MPs call for legal deadline on reasonable adjustment requests for disabled workers

The Work and Pensions Committee has called for a legal requirement for employers to respond to reasonable adjustment requests from disabled workers within two weeks.

In its Disability at Work report, published as part of its Employment Support for Disabled People workstream, the cross-party committee said disabled people continued to face a “hostile environment” in the workplace and warned that delays and poor communication around reasonable adjustments were contributing to the disability employment gap.

The report found that 82% of reasonable adjustment requests took more than four months to implement, with some taking up to a year. MPs said employers rejecting requests should also be required to provide written explanations.

Committee members highlighted that while the employment rate for non-disabled people stands at 82.5%, employment among disabled people is 52.8%, well below the Government’s target of 80%.

The report also raised concerns around workplace accessibility and support for smaller employers. MPs backed proposals for a Workplace Health Provision scheme but said it should go further in encouraging businesses to improve accessibility beyond formal reasonable adjustments.

The committee said small and micro businesses needed additional support and guidance, warning against introducing blanket funding contributions before benefits of the scheme had been demonstrated.

Debbie Abrahams, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, said: “A major reason disabled people are much less likely to be in work or stay in work is the lack of accessibility of workplaces; something many of us take for granted.”

Abrahams added: “Although there is a legal duty to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled workers, in too many cases this isn’t happening, often out of not knowing, but also a lack of understanding of the different adjustments that could be made.”