Make reasonable adjustments
Making adjustments to someone’s working environment is the right thing to do. It will mean your employee can do their job to the best of their ability.
Your legal responsibilities
Under the Equality Act (or the Disability Discrimination Act in Northern Ireland), employers must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for people who are disabled because of hearing loss.
What’s considered reasonable depends on the organisation, the role and the needs of the individual employee.
Many adjustments will be simple and free or inexpensive to implement, such as:
- improving the working environment
- offering flexible working hours
- providing assistive technology
Failure to make reasonable adjustments counts as a type of discrimination under equality law.
Read the ACAS guidance on reasonable adjustments.
Identifying and recording what adjustments are needed
Adjustments will depend on the individual with hearing loss and their specific needs. They should be involved in the conversation.
We recommend offering the employee the option of a workplace assessment. A specialist assessor will make recommendations for changes you can make to support your employee.
Adjustments should also be reviewed on a regular basis, as needs can change over time.
You might also consider creating a reasonable adjustment passport or record with your employee.
Help to pay for extra support
The government’s Access to Work scheme is designed to help organisations cover the cost of more expensive workplace adjustments, such as professional communication support.
The scheme may also provide a workplace assessment as part of the application process.
Learn more about the Access to Work scheme.