Has anyone requested reasonable adjustments for health condition?

[Littlemiss74]

Posted elsewhere too as not sure of best place.
I have a condition which causes pain & mobility problems. Managed with meds & can come & go, it’s unpredictable. When it flares it can be debilitating & affects me mentally as well as physically.
I find the mornings especially hard & working from home has been so much easier for me from a physical point of view. We are currently expected in the office 3 days a week - new hybrid working policy. I’m considering making a request for reasonable adjustments to work from home 2 days a week (i work 4 days).

I was just wondering if anyone else has done something similar & how you went about it - did you ask for this as a reasonable adjustment due to health condition or as a flexible working request which is a policy open to all?
My boss has always been very supportive & said to do what is best for me but I feel awkward keep saying can I work from home & worry it looks like I’m getting special treatment when everyone else is expected in 3 days. I’d rather have something more official agreed. I thought I could say I’d like to do standard 2 days from home but if I’m feeling fine & it would be beneficial to be in more some weeks I’m happy to do that.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Make the request as a reasonable adjustment. Flexible working as a reasonable adjustment has a far higher barrier for an employer to refuse.

Look at this a different way, colleagues who work 5 days do 2 days WFH. As you work 4 days you are requesting to do the same, 2 days WFH. If an employer can accommodate people without a disability doing this why can they not support an employee with a disability doing the same? An employer would have a difficult time explaining why they couldn’t allow you to do this at an ET.

At the same time as you apply, consider if you need flexibility on the 2 days in the office. For example starting later and taking a short lunch (30 mins) or working late/ extra on WFH days.

Reasonable adjustments.

Don't think of it as special treatment because it's not - this is about putting you on a level playing field rather than leaving you at a disadvantage.

Asking for a referral to Occupational Health may be useful - they may have suggestions you would not have thought of to ensure you get the best outcomes possible in terms of protecting your health and doing well at work.

Your employer should also be managing communications so that those sort of "jealousy" issues you're worrying about with colleagues don't arise and are nipped in the bud without affecting you if they do. Obviously whilst maintaining confidentiality.

Don't disadvantage yourself though based on your worries of what you imagine other people may be thinking. For all you know they are pleased to have an employer that is treating their colleague decently according to her needs.

I second the suggestion of asking for an OT referral to check you have everything in place to support you.

Also consider referring yourself to Access to Work - they can give your employer a grant to cover any additional equipment you might need to support your work for home or the office - for example a proper orthopaedic chair, stand/sit desk, voice activated software, taxis to work if you can't drive because of your condition etc.