Table of Contents
- Record what was agreed and why
- Check delivery before judging the result
- Reviewing reasonable adjustments with the employee
- Keep arrangements suitable as circumstances change
- Decide when specialist input would help
- Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewing reasonable adjustments in the workplace helps you check that agreed support is in place, working for the employee and keeping pace with changes.
Picture an employee who agreed two changes with their manager three months ago: a quieter space for focused work and written instructions after verbal briefings. On paper, the support is in place. In practice, the quiet room is usually booked, and tasks still arrive as quick conversations in a busy corridor. No one set out to let the arrangement slip. It drifted because everyday routines never changed to match the agreement.
That gap between agreement and practice is why reviewing reasonable adjustments in the workplace matters. This guide shows you how to record what was agreed, check it has been delivered, talk with the employee about what helps, and update support as work, managers or needs change.
Record what was agreed and why
A review only works if everyone can see what was agreed in the first place. A clear record turns a conversation into something you can check later: which barrier was identified, what change was made, who is responsible and what difference the change was meant to make. Without one, a review relies on memory, and memory rarely matches.
Describe the barrier and intended benefit
Start with the barrier, described in work-related terms rather than as a broad judgement about the person. “Noise in the shared office interrupts concentrated report writing” is useful. “Struggles to focus” is not. A good workplace adjustment plan then states the benefit the change is meant to bring, so you can tell later whether it arrived.
- Clearer instructions: tasks and priorities are understood first time, without repeated clarification.
- Fewer interruptions: concentrated work can be completed in protected blocks of time.
- Less avoidable fatigue: the employee ends the day without the exhaustion caused by a poor working environment.
- Better access: meetings, systems or spaces become usable in the way the role requires.
None of these benefits needs to be a financial return or a numerical productivity target. Reasonable adjustments at work exist to remove disability-related barriers, not to prove a business case for each individual.
The types of reasonable adjustments you record will vary: changes to communication, working arrangements, equipment or workspace. The choice should follow the barrier this particular person faces, not a standard menu.
Name the change, owner and dates
For each adjustment, record the agreed change, the person responsible for delivering it, and both the planned and actual implementation dates. Then mark its status: in place, partly implemented, awaiting an action such as equipment delivery, or needing revision. Every outstanding step needs its own owner and a date.
A short written confirmation after the conversation preserves what was agreed. Updating the same record as arrangements change keeps both you and the employee working from the current version, not a three-month-old email.
Use a practical shared record
A shared adjustment record is recommended management practice, not a statutory form. The legal duty sits elsewhere: in Great Britain, the Equality Act 2010 requires employers to make reasonable adjustments where needed to remove or reduce substantial disadvantage for disabled people. Northern Ireland has a separate framework under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, as amended. Our guide to reasonable adjustments for UK employers explains when that duty arises.
The illustrative table below shows how a simple review record might look for the employee in our opening example.
| Barrier | Agreed adjustment | Implementation check | Employee feedback | Next action |
| Noise in shared office interrupts concentrated work | Access to a quieter space for focused tasks | Space rarely available; booking system fills up early | “When I get the room it helps, but I rarely get it.” | Facilities to reserve set slots each week; check in two weeks |
| Verbal instructions are hard to retain | Written instructions after verbal briefings | Line manager follows it; other colleagues assigning work do not | “Some tasks still arrive verbally and I miss details.” | Brief everyone who assigns work on the agreed format |
Check delivery before judging the result
Before asking whether an adjustment works, ask whether it was actually delivered, fully and consistently. An adjustment that was never put in place, or only partly delivered, has not had a fair test. Concluding it “doesn’t help” at that point risks withdrawing support that might work well once properly in place.
Confirm equipment and access work in practice
An order placed is not an adjustment delivered. When implementing reasonable adjustments that involve equipment or software, work through each practical stage before judging the outcome.
- Supply: has the item actually arrived with the employee?
- Installation and configuration: is software installed, activated and set up for the way this person works?
- Access and training: can the employee use it, and have they been shown how?
- Maintenance: do they know who to contact if it fails, and does that route work?
A specialist keyboard sitting in its box, or software without the right settings, will look like a failed adjustment when the real problem is delivery.
Check everyday management arrangements
Many adjustments depend on routines rather than equipment. In our example, the quieter space exists, but booking arrangements mean it is rarely free when needed. Written instructions only work if everyone who assigns tasks uses the agreed format, not just the line manager.
The same applies to other working arrangements. Flexible hours need to show up in rotas and in day-to-day decisions. Agreed check-ins need to happen, and concerns raised in them need follow-up.
Treat delays as delivery problems
Delays can leave agreed support unavailable for months. In May 2025, the TUC reported survey findings that 82% of disabled workers had waited between four months and over a year for agreed reasonable adjustments to be put in place. For managers, the practical lesson is to track delivery, address obstacles promptly and discuss interim support with the employee.
When you implement reasonable adjustments that rely on colleagues, such as providing information in an agreed format, confirm they understand their practical role. Fix that first, then judge the adjustment.
Reviewing reasonable adjustments with the employee
Once you know what has been delivered, talk to the person it was meant to help. The employee is usually the best source of information on whether a barrier has eased. Good reasonable adjustment reviews feel like a joint problem-solving conversation, not an appraisal of the employee’s disability or a test of whether they deserve support.
Prepare a supportive conversation
Before the meeting, read the current record, check delivery status and note any changes to duties or the working environment. Ask the employee whether they would like questions in advance, an accessible meeting format or another way to give feedback. Salusphere Global recommends a short meeting after implementation to check whether the change has reduced the disadvantage and whether it needs refining.
