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      Support and Reasonable Adjustments for Talent Management Processes

      A guide to reasonable adjustments

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      This page can be used as a guide when making reasonable adjustments in selection, promotion, and development processes. General information and guidance is provided on the ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ of reasonable adjustments. Some specific examples are provided as well as reasonable adjustments in the Clevry platform and further steps businesses can take to be inclusive in their talent processes.

      For advice on specific circumstances, please get in touch with your Clevry contact.

      Quick Reminder:

      Equality Equity
       Ensuring people have equal treatment and opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents.   Giving people what they need to be successful, in order to make things fair. 

       

      What is a Reasonable Adjustment

      Reasonable adjustments are changes an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to someone's disability, or physical or mental health condition(s). For example:

      • Making changes to the workplace
      • Changing someone's working arrangements
      • Finding a different way to do something
      • Providing equipment, services, or support

      Reasonable adjustments are specific to an individual person. They can cover any area of work.

      It's not enough for employers to provide people with a disability with exactly the same working conditions as people without a disability. Employers need to provide equitable working conditions for individuals with a disability. Reasonable adjustments must be made by employers, as required by law.

      Some disabled people might not need or want adjustments, although this might change over time.

      The law (Equality Act 2010) requires that employers must make reasonable adjustments for:

      • Employees and workers
      • Contractors and self-employed people hired to personally do the work
      • Job applicants

      Employers must make reasonable adjustments when:

      • They know, or could reasonably be expected to know, someone has a disability
      • A disabled staff member or job applicant asks for adjustments
      • Someone with a disability is having difficulty with any part of their job
      • Someone's absence record, sickness record, or delay in returning to work is because of, or linked to, their disability

       

      Remember: Disclosing a disability is down to the individual’s decision, and there is no obligation for anyone to do so.

       

      The employer must also:

      • Make reasonable adjustments for anything linked to someone's disability
        • For example, an organisation might not allow dogs at work but may make a reasonable adjustment for someone with an assistance dog
      • Make sure other people do what's needed for a reasonable adjustment to work
        • For example, if someone needs a meeting agenda provided for every internal virtual meeting invitation, the employer must ensure that other people at work do that

      An employer could be liable under the law if they do not adhere to the above. If someone is not provided with the reasonable adjustments they require at work, they can make a disability discrimination claim to an employment tribunal.

      A number of factors influence whether an adjustment can be considered reasonable to make, and it is not a subjective decision to be made by one person within a business. The following factors can be considered when deciding whether an adjustment is reasonable:

      • The cost
      • The feasibility of implementing it
      • How effective the change will be in avoiding disadvantaging the person with a disability
      • The organisation’s size, resources, and office infrastructure
      • The availability of financial support (check out the UK government scheme ‘Access to Work’)

       

      Why do we need to offer reasonable adjustments for roles and for talent processes?

      Employers must make reasonable adjustments to ensure employees with disabilities or physical/mental conditions are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their job, and when participating in a recruitment, promotion, or development process. Reasonable adjustments support businesses to treat people equitably and inclusively, and ensure individuals have what they need to perform their role effectively.

       

      How can we offer reasonable adjustments during a talent process?

      Support during a talent process doesn’t always need to be complex or expensive. A positive and supportive attitude from a Talent professional can contribute the most to successfully implementing adjustments for an individual. Our advice is to take a person-centred approach when making reasonable adjustments, meaning you put the whole person (their mind, body, and environment) at the centre of all discussions, plans, and actions (as opposed to taking a disability/condition-centred approach).

      It is also important to acknowledge that neurodiverse individuals may experience the  world and their work differently to the neurotypical population. Instead of providing a similar/the same set of adjustments to all neurodiverse individuals, consider this on case-by-case basis and treat every person as an individual.

      Get Started

      Communicate

      Communicate throughout the talent process that adjustments can be offered to adapt parts of the event to meet an individual’s needs.

      Focus on the person

      The best adjustments consider the context of the individual, the tasks they are asked to complete, and the environment they are working within.

