
• Sharing the reason for an adjustment with colleagues without consent.

What can leaders do?

Make sure managers know that the duty exists, that it can be triggered by a conversation, and that most adjustments are small. Make it normal for teams to talk about how people work best, so that adjustments are just an extension of ordinary good management. And keep standards clear: better understanding means better management, not lower expectations.