About this resource
Workplace adjustments can help people work well. This guide helps people identify what is hard at work, brainstorm adjustments to equipment, schedules, tasks, environment and communication, plan how to raise it with their employer and follow up.
Purpose
To help people ask for workplace adjustments clearly and confidently.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Occupational therapists. Also relevant for NDIS providers and support coordinators, allied health and multidisciplinary teams.
Client or participant group: Employees with disability, injury or health conditions, and the OTs supporting them.
Practice setting: Return to work and employment support.
Suggested uses
- Return to work
- New employment
- Employment support
- Workplace assessments
Instructions for practitioners
- Help the person decide what to share about their condition.
- Focus on functional needs, not diagnosis.
- Suggest practical, specific adjustments.
- Point to workplace adjustment information services where helpful.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Write what is hard.
- Choose adjustments to ask for.
- Plan your conversation.
Accessibility considerations
Practise the conversation. Bring a support person if allowed.
Scope and limitations
General information. It is not legal advice about employment rights.
Research basis
Supported employment that focuses on rapid job search and ongoing support has strong evidence for helping people with serious mental illness find and keep work. Occupational therapy models describe how the person, their environment and their activities interact, and how a balance of meaningful activity supports health and participation.
- Bond, G. R., Drake, R. E., & Becker, D. R. (2008). An update on randomized controlled trials of evidence-based supported employment. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 31(4), 280–290. https://doi.org/10.2975/31.4.2008.280.290
- Law, M., Cooper, B., Strong, S., Stewart, D., Rigby, P., & Letts, L. (1996). The Person-Environment-Occupation Model: A Transactive Approach to Occupational Performance. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63(1), 9–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/000841749606300103
- Wagman, P., Håkansson, C., & Björklund, A. (2012). Occupational balance as used in occupational therapy: A concept analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 19(4), 322–327. https://doi.org/10.3109/11038128.2011.596219
- World Health Organization. (2001). International classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF). WHO. https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/international-classification-of-functioning-disability-and-health
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
