What is a reasonable adjustment at work?
A change an employer must make to remove a substantial disadvantage faced by a disabled worker — and it is a legal duty, not a discretionary accommodation, which is the distinction that matters most.
When the duty arises. Under the Equality Act 2010, where a provision, criterion or practice, a physical feature, or the absence of an auxiliary aid puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage compared with people who are not disabled.
"Substantial" means more than minor or trivial — a low threshold, not a high one.
Who counts as disabled. A physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Long-term generally means twelve months or more, or likely to be. This is considerably broader than people assume, covering many long-term health conditions, mental health conditions and neurodivergence — and some conditions are deemed disabilities from diagnosis.
Examples of adjustments: changes to working hours or pattern; permission to work from home; modified duties or reallocating marginal tasks; equipment and assistive technology; physical changes to the workplace; adjusted absence triggers, so disability-related absence is treated differently; extra time or a different format in recruitment tests; a support worker; and phased return after absence.
Key features of the duty:
The cost falls on the employer, and — significantly — it cannot be passed to the worker.
It is anticipatory in some contexts, though for employment it is triggered by knowledge of the individual's disadvantage.
Knowledge matters. The duty applies where the employer knows or ought reasonably to know of the disability and the disadvantage. Employers cannot rely on ignorance they could have resolved by asking.
"Reasonable" is assessed objectively, considering effectiveness, practicability, cost, the employer's resources, and available financial assistance — which is why what is reasonable for a large employer may not be for a small one.
Access to Work provides government funding for equipment and support, which affects the reasonableness assessment directly by reducing the cost.
Failure to make a reasonable adjustment is itself discrimination, and is separate from any dismissal claim.
General information, not legal advice.