When somebody is finding work more difficult because of their mental health, managers can be unsure what they are expected to change, what they are allowed to change and how far their responsibility goes.
There is no standard list of adjustments that applies to every person or every job.
A useful starting point is to understand what is making work harder for the individual, what change might reduce that difficulty and whether the proposed arrangement can work in practice.
Mentally Healthy Workplace Training introduces reasonable adjustments as part of good people management. This page looks more closely at what that can mean when mental health is involved.
What is a reasonable adjustment?
Under the Equality Act 2010, employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people where this is needed to remove or reduce a substantial disadvantage at work.
A disability can be physical or mental. Under the main Equality Act definition, a person is disabled 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. In this context, substantial means more than minor or trivial, and long-term generally means that the effect has lasted, or is likely to last, for at least 12 months.
A mental health problem can therefore amount to a disability, including where its effects fluctuate or recur. The diagnosis alone is not the whole question. The effect the impairment has on the person and how long that effect lasts or is likely to last are also relevant.
Managers should not be expected to make complicated legal judgements on their own. Where there is uncertainty about the Equality Act, organisational policy or a particular adjustment, appropriate HR, Occupational Health or other specialist advice may be needed.
Current guidance on reasonable adjustments is available from Acas.
Where the Equality Act duty applies
- an employer must make reasonable adjustments for a disabled person where the legal duty is engaged
- the purpose is to remove or reduce a disability-related disadvantage
- what is reasonable depends on the individual circumstances
- the employer should consider the person's needs rather than relying on assumptions about a diagnosis
Support can still be considered more broadly
- a mental health problem may not meet the legal definition of disability
- Acas advises employers to still explore whether workplace changes or support could help
- simple changes to working arrangements, responsibilities or supervision may sometimes be useful
- good management does not need to wait for a legal dispute before considering what could reasonably help
Adjustments are specific to the person and the job. These examples illustrate the kinds of areas managers may need to consider rather than providing a standard package.
Working hours and patterns
An adjustment might involve different start or finish times, more frequent breaks, a temporary reduction in hours, time for appointments or a phased return following absence. The useful question is what difficulty the change is intended to reduce and whether the arrangement is workable for the employee and the organisation.
Workload, duties and priorities
Somebody may benefit from clearer priorities, work being broken into more manageable stages, a temporary change in deadlines or particular duties being reviewed. This does not automatically mean removing the core purpose of a job. It means considering whether the way work is currently arranged is creating a disability-related disadvantage that could reasonably be reduced.
Communication and supervision
Adjustments can involve the way somebody is managed. Examples might include more regular check-ins, clearer written priorities, advance notice of changes where possible, an agreed communication method or additional help structuring the working day. For one employee, extra contact may feel supportive. For another, frequent unscheduled contact may add pressure. The individual conversation matters.
The working environment
Noise, interruptions, lack of privacy, hot-desking or other features of the environment can sometimes make work more difficult. Depending on the role and workplace, possible changes could include a quieter workspace, a more consistent work location, access to a private area or some home working where that is feasible.
Policies, absence and return to work
A reasonable adjustment can sometimes involve the way a workplace policy is applied. This might include considering disability-related absence, allowing time for treatment or appointments, or using a longer phased return where appropriate. Managers should follow organisational policy and seek advice where needed rather than making informal exceptions without recording or reviewing them.
Additional support
Somebody may benefit from extra workplace support such as more structured supervision, coaching, training, a buddy or mentor, or advice from Occupational Health. The right support depends on what barrier is being addressed. More support is not automatically better support.
Start with the person, not the diagnosis
Two employees with the same mental health diagnosis may need completely different adjustments. One may need no adjustment at all.
The useful conversation is about how the person's health affects them at work, how work affects their health and what change may reduce a particular disadvantage.
How to approach the conversation
1Understand what is making work difficult
Ask the employee what they are experiencing at work and which aspects of the job, environment or working arrangements are causing difficulty. A manager does not need to diagnose the problem. The aim is to understand the practical effect at work.
Explore what might help
Ask what change the employee thinks would make a difference. They may already have a clear idea, or they may need time and support to work out what could help. Both the employee and employer can suggest possible adjustments.
Consider how the proposal would work
Look at whether the proposed change is likely to reduce the disadvantage, whether it is practical, what it may cost, whether there are health and safety implications and how it affects the work that needs to be done. "Reasonable" does not mean that every request must be agreed exactly as proposed. If a particular option is not workable, the conversation should move towards whether another adjustment could achieve a similar purpose.
4Agree and record what will be tried
Where an adjustment is agreed, be clear about what is changing, when it will begin and who needs to know. Only information that genuinely needs to be shared should be shared. Managers should also follow their organisation's approach to confidentiality and record-keeping.
Review the arrangement
Mental health, jobs and workplaces can all change. Acas recommends reviewing reasonable adjustments regularly and when circumstances change. A review is not simply a check on whether the employee is "better". It is an opportunity to ask whether the arrangement is still useful, whether it needs changing and whether any new barriers have emerged.
What makes an adjustment reasonable?
There is no single rule that makes an adjustment reasonable in every workplace.
Acas advises employers to consider whether the change would remove or reduce the disadvantage, whether it is practical, whether it is affordable and whether it could affect the health and safety of other people. The basic nature of the job can also matter.
Context is important. A change that is straightforward in one role may be difficult or impossible in another.
That is why a request should be considered rather than accepted or rejected simply because another employee has, or has not, received something similar.
Consistency does not mean giving everyone the same arrangement. It means using a fair process to understand individual disadvantage and consider appropriate options.
Adjustments should not be left indefinitely without review
Some adjustments may be long-term. Others may be temporary or need to change as somebody's health, treatment, job or working environment changes.
Keeping a written record can help the employee and manager remember what has been agreed and avoid the same discussion having to begin from scratch if circumstances or managers change.
Acas also provides guidance on reviewing reasonable adjustments and keeping a record.
Where specialist input would help, Occupational Health may be able to advise on how a health condition affects work and what adjustments could be considered. Access to Work may also provide certain kinds of practical support for eligible people, but it does not replace an employer's legal duty to make reasonable adjustments.
Reasonable adjustments work best when the conversation stays practical.
What difficulty is the person experiencing? What part of the job or working environment is involved? What change might reduce that difficulty? Can that change work safely and reasonably in this particular workplace? How will everyone know whether it is helping?
Those questions keep the focus where it belongs: on the individual employee, the work they need to do and the barriers that may be possible to reduce.
