Reasonable Adjustments at Work

Reasonable adjustments at work are changes an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to disability. For neurodivergent and disabled employees, this might mean changing how tasks are communicated, how meetings are run, where work happens, how performance is managed or what tools are available.

The best workplace adjustments are not vague promises of support. They are specific, practical and owned by someone. They make it clear what will change, who will do it, when it will happen and when it will be reviewed.

A useful adjustment does not need to be dramatic. Often, the most effective changes are ordinary changes made consistently.

A workplace can disadvantage someone without anyone intending harm. A job advert can be unclear. An interview can rely too heavily on speed. A manager can give instructions verbally, then assume everyone understood. A meeting culture can reward fast responses and penalise people who process information differently.

These are not always problems with the person. They are often problems with the working environment.

This distinction matters. If the organisation sees the person as the problem, the response becomes personal, inconsistent and sometimes defensive. If the organisation sees the barrier, it can change the design of the work.

That is the shift good reasonable adjustment practice requires.

These examples are starting points. A workplace should not simply copy an adjustment from a list. The right adjustment depends on the person, the role and the barrier.

A new project coordinator is missing deadlines. The manager sees the issue as a performance problem. The employee says they are overwhelmed because priorities change several times a day and most instructions are given quickly in meetings.

A poor response would be to say: "You need to be more organised."

A better response would be to ask what is creating the barrier. The issue might be a lack of written priorities, too much task switching, unclear ownership and no agreed way to confirm deadlines.

Reasonable adjustments could include a weekly planning check-in, written task priorities, fewer urgent interruptions and a simple project board showing what matters most. The standard of work remains the same. The route to achieving it becomes clearer.

That is the point of reasonable adjustments at work. They do not remove accountability. They remove unnecessary friction.

Many organisations think about reasonable adjustments only once someone is already in the job. That is too late.

Recruitment can disadvantage neurodivergent and disabled candidates before they ever get the chance to show capability. Timed tests, vague interview questions, inaccessible forms, noisy waiting areas and unclear instructions can all become barriers.

Good recruitment adjustments might include interview questions or themes in advance, accessible formats, alternative assessment methods, remote interview options, extra time for written tasks or clear information about the interview environment.

The aim is not to make selection easier. The aim is to make selection more accurate.

Managers do not need to diagnose. They need to listen, respond and help remove barriers.

A supportive conversation is not enough if nothing changes afterwards. The manager's role is to help translate a request into practical action.

Workplace adjustment records should be useful rather than intrusive. They should capture enough information to support action, but not more personal detail than is needed.

Access to Work can support disabled people and people with health conditions to get or stay in work. It may help with practical support, equipment or travel-related barriers. It does not replace an employer's duty to consider reasonable adjustments, but it can form part of the wider support picture.

For neurodivergent employees, workplace needs assessments, coaching, mentoring and assistive technology training can also help turn a broad concern into a workable adjustment plan.

One adjustment can be handled through a conversation. A whole organisation needs a process.

As the number of requests grows, employers need a reliable way to respond, record, implement and review adjustments. Without that, support depends too heavily on individual managers. Some employees get excellent support. Others wait too long, repeat personal information or watch agreed adjustments disappear after a role change.

This is where the conversation moves from reasonable adjustments at work to managing reasonable adjustments.

AXS Passport helps organisations move from informal adjustment conversations to a clearer adjustment process.

It supports the practical things that often get lost: recording the barrier, capturing the requested adjustment, confirming what has been agreed, assigning ownership, tracking progress and reviewing support over time.

For employees, that can reduce repeated disclosure and uncertainty. For managers, it creates a clearer route from request to action. For organisations, it helps turn reasonable adjustments into a managed part of workplace inclusion rather than a scattered set of emails and memories.

Last checked: May 2026