Guidelines on reasonable adjustments

If you know an employee has a disability, you must, by law, provide any 'reasonable adjustments' they need during the interview process and to support them in their job.

What are reasonable adjustments?

Reasonable adjustments, or workplace adjustments, give people with disability equal access to employment.  They help a person with disability in job interviews. They support them to do their best at work.

Reasonable adjustments might be:

• physical changes to the work area and workplace
• equipment or services
• changes to work methods and tasks.

Not all employees with disability will need extra support or changes. Some may need minor changes that you can make easily at little or no cost. You might also get funding from the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) to help make any changes.

What does the law say about reasonable adjustments?

If an adjustment could help an employee with disability, the law says you must make it.  You might not have to if you can prove that it would cause 'unjustifiable hardship'. An unjustifiable hardship might relate to:

• severe financial hardship
• technical issues
• heritage reasons.

A small cost or inconvenience is not an unjustifiable hardship. For more information, visit the Australian Human Rights Commission website.

The law also says you must give an employee with disability: 

• equal access to recruitment, promotion and training
• equal terms and conditions of employment.

What are the benefits for the workplace?

Adjusting the workplace has many benefits for the business and your team. For example, adjustments can help:

• support the work of employees with disability by giving them the right tools to do the job
• retain valuable staff members who may acquire disability during their employment
• build your staff's skills. Some adjustments can help employees do tasks they couldn't before the workplace changes. For example, make your buildings and rooms more accessible to more people, such as your customers.
• attract and employ people from a wider talent pool.

By considering workplace adjustments, you help create a more inclusive workplace for all your employees, now and in the future.

Examples of reasonable adjustments

Many people with disability know what changes will help them at work or in interviews. Changes to a work area or the workplace could include:

• a desk that can change height for an employee who uses a wheelchair
• better lighting for an employee with vision impairment
• an access ramp.

Equipment or services could include:

• lifting equipment if your employee can’t safely lift heavy objects
• an Auslan interpreter for an interview or job training sessions
• screen-reading software.

Changes to work methods and tasks could include:

• written instructions, task lists, labels or reminders to support memory or comprehension
• making changes to the tasks involved in the job
• swapping tasks between employees.

Find more examples and ideas at Making changes for different types of disability.

You may get a free workplace assessment through the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF). A workplace assessor will give you expert advice on changes you can make to support your employee. 

Financial support for workplace changes

You may get funding from the EAF to support an employee with disability. This is for changes or to buy equipment or services.