Reasonable adjustment

[sushibelt]

Work want me to do a presentation and my manager's manager is getting funny about me not wanting to do it. My anxiety just won't let me. Do you think I can ask for this to be a reasonable adjustment? There are others who can do it.

Definitely worth asking, I'd say, or at least whether there is another way that you could achieve the required goal without causing you this stress - have you mentioned that its your anxiety preventing you from doing it?

"Reasonable" isn't well-defined so it's hard to argue either way.

Some relevant queations:

Is presenting a typical expectation for someone in your job?

Have you declared your anxiety?

Do you get any other reasonable adjustments?

Is this a hill you're willing to die on?

I did to my manager who has spoken to them. They dont get it.

I would consider a reasonable adjustment in this instance to be... YOU prepare the presentation and someone else deliver it?

It’s impossible to say really without knowing the nature of your job. It’s easy for you to say there are others that can do it but does that make their workloads unreasonable?

1. No not really. Has never been an issue until now. Volunteers usually sort but manager manager wants me to do it.

1. I have but they didn't ask any questions when I did this.

1. No.

1. I could stand up and crumble and shake if that's what they really want but it won't be a presentation

Sorry the numbers changed to 1!

No. It doesn't. We don't present regularly- once a year perhaps

That would be fine by me

Right so I’m a primary school teacher so not really qualified to make a comment.
However, when we have children who are too anxious to present our reasonable adjustment is to have them produce a PowerPoint and then record a voice over for it which is then played to class - sometimes without them in the room.

Ooh ok I can work with that. I could offer to record a presentation that can be played to everyone. Even if I am in the room at the time.

this seems like a very reasonable adjustment! If presenting is not part of your job in general then it would be very unreasonable to refuse this I think.

I could be wrong, but I thought you had to have a diagnosed disability to be offered reasonable adjustments.

Reasonable adjustments are for disabilities or long term mental health illness.

You have to declare it as such, there’s a process to be gone through. Otherwise we could all have “reasonable adjustments” every time we felt a bit out of our comfort zone.

It sounds like you have a development need here. A better way of doing this would be to ask your manager to do the presentation in a different way or build up to it more gradually

One way that could work well is if you write the presentation as a dialogue - so for example both you and manager are at the front of the room and it starts with manager putting slide 1 onscreen showing the outline of the presentation meanwhile manager asking you what is the purpose of today’s presentation and you reply. This will keep you on track.

Remember you don’t need to read out the slides, it’s best to just answer in your own words and have a cue card in your hand with the key points.

Remember it doesn’t have to be great! No one expects perfection.

Remember to do a couple of dress rehearsals - time yourself, video yourself, do it in front of your family or whatever. Practice will make a HUGE difference.

I have a long term mental health condition that has gone on more than 12 months and impacts my life. What sort of diagnosis do you think I need? The GP doesn't give you a label and say that's it you're disabled now.

nope

It is not a development need.

I have declared my mental illness. Do you mean I need for formerly ask for the adjustment?

Remember you don’t need to read out the slides, it’s best to just answer in your own words and have a cue card in your hand with the key points and sorry but this is hugely patronising. I gave many presentations in the past before the mental illness. I know how to give a presentation. I can't. That is the issue.

Well tell them you want the reasonable adjustment then! If you know how to do presentations, work know you can, it’s part of your job (or implicitly part of your job) you haven’t really got another choice have you. Just tell them “I have told HR I have a chronic mental health illness and as a result I have agreed with HR that there are certain functions in my job I can no longer perform”.

I don’t see the point of the thread.

For guidance from others who may have sought this as a reasonable adjustment? I've already got some great ideas of what to suggest so it's not a flat out no. I didn't ask for guidance on how to do a presentation. Work don't know I can as I've not done one and I've not ever said I can. The team presents about once a year and someone usually volunteers.

This is harsh.

OP asked for examples of reasonable adjustments rather than just not doing it, and has got a very good practical suggestion of prepping a voiceover presentation deck. I'd say that is the point of the thread.

Yes if it were as simple as just doing the presentation I'd be doing the presentation.

Would you feel comfortable if 2 of you did the presentation? So the other person did the bulk of the talking and you interjected with some small points or referred to.diagrams etc?

This!
Most people get anxious about giving presentations so no one would do it if you could just cry anxiety.

Being anxious is not the same as a diagnosed anxiety disorder. Educate yourself.