Under UK law, all employers must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that any job applicant or existing worker with either a physical or mental health condition amounting to a disability is not substantially disadvantaged when compared with others. Reasonable adjustments are basically any changes an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to a person’s disability, either during the course of the recruitment process so a candidate can be considered for a job or during the employment lifecycle itself.
The statutory duty on an employer to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace, as set out under the provisions of the Equality Act 2010, comprise:
- a requirement — where a provision, criterion or practice applied by the employer in the workplace puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage when compared with non-disabled people — to take such steps as it is reasonable to take to avoid that disadvantage
- a requirement — where a physical feature in the workplace puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage when compared with non-disabled people — to take such steps as it is reasonable to take to avoid that disadvantage
- a requirement — where a disabled person would, but for the provision of an auxiliary aid, be put at a substantial disadvantage when compared with non-disabled people — to take such steps as it is reasonable to take to provide that aid.
Reasonable adjustments for mental health are therefore those adjustments that will help to minimise any disadvantage caused to a job applicant or worker because of the symptoms suffered by them. Mental health includes a person’s psychological, emotional and social wellbeing, with the potential to significantly affect how they think, feel and behave. This means that the range of adjustments that can help to remove or reduce any negative effects are potentially wide-ranging and may even be unique to the individual.
Talk to us if you need help today:
hello@davidsonmorris.com
davidsonmorris.com
020 7494 0118
