An employer considering reasonable adjustments should identify the disability-related disadvantage and assess effective ways to reduce it. The decision should be based on the role and circumstances, not a rule that every worker must be treated identically. [1]
Identify the barrier with the employee
Discuss the task, working condition or process causing difficulty. Ask what has helped previously and whether occupational health or other relevant advice would assist. Avoid requiring the employee to design the entire solution before the employer considers its duty.
Assess practical effectiveness, feasibility, cost and available resources in context. Record why an option would or would not address the disadvantage. A general statement that the company is small does not explain the decision.
Assign delivery and review
Name the person responsible for equipment, scheduling or training and set an implementation date. Inform managers about the adjustment they must apply without sharing unnecessary medical detail. Review effectiveness after a change of duties or workplace.
If an option is rejected, discuss alternatives and explain the reasoning. Employee requests shows the information a worker may provide; absence records helps avoid overlooking adjustments when attendance is reviewed. Keep adjustment decisions separate from informal favours that can disappear when a manager changes.
Recognise when an adjustment enquiry is needed Managers should be able to identify a possible disability-related barrier without waiting for an employee to use a legal phrase or complete a perfect form. Difficulty with tasks, repeated absence or information already supplied may require further discussion. Ask what the person is experiencing and what work situation causes the disadvantage. Acas explains that the duty can arise where the employer knows or could reasonably be expected to know of disability. [1] Record the information available and the enquiries made rather than treating silence about a diagnosis as a complete answer.
Consider applicants and other people within the relevant protection as well as established employees. A recruitment test, inaccessible interview or onboarding system can create a barrier before the first working day. Identify who is responsible for arranging support at each stage. Do not assume that an adjustment budget or approval process designed for permanent staff is the only route. The practical question is how the organisation can address the particular disadvantage in the activity it controls, with the legal scope checked where status or circumstances are uncertain.
Evaluate options against the actual disadvantage Describe the relevant task, rule or environment and identify how each proposed change could help. Ask the individual what has worked and consider appropriate occupational health or technical advice. The employee's suggestion is valuable but should not be treated as the only possible solution they must design without assistance. Compare effectiveness, practicality, cost, resources and other relevant factors. A refusal based simply on equal treatment misses the reason adjustments exist: identical arrangements can leave a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage.
Where an option appears impractical, document the specific obstacle and investigate alternatives. A cost estimate should reflect what would actually be purchased or changed, including available support where relevant. Avoid relying on a manager's assumption that equipment is expensive or that a timetable can never be modified. If a safety concern is raised, identify the evidence and consider whether a different arrangement addresses it. The decision should show an individual assessment rather than a blanket exclusion applied to everyone with the same diagnosis or requested change.
Allocate delivery across the organisation Name the person authorising the adjustment and the people responsible for procurement, scheduling, training or system changes. Set a realistic implementation date and consider interim support where there is a delay. An approved request can still fail if nobody owns the next action. Confirm the arrangement with the employee and provide managers with the operational instructions they need. Keep medical detail limited to its proper purpose. Colleagues may need to know a communication format or meeting arrangement without needing the underlying diagnosis.
Check that the adjustment works in related processes. A modified target or attendance arrangement should be reflected when performance, capability or redundancy information is assessed. If a recruitment adjustment was approved, ensure the interviewer or test administrator actually receives it. Avoid requiring the individual to repeat the same request to every new manager. A maintained adjustment record can preserve the agreed support, review date and responsible contact while allowing appropriate changes when the job or condition develops, rather than freezing the original arrangement indefinitely.
Review effectiveness using agreed information Set a review point connected to the change and ask whether it reduces the barrier in practice. A trial should have a defined purpose and evaluation, not become an indefinite substitute for a decision. If it is unsuccessful, identify whether the problem lies in the chosen measure, incomplete implementation or a changed need. Keep the employee involved in that assessment. Do not withdraw support solely because no further complaint was made; the absence of a complaint may not establish that equipment, communication or workload arrangements are functioning as intended.
Provide reasons where a request is rejected and explain alternatives considered or offered. Keep any disagreement and subsequent evidence with the decision record. A statutory flexible working process may run alongside the adjustment enquiry, but should not replace it or impose an inappropriate request-count limit. Seek specialist advice before consequential action where a disability barrier remains unresolved. The employer's file should demonstrate recognition, investigation, assessment, delivery and review of the particular need, enabling a successor manager to continue the arrangement without treating it as an informal favour that can simply lapse.
Frequently asked questions
Must an employer wait for a formally labelled adjustment request?
Not necessarily. Relevant knowledge and signs of disability-related difficulty may require enquiries, so managers should respond to the facts rather than the terminology alone.
Can a small business reject an adjustment simply by citing its size?
The actual effectiveness, practicality, cost and resources need consideration. A general reference to size does not explain why the particular option is unreasonable.
Who should be responsible once an adjustment is approved?
Assign approval, implementation and review roles explicitly, including procurement or scheduling tasks, so the decision becomes an effective working arrangement rather than an unfulfilled promise.
Should an adjustment be reconsidered when redundancy scoring uses attendance data?
Check that relevant disability circumstances and agreed adjustments are properly reflected. Reusing a raw attendance total can overlook the individual assessment already required.
Does an unsuccessful trial end the adjustment enquiry automatically?
No. Examine why it failed and whether implementation, another option or changed circumstances require further consideration before reaching a reasoned decision.
Official sources
Sources checked: 9 September 2026. Check the linked guidance for subsequent changes.
General information only. The appropriate action depends on your circumstances and the applicable jurisdiction.
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