Reasonable adjustments - anyone know anything?

[Naaarna]

Recently after some changes there is an element of my work that comes up 2 or 3 times a year that I feel unable to do. I am awaiting assessment for autism, if that’s relevant. It makes me really nervous and uncomfortable but goes beyond the normal anxieties to the point where it would be on my mind weeks ahead of time & keep me up at night.

Others in my team can do the task and there will always be someone able and comfortable to. I will go above and beyond to do anything else I can and to the best of my ability , just not this one task. With the infrequency it comes up, would it be a reasonable adjustment to formally request I don’t have to do it?

I hate saying no to things, that in itself makes me uncomfortable and wish I could just get on with things better. What do you think? I don’t want to give away the task as it could be outing but I appreciate that might make it difficult to comment. It involves a lot of multi tasking and overstimulation for me.

The reason for posting is more to see if it would be ok to try and find a way to not do this entirely or if it looks like I am just shirking responsibility and being work shy - which I really don’t want to be, ever!

I think you can ask not to do a task or only do part of it under reasonable adjustments.

You can always ask. And they can say no. My oh was diagnosed with ADHD and autism in November and he asked to be allowed to commute off peak when the trains are less busy , they said fine.

I think that could be a reasonable adjustment. When I was a teacher, school said I didn't have to do any break duty (watching the kids at break time) even though it was generally expected of every teacher, every week. There are other people who can do your task and you're happy to do more of the other work if you have extra time by not doing problem task. Definitely ask.

As above, fine to request. You may get more backing when your diagnosis comes through.

TBH, if you are that hard working at other elements and this is infrequent and easily covered then as a manager I wouldn’t hesitate to agree

You would need to evidence that you have issues which would be considered a disability under the Equality Act to qualify for reasonable adjustments. And it’s the employer who decides (unless you take them to court) what is reasonable. They might not be prepared for you never to undertake this task and for the responsibility to sit solely with others.

Only you know the work set-up well enough to know how it would go down. As a teacher, I would do school trips, help with the play, Open Evenings and such like, but there would be some activities I'd manage to miss, and nobody cared. I know that wouldn't happen in other schools where there is an idea that if you start letting some people opt out of things, it encourages others.

It also depends on whether it is part of your original job description or something that has been added on since you started. Nothing lost by asking - if it isn't reasonable, you should be told why.

It depends what it is though. Although a task that only needs to be done 3 times a yesr if a fundamental part of the job they can refuse an adjustment as not being reasonable. So noone here can say whether what you want to avoid doing is reasonable or not in the circumstances without knowing the job or task

You need a proven disability to ask for reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act.

If you don't have a relevant diagnosis, do you have, or can you get, medical evidence showing your symptoms have a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to do day-to-day activities?

Have a look at the government Access to Work scheme. They don't need you to have a diagnostic letter, they will assess and talk to you. What would be helpful is to have an idea of what will help you. Have a look at this www.geniusscreening.com it may well help as a starting point for adjustments.

At the end of the day, reasonable adjustments is about making sure you have an equitable working environment for your conditions. For some that will be noise cancelling headphones, a work space which is a sensory happy place, for others it could be a standing/sitting desk, screen readers, dyslexia software, blind/low vision technology, it totally depends on your individual needs. Neurodiversity coaching is another really helpful one for those of us who are ND.

I would honestly start with the link above first off and then fill out the Access to Work forms second.

And for those saying you need a diagnostic, current wait times for ASD are 2-3 years. Access to Work are very clear that you don't need a diagnosis to apply. Medical model disability vs social model disability.

If it can be supported operationally it should be. However, if it is a particularly complex task that raisesbyiur role into another grade boundary and you can't render your full contractual duties then you might not be capable of the role.

I don't mean that to sound as harsh as it does but you haven't given specific enough information.

For example if you were a teacher and you said you couldn't prep the children for GCSE mocks and GCSEs during the fortnight before because you couldn't handle the children's stress that wouldn't wash. However, if it was attending a sports match that someone else could cover, because the shouting and chaos disturbed your equilibrium, that would be fine because a TA could cover.

A2W takes months.

Have you had the discussion with your manager about the particular topic and whether it would be possible for someone else to take over it from you while you pick up topic x instead?
As a manager I want my team's skillsets applied in the best way possible so depending on the circumstances I would certainly be open for the conversation without needing a legal framework to surround it.

@Naaarna I have some resources that may help you, I'm going to PM you about it.

"The reason for posting is more to see if it would be ok to try and find a way to not do this entirely or if it looks like I am just shirking responsibility and being work shy - which I really don’t want to be, ever!"

The thing is, you can't control what an individual thinks about you or how they interpret actions you take. A right to ask for reasonable adjustments doesn't stop someone seeing it as a negative. I think it's absolutely fine to ask. If you get told "no", then you can worry about proof etc, but your manager might well accommodate your request anyway on evidence that you may have a disability. But no one can promise you that no one will moan or quietly judge you for it. Part of taking reasonable adjustments is growing a slightly thicker skin to that, owning what is within your control and knowing your medical conditions and mental health are none of their business. Generally reasonable adjustments work out, the world keeps turning and hopefully gets slightly more accepting every time.

It's a bit like going part time, or even married women going back into the workplace - some people might judge, usually wrongly, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it if it's right for you. And the more common it gets, the less it's stigmatised.