Reasonable adjustments for mental health
Published Aug 07, 2023
Recent research by mental health charity Mind has shown that the mental health of 48% of people in England and Wales has been impacted by the cost of living crisis. The figure increases to 73% for people who have pre-existing mental health issues.
In previous articles we have noted that employees may attempt to hide their mental health issues. However, with mental health challenges impacting on so many employees, it highlights the importance of employers offering and implementing adaptations to enable those with mental health issues to thrive.
ACAS guidance
ACAS has recently published guidance on how to support employees with making reasonable adjustments for mental health at work.
Reasonable adjustments are the steps an employer is required to make to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to a disability. Under the Equality Act 2010 organisations are required to make adjustments for employees, workers and job applicants when they know (or could reasonably be expected to know) someone is disabled. But going beyond this, organisations should consider how they can support and promote good mental health for all their employees whether or not they are disabled.
ACAS suggest the following examples of reasonable adjustments for mental health issues:
• Change roles and responsibilities such as reducing elements of an employee’s role that they find most stressful
• Review working relationships and communication by agreeing preferred communication methods to reduce anxiety
• Adapt the physical working environment by allowing an employee to work from home to manage distractions or by providing quiet working areas. Providing reserved parking spaces can reduce the stress of commuting.
• Policy changes such as adjusting trigger points for absence management
• Providing additional support such as training or coaching
Employer should have an open and ongoing dialogue with any employee who needs adjustments to support with their mental health. The starting point is to ask the employee what do they need and how will it help? Adjustments should be documented in a plan and then reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they are working for both parties.
Some employees will be reluctant to ask for help with their mental health due to concerns over how they will subsequently be treated by their employer. This makes it even more important for managers to support their team members and to look out for signs that an employee may be struggling with their mental health.
The full ACAS guidance can be found here:
What reasonable adjustments for mental health are: Reasonable adjustments for mental health - Acas
Source: Gavin Parrott