Reasonable Adjustments

Depending on an individual’s symptoms and how it impacts their work, it may be appropriate to consider making reasonable adjustments.

These may include:  

• flexibility around attending relevant medical appointments, more details to be found in the ‘Time off for medical appointments’ section in the Health and Attendance Policy.
  
  
• the temperature and ventilation of the workplace - the School will endeavour to achieve a comfortable working temperature for employees, ensure that chilled water is available and desk fans provided upon request. Colleagues are asked to be tolerant of requests from employees to open windows or to sit near open windows. Fitting blinds to windows.
  
  
• the material and the fit of a uniform, if there is one, and whether it might make staff going through the menopause feel too hot or worsen skin irritation.
  
  
• whether there’s somewhere suitable for staff to rest if needed, for example a quiet room.
  
  
• whether toilet facilities are easily accessible.
  
  
• whether cold drinking water is available.
  
  
• establishing a system where possible, that allows cover for women who need to access toilet/washing facilities while they are teaching (to deal with heavy and recurring bleeding and urination).
  
  
• considering requests for changes to working arrangements, eg temporary part-time working.
  
  
• swift permission for absence to attend menopause-related medical appointments.
  
  
• adjusting workplace procedures and processes to support and avoid any detriment to menopausal women.

This is not a definitive list of measures. The School will actively listen to women staff and union reps and take on board other suggestions.

Employees should discuss reasonable adjustment requests with their line manager or Headteacher. Depending on the circumstances, requests may be approved on a permanent or temporary basis.

Where adjustments are unsuccessful, or if symptoms are proving particularly severe, the line manager may: discuss with the employee a referral to occupational health for further advice, review occupational health advice, and implement any additional recommendations, update the action plan and continue the review process.