Examples - Reasonable adjustments for mental health

Examples

It's important that employers and employees work together to find adjustments for mental health.

If an employee splits their time between the workplace and working from home, you need to think about how adjustments can be put in place for both.

What reasonable adjustments can be made for mental health

Reasonable adjustments are specific to an individual person. They can cover any area of work, including:

  • working hours and patterns
  • changes to someone's physical working environment
  • changes to someone's working arrangements
  • finding a different way to do something
  • adapting the way policies are applied
  • providing equipment, services or support

Working hours and patterns

For example:

  • more frequent, shorter breaks
  • paid time off for medical appointments
  • flexible hours
  • part-time or job share arrangements

Changing someone's role and responsibilities

For example:

  • reviewing tasks or deadlines to help someone have a reasonable workload while managing their mental health
  • breaking down work into short term tasks to reduce the complexity of someone's work and to provide structure to the working day
  • reviewing someone's responsibilities to reduce those that are more stressful – for example reducing phone calls or customer facing work
  • moving someone into a different role or department if their current job has a negative impact on their mental health

Reviewing working relationships and communication styles

For example:

  • making sure someone is working with trusted people to limit the impact of different working and communication styles
  • agreeing a preferred communication method to help reduce anxiety – for example by avoiding spontaneous phone calls

Changing the physical working environment

For example:

  • allowing someone to work from home to manage distractions or engage in activities that allow them to manage their mental health – for example, so they can take regular breaks without feeling other people are watching them
  • relocating someone's workspace to a quieter area to reduce sensory demands
  • providing rest areas away from the main staff area to allow someone to rest away from social demands
  • providing reserved parking to reduce the stress of commuting

Policy changes

For example:

  • offering paid time off for someone to attend appointments in work time
  • being flexible with trigger points for absence so that someone is not disadvantaged by taking absence when they are unwell
  • offering an extended phased return to support someone to build up hours gradually and continue their recovery

Additional support

For example:

  • modifying supervision to provide regular check-ins, prioritising work and creating structure in the working day
  • providing training or coaching to build confidence in skills relevant to the job
  • providing a buddy or mentor to be a dedicated person who can support with work tasks

Read case studies on making reasonable adjustments for mental health

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