4 Questions for employer to ask themselves about making Reasonable Adjustments.
The overall aim as an employer of making reasonable adjustments for disabled workers should be to as far as possible, to remove or reduce any disadvantage faced by a disabled worker. In cases of ‘reasonable adjustment’ it is acceptable to treat disabled people better or ‘more favourably’ than non-disabled people and sometimes this may be part of the solution.
1: How effective is the adjustment you are considering going to be in compensating for the disadvantage experienced by the disabled worker?
The adjustment should make a difference. It should go some way or all of the way towards reducing the disadvantage experienced by the disabled worker. It may be necessary to make more than one adjustment, but together all of the adjustments should be effective in reducing the disadvantage for the disabled worker.
2: How practical is it for you to implement the change?
The easier an adjustment is, the more likely it is to be reasonable. However, just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it can’t also be reasonable. You need to balance this against other factors.
3: How much is the adjustment going to cost?
If an adjustment costs little or nothing and is not disruptive, it would be reasonable unless some other factor (such as impracticality or lack of effectiveness) made it unreasonable.
4: Does your organisation have the resources and the finances to make the adjustment?
If an adjustment costs a significant amount, it is more likely to be reasonable for you to make it if you have substantial financial resources. Your resources must be looked at across your whole organisation, not just for the branch or section where the disabled person is or would be working. This is an issue which you have to balance against the other factors.
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