Practical examples of workplace adjustments
Being flexible and creative is important when considering solutions. Below are examples, which could act as prompts for line managers and employees, exploring these issues together.
Working hours or patterns
- Take a flexible approach to start/finish times and/or shift patterns.
- Allow use of paid or unpaid leave for medical appointments (see Special Leave policy).
- Phase the return to work, e.g. offering temporary part-time hours.
- Equal amount of break time, but in shorter, more frequent chunks.
- Allow someone to arrange their annual leave so that is spaced regularly throughout the year.
- Allow the possibility to work from home at times, where appropriate.
- Temporary reallocation of some tasks.
Physical environment
- Minimise noise, e.g. providing private office/room dividers/partitions, reducing pitch or volume of telephone ring tones.
- Provide a quiet space for breaks away from the main workspace.
- Allow for increased personal space.
- Move workstation – to ensure for example that someone does not have their back to the door.
Support with workload
- Increase frequency of supervision.
- Support someone to prioritise their work.
- Allow the individual to focus on a specific piece of work.
- Consider job sharing.
Support from others
- Provide a job coach.
- Provide a buddy or mentor.
- Provide mediation if there are difficulties between colleagues.