During the conversation, ask what has become easier or harder, which barriers remain, whether support is consistently available and what they would change. Reviewing reasonable adjustments this way keeps the focus on how work is affected, not on unnecessary medical detail.
Look for useful signs of progress
Supportive indicators tell you more than headline figures. Can the employee reliably access the space or equipment they need? Are instructions clear? Is avoidable fatigue reduced? Can they carry out the relevant tasks? An adjustment may be helping even when absence or output does not change, so those measures should not be the only test.
You do not need intrusive monitoring or personal symptom diaries to review most arrangements. Record the employee’s account accurately, and keep it separate from your own observations as a manager.
Agree what happens next
Be careful with improved performance. It does not show that support is no longer needed, because the improvement may be the result of the adjustment working. Removing it could bring the original barrier straight back.
After discussing what you have learned, choose a clear route: continue what helps, correct any delivery failure, or agree a trial of an additional or alternative measure where a barrier remains.
End by confirming actions, owners, dates and how the employee can raise a concern or request adjustments before the next meeting. Acas offers a reasonable adjustments review template that can help structure these agreed actions in a shared document.
Keep arrangements suitable as circumstances change
Workplace adjustments are not a one-off event. Roles evolve, managers move on, technology changes and people’s needs shift. An arrangement that worked well last year may no longer fit, so reviews need both a planned rhythm and a way to respond quickly.
Set dates and respond to change
Acas suggests discussing adjustments every six months, or whenever something changes, as examples. Six months is not a universal statutory review interval. Agree a proportionate date with the employee: a new trial may need an early check, while stable support may need less frequent planned reviews and a clear route to raise concerns sooner.
Review sooner when duties, working methods, technology or workplace location change, or when an adjustment stops working. The employee should not have to wait for the next scheduled meeting. Acas sets this out in its guidance on reviewing adjustments and keeping a record.
Adapt support without assumptions
Changes in health conditions or impairment, including fluctuating or progressive needs, can mean more, less or different support is appropriate. A return from absence can also change the barrier. Discuss the change with the employee rather than assuming what they can do or want.
Where a delivered adjustment still leaves a barrier, identify what is missing, discuss an additional or alternative measure, and record what will be tried and when it will be checked. Reasonableness depends on whether a change reduces disadvantage, whether it is practical and affordable, and any genuine health and safety implications. If you decline a request, explain why and explore other reasonable options rather than ending the conversation.
Preserve continuity and privacy
A change of manager is a common point where support quietly lapses. Reasonable adjustments passports can carry agreed arrangements to a new manager without making the employee repeat the whole process. Agree with the employee what may be shared, transfer the current record securely, confirm the incoming manager’s responsibilities and arrange an early check-in.
Health information linked to disability is special-category personal data under UK GDPR, needing an appropriate lawful basis and a separate condition for processing. Limit access to people who need it. Colleagues may need an operational instruction, such as “send task details in writing”, without the employee’s diagnosis or medical history, so keep detailed health material separate where practicable.
Decide when specialist input would help
Most adjustments can be discussed, agreed and reviewed between the employee and their manager. Sometimes, though, barriers are complex, the right approach is unclear, or several attempts have not resolved the problem. That is when outside input can add value.
Start with the individual’s work
Good neurodiversity workplace support reflects the person’s tasks, environment and preferences. A formal diagnosis is not a blanket prerequisite for discussing practical support. With employees with disabilities, treat common measures as options to explore together:
- Quieter space: for concentrated work, where noise or interruptions are the barrier.
- Written priorities and predictable communication: where verbal or changing instructions cause difficulty.
- Regular check-ins: where the person finds it useful to confirm priorities or raise issues early.
None of these is a prescription that follows from a label. Two people with the same diagnosis may need quite different support.
Where the best approach is uncertain, try a practical change and review it rather than withholding support. Specialist input helps with complex barriers, but it is not a precondition for a straightforward, practicable adjustment.
Understand the different sources of advice
A workplace needs assessment examines tasks, environment and functional barriers to suggest practical changes; it differs from a clinical diagnosis, which identifies a health condition. Occupational health advises on how health and work interact, including functional restrictions and safe working, but occupational health advice does not replace your discussion with the employee or your own decision. Access to Work may provide eligible extra support in England, Scotland and Wales, with a separate service in Northern Ireland; it does not replace the employer’s duty.
Use assessment findings to guide reviews
Our Neurodiversity Workplace Needs Assessment begins with questionnaires completed by the employee and their manager about the role, responsibilities, environment and current difficulties. It is not a clinical diagnostic assessment, and it is not required before you can make reasonable adjustments.
Our assessor then speaks confidentially with the employee about their experience and barriers at work, and separately with the manager to understand the workplace context and the organisation’s goals.
The written report proposes individual adjustments, implementation advice and suggested review points, giving your next review a clear starting point. If you are unsure why agreed support is not landing, we are happy to talk through the barriers you are seeing and whether an assessment or other practical support for more inclusive workplaces would help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a change of job title mean existing adjustments must be agreed again?
No, a new job title does not automatically invalidate an existing adjustment. However, if the role brings new essential duties or working conditions, the arrangement may need adapting. Check anything recorded in a passport or adjustment plan against the changed role.
What should employees be told about how their adjustment records are used?
Explain why information is recorded, who may receive it and the limits of confidentiality. Any health information collected should be necessary, proportionate, accurate and secure, and an adjustment passport still needs appropriate access controls.
Should managers wait for an employee to ask for a reasonable adjustment before reviewing support?
No. The duty can apply when an employer knows, or could reasonably be expected to know, that a worker is disabled and faces a relevant disadvantage. Managers should explore support without waiting for the employee to use the phrase “reasonable adjustment”.
