Reasonable adjustments at work: examples for common situations

Official guidance gives plenty of examples of reasonable adjustments, from a ramp or a special keyboard to flexible hours, paid time off for treatment and a phased return after illness. Whether a change is reasonable for you depends on your condition, your job and your employer, and none of these is automatic. The examples below are grouped by situation. This is general information, not advice about your own case.

Physical disability and mobility

Gov.uk lists a ramp for a wheelchair user, and letting someone work on the ground floor. Acas adds changing the layout of a work area or the entrance to a building, and an accessible car parking space. For equipment, gov.uk gives a special keyboard for someone with arthritis, and Acas mentions adapted chairs, software and phones.

Say a receptionist at a council office finds the stairs to the staff area impossible. Moving their work to the ground floor, or relocating the part of the job that happens upstairs, is the kind of change these pages describe. That example is hypothetical.

Mental health conditions

Acas groups its mental health examples by what they change. On hours, it lists shorter and more frequent breaks, flexible hours, part-time or job share, and paid time off for medical appointments. On the role, it gives reviewing tasks or deadlines so the workload is reasonable, and moving someone to a different role or department if the current job is harming their mental health.

Other examples cover the environment and support: working from home to manage distractions, a quieter workspace, a rest area away from the main staff area, reserved parking to take the stress out of commuting, regular check-ins, coaching, and a buddy or mentor. Gov.uk gives one specific case: a person with social anxiety disorder having their own desk instead of hot-desking. Acas also suggests agreeing a preferred way to communicate, to reduce anxiety.

Dyslexia and other neurodivergent conditions

Acas gives short worked examples, each described as an example rather than a real case:

• A call centre worker with ADHD uses a standing desk to work off energy and improve focus.
• A construction worker who is dyslexic and autistic asks for safety signs on a green background.
• A garage worker who is dyspraxic and has ADHD uses a colour-coded wall planner and has a short daily meeting with their manager.
• An off-licence worker who is dyspraxic asks for the storeroom to be kept clear of clutter on the floor.

One example sits squarely in the public sector: a teaching assistant in a school who is autistic is told about curriculum changes in advance and gets time away from lessons to work through them. NHS Employers lists quiet or sensory spaces, written rather than verbal communication and flexible or hybrid working for neurodivergent staff. Acas also gives extra time for written or reading tests, which matters at interview.

Long-term illness and fatigue

For long COVID, NHS Employers gives a phased return, adjusted duties, and rest breaks or home working to cope with symptoms that come and go. A phased return is a gradual build-up after absence. Acas says it can mean fewer hours at first, different duties or a lighter workload.

Pay needs agreeing before you start. If you do your usual work on reduced hours, you are paid your normal rate for the hours you work. For the hours you do not work, Acas says pay depends on any agreement or policy and may be full pay, company sick pay or Statutory Sick Pay if you are eligible. With a lighter workload, the rate is agreed and should be put in writing. Your fit note may recommend a phased return.

Sensory impairments

Gov.uk gives an audio-visual fire alarm for a deaf person. Acas lists a sign language interpreter, emails and documents in an accessible format, and changing the lighting above a desk or workstation. It also says an employer that does not normally allow dogs at work might make a reasonable adjustment for someone with an assistance dog.

Time off for treatment and absence

Acas lists paid time off for medical appointments and treatment as an adjustment. On disability-related absence, it gives examples such as not counting some or all of that absence towards trigger points, raising the number of absences that trigger a review, or recording it separately from other sickness absence. NHS Employers gives the example of an agreed amount of paid disability leave, reviewed at least once a year and kept separate from sickness absence.

Acas says the employer should weigh why and how long you need time off, what happens if no adjustment is made, and the effect on the team or organisation. It may ask for an occupational health report to help decide.

Who decides, and who pays

Your employer decides in the first instance. Acas says it must consider whether the change would remove or reduce the disadvantage, whether it is practical, whether it is affordable and whether it could harm the health and safety of others. It should talk with you and not make assumptions. It does not have to change the basic nature of the job.

The employer pays: Acas states that it is responsible for paying for any reasonable adjustments. Access to Work is a separate government grant. It pays for things like specialist equipment, support workers and travel, but gov.uk says it will not pay for reasonable adjustments the employer must legally make. Some employers pay up front and claim back.

How to ask

You can ask in writing, in a meeting with your manager, or through your employer’s formal process if it has one. Acas says the employer should listen, avoid assumptions, get medical input such as occupational health where needed, and confirm what is agreed in writing. In the NHS, a workplace adjustment passport records your adjustments, so you do not have to explain again when your role or manager changes. NHS Employers warns that adjustments do not automatically carry over to a new role, so a new assessment may be needed. The wider reasonable adjustments guide covers the legal duty.

If your employer refuses

An employer does not have to make an adjustment that is not reasonable, but Acas says it should still look for other ways to support you. Ask for the reasons in writing and suggest alternatives. Acas suggests an employer should consider legal advice before refusing, and you can call the Acas helpline. A union representative, your HR team, Citizens Advice and the Equality Advisory and Support Service can also help.

If it cannot be settled, gov.uk says you can make a discrimination claim to an employment tribunal. You must tell Acas first, through early conciliation, and the clock pauses while Acas helps. For problems on or after 1 October 2026 the usual limit is six months; see employment tribunal time limits. In Northern Ireland, claims go to the industrial tribunals, covered in industrial tribunals in Northern Ireland, with different time limits.