Who decides what reasonable adaptations are?

[Bestseller]

And do you think these are reasonable?

Providing IT equipment, special desk and chair, and total cost £4000

Excusing employee from one task, which is usually about 20% of the workload for that role. It's a unpopular task and other team members would have to pick up the difference

3 x physio sessions pw in work time.

I'm asking because I'm part of the team and there has been some unrest. I'm fully supportive of the employer doing what they can to accomodate the disability and am very much "there but for the grace of God", but am genuinely unsure how much impact that should be allowed to have on the other staff. I'm sure employer will take advice, this is more for informal opinions.

FWIW colleague has recently joined and didn't disclose these issues (why should she?). It's not a new or worsening disability during the employment iyswim

Exactly, I use TOIL for mine and the one occasion I wanted to and wasn’t allowed I was forced to take it as sick leave (minor surgery to check I hadn’t relapsed)

And a clinic could just be a dozen 8.50 appointments. God forbid someone's medical condition should affect a manager doing a rota or a schools attendance statistics

So many people talking about using sick leave, annual leave, toil etc. It really shouldn't be that way. It should be disability / special leave and paid. Those of you in a union, speak to them about it, those of you who are not, see if you can join one. Doesn't matter what size of business it is, you are putting yourselves at a disadvantage if you do it any other way.

Sunshine there is no legal entitlement for it to be paid.

@sunshineNdaisies

I've spoken to my union on many occasions - the advice I've received is that there is no entitlement to paid leave for appointments. You can use annual leave, take unpaid or swap shifts/make time up.

Much of the problem, as I see it, is the conflict between the state cutting benefits and insisting that people with long term health problems/disabilities should work whilst simultaneously passing responsibility to employers for meeting the needs of their disabled employees.

I want to work - for my own physical and mental health I need to stay occupied and motivated - and I need to work to pay bills etc but I also need some support by way of equipment and possibly shortened hours or flexible working. But I think the government should recompense employers for this. By making it the employers problem they are automatically making it more difficult to employ people with disabilities.

For the last fucking time, read the legislation. There is no entitlement to paid leave - just entitlement to leave. And that’s ok. I’d rather make up the time (and my current boss is very understanding and knows I go over and above) because then to my mind I’m on equal footing and none of my colleagues can complain I’m getting special treatment. I should feel like that, but read previous posts and you’ll understand why I do.

*shouldnt

The currently stands you ate entitled to medical appointments but are NOT entitled to be paid unless you take it as annual leave.

It is a grey area though because if it was ince a month could be seen as a reasonable adjustment but if they needed 3+ a week so 3 afternoon or mornings gone AND they expect to be paid that does boarder into not reasonable adjustments.

I can imagine that within specific workplaces if there are different leave guidelines it would make it paid. But no where I have worked has had anything allowing any appointments - disability related or not - to be paid so it’s never applied to me. That said, I’ve never had wages docked for it, I either make the time up or use toil.

So much ignorance and hate on this thread. Why won't MNHQ shut it down

Ignorance, I've not seen any hate.

I get the thing about NHS appointments, you have to take them when they're offered. I remember thinking a pregnant colleague who worked part-time was taking the mick a bit with her midwives' appointments as they were always on her working day (I never said anything to her, just wondered why they weren't arranged for one of her 2 days off a week). It wasn't until I got pregnant myself that I realised you have to take them when they are offered!

I am a bit surprised that you could be expected to pay someone a full time salary for working part-time though.

Some of the ignorance is pretty hateful though.

It's not nice reading these comments and realising that is what people are thinking about me, probably. It's also why I hate saying that I can't do something at work and usually end up doing tasks that I'm not meant to do - because I don't want to be seen as being "awkward" or milking my illness.

Brown I manage a member of staff who does more than she should with her disability and myself and colleagues are always reminding her she shouldn’t but also hesitant to patronise or dictate. We all really care about her health - don’t read too much into a few posters on this thread.

My team member has always demonstrated commitment and frustration with their own limitations. Never have I felt they have enjoyed having an excuse to not do something.

Satsumaeater, a business is not paying a full time wage for someone to work part time! I, for example, work full time (and get paid full time hours). However, my reasonable adjustment allows that within those full time hours, I can reasonably be expected to complete 80% of the task compared to an able bodied employee. I am still working flat out for ALL of the hours paid, but my disability means I am physically unable to complete the same amount of work in the same time as an able bodied employee. I work just as hard as they do. Everyone in my team works hard and does the best they can do in the hours they are paid for.