Reasonable Adjustments — Employer Duties Under the Equality Act 2010
Under the Equality Act 2010, employers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and job applicants. This duty exists to level the playing field — if a workplace rule, physical feature, or lack of support puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage, the employer must take steps to remove that disadvantage. Refusal without justification is disability discrimination.
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What is the duty to make reasonable adjustments?
Sections 20–21 of the Equality Act 2010 impose a duty on employers to make reasonable adjustments whenever a disabled person is placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. The duty arises across three distinct "limbs":
Working rules, policies, or practices that put a disabled person at a disadvantage. Examples include requiring all staff to work fixed hours, applying standard attendance or performance targets, or using interview formats that disadvantage someone with a communication impairment.
Aspects of the physical workplace that create barriers — steps, narrow doorways, inaccessible toilets, or poor signage. Importantly, the duty regarding physical features is anticipatory: employers should not wait until a disabled person asks before addressing obvious physical barriers.
Failure to provide equipment or support that would remove a disadvantage — for example, not providing screen reader software, a hearing loop, written instructions instead of verbal ones, or a sign language interpreter.
What counts as a disability?
Under the Equality Act 2010, a disability is a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
- ✓Substantial means more than minor or trivial — it does not need to be severe
- ✓Long-term means the impairment has lasted, or is likely to last, at least 12 months (or for the rest of your life)
- ✓A formal diagnosis is not required — what matters is the effect on your daily life, not what the condition is called
- ✓Fluctuating conditions count: if your condition would have a substantial effect when at its worst, it qualifies even if you have good days (e.g. fibromyalgia, Crohn's disease, lupus, bipolar disorder)
- ✓Past disabilities are also protected — you cannot be discriminated against because of a condition you used to have
Examples of reasonable adjustments
There is no fixed list of what adjustments are "reasonable" — it depends on your individual circumstances and needs. Common examples include:
- ✓Working from home, hybrid arrangements, or flexible working hours
- ✓Providing a parking space closer to the building entrance
- ✓Adjusting or removing physical barriers to access (e.g. installing a ramp, moving your workstation to the ground floor)
- ✓Providing assistive technology — screen reader software, larger monitors, ergonomic furniture, adapted keyboard or mouse
- ✓Allowing additional or longer rest breaks during the working day
- ✓Adjusting absence management policies so that disability-related absences are not counted toward attendance triggers
- ✓Modifying performance targets or extending deadlines to account for the impact of your condition
- ✓Providing written instructions, meeting agendas, or minutes instead of relying on verbal communication
- ✓Redeployment to a vacant role better suited to your condition
- ✓Providing a support worker, mentor, or job coach
- ✓Phased return to work after a period of illness or treatment
- ✓Allowing time off for medical appointments without it counting as absence
What makes an adjustment "reasonable"?
Whether an adjustment is reasonable is assessed on the specific facts of each case. There is no single definition, but Employment Tribunals and ACAS guidance consider:
How to request reasonable adjustments
If your employer refuses
A failure to make reasonable adjustments is a form of disability discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. If your employer refuses without justification, you have legal recourse:
- ✓Ask for the refusal in writing with full reasons — you are entitled to this
- ✓Raise a formal grievance in writing using your employer's procedure
- ✓Contact ACAS early conciliation — this is a mandatory first step before an Employment Tribunal claim
- ✓Bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal for disability discrimination (failure to make reasonable adjustments)
- ✓Compensation is uncapped and can include injury to feelings (Vento bands: £1,100–£58,700+) plus financial losses such as lost earnings
- ✓If your condition worsens as a result of the refusal, a personal injury element may also be claimed
You have 3 months minus 1 day from the date of the discriminatory act (or the last act in a continuing course of conduct) to submit an Employment Tribunal claim. You must first notify ACAS for Early Conciliation, which pauses the clock. Missing the time limit is almost always fatal to your claim — do not delay.
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Frequently asked questions
Does my employer have to make reasonable adjustments even if my condition is not formally diagnosed?
Yes. The Equality Act 2010 does not require a formal medical diagnosis. What matters is whether your condition — whatever it is called — has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. If it does, you are likely to be covered. A GP letter or occupational health report can help confirm the effect of your condition, but you do not need a specialist diagnosis to be protected.
Can my employer refuse on grounds of cost?
Cost is one factor tribunals consider, but it is rarely sufficient justification on its own — especially for large or well-resourced employers. A small business with limited resources may be able to justify refusal more easily than a large organisation. Additionally, if the government's Access to Work scheme would fund the adjustment (it covers things like specialist equipment, support workers, and travel costs), the employer cannot refuse on cost grounds, since the cost would not fall on them.
What is Access to Work and how does it help?
Access to Work is a grant scheme run by the Department for Work and Pensions. It can provide funding for practical support for disabled people in work, including specialist equipment, adaptations to the workplace, a support worker, a job coach, travel to work if you cannot use public transport, and communication support. Funding is available for employees and the self-employed. You or your employer can apply at gov.uk/access-to-work. Crucially, if Access to Work will cover the cost of an adjustment, your employer cannot cite cost as a reason to refuse.
What happens if I need adjustments during recruitment or at the interview stage?
The duty to make reasonable adjustments applies from the very beginning of the recruitment process — including job adverts, application forms, tests, and interviews. Employers must ensure that disabled job applicants are not put at a substantial disadvantage. For example, if you use a wheelchair, the interview must be in an accessible location; if you have dyslexia, you may be entitled to extra time in written tests. You can request adjustments when you apply or when you are invited to interview. Refusing to make adjustments at the recruitment stage is disability discrimination.
How long do I have to bring an Employment Tribunal claim for failure to make reasonable adjustments?
You have 3 months less one day from the date of the act you are complaining about — or, if it is an ongoing failure, from the last date on which the adjustment was refused. Before issuing a claim, you must contact ACAS for Early Conciliation, which pauses the time limit. If Early Conciliation ends without a settlement, ACAS issues a certificate and the clock restarts. Tribunals have very limited discretion to extend the time limit — you should act as quickly as possible and seek advice without delay.