      Engage in a two-way conversation

      Often the best approach is to ask the individual what adjustments they would benefit from, what adjustments they have had previously in similar contexts, and what they may be already doing now to support them.

      Adjustments will need to be considered and confirmed to the individual in writing.

      In addition, the individual should be provided with an opportunity to discuss and ask questions about the talent process, e.g., the interview, the appraisal meeting, the development centre. Note: In the case of an assessment centre or selection process, this is not an opportunity to discuss the individual assessed activities in detail.

      Check in and review

      It is important to review the success of reasonable adjustments that have been offered. Check in with the individual during and after the talent process, offering them the opportunity to provide feedback and suggest anything further that may support them (in addition to, or instead of, what has already been implemented).

      Look to the future

      Ideally, talent teams should make changes to the whole process in anticipation for adjustments that may need to be made. This would move processes forward in being more inclusive and could lessen the need to make specific adjustments to the process. This can have positive implications such as people not needing to disclose a condition unless they feel comfortable to do so. Consider too, how processes can be adjusted and designed equitably for diverse and other disadvantaged groups.

       

      Communication examples for Candidates

      One example approach for communicating at the start of and during a talent event (using an assessment centre as an example) that adjustments can be offered follows:

      We believe in creating an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone can thrive and reach their full potential. We are committed to removing any barriers that may hinder people’s success, providing equal opportunities to all.

      We understand that each individual may have unique needs and requirements. Candidates are encouraged to inform the Recruitment Team about any condition(s) they require support or an adjustment for during the assessment centre.

      Your disclosure will be treated confidentially, and our team will work with you to identify and implement any necessary accommodations throughout the assessment centre and beyond.

      To disclose your condition or for any enquiries regarding reasonable adjustments, please contact [Contact Information, not a shared inbox]. We encourage you to reach out at any stage of the process, and our team will be ready to assist you.  

      Some examples of reasonable adjustments for interviews and assessment centres

      Adjustments are considered on a case-by-case basis - there is no ‘one size fits all’ adjustment that suits everyone, and needs will differ depending on the tasks they are required to carry out.

      Examples of adjustments include:

      • Extra time, so that individuals can read and process information or questions at their own pace, or adjustments to the location that the activities occur in so that individuals can complete activities in a comfortable, equipped environment.
      • Some individuals may benefit from receiving briefing materials or interview questions in advance of the activities, allowing them to have more time and space to consider what the activity is asking of them. The level of briefing information that a person may need will differ across individuals. Some individuals may benefit from reading the entire brief or list of questions ahead of time, whilst others may benefit from reading the key objectives of the activity and the competencies that they will be observed for.
      • Another adjustment option can be to allow a person to be given the opportunity to follow up on interviews, meetings, presentations, and role play activities with a short written statement for the Assessor to cover any points that may have lacked clarity.

      It’s not possible to show all conditions and adjustments, but this table provides you with adjustment examples that could be made for an interview or assessment centre event for some conditions:

      Condition Reasonable adjustments
      Visual impairment

      Provide participant briefing materials and/or interview questions in Word document format, so individuals can adjust the text font and colour to their preferences or use text-to-speech functions.

      Provide assessment centre slides in a PowerPoint file.  
      Hearing impairment

      Use transcription or caption features on video conferencing software. Allocate smaller group sizes for Group Activities.

      For events that occur in-person, provide the individual with an optional private room for them to complete any activities in.

      Key spoken messages from Welcome, Closing and Activity Briefing sessions should be typed in the Chat function of the video conferencing software.

      Inviting the individual’s Interpreter to attend the interview or event, if they use an Interpreter in other work contexts.
      Mental health condition(s)

      Embed longer rest breaks throughout their day during an assessment centre. This individual’s timetable will look different to other participants, perhaps with different start and finish times.

      Offer to provide one-to-one support prior to and during the event (or interview) with a Facilitator, Assessor, or Event Support.
      Specific learning needs, e.g., dyslexia, dyscalculia 

      Provide additional time to read through briefing materials and/or interview questions and prepare for activities.

      Offer to share briefing materials and/or interview questions before the day*. 
      Autism spectrum disorders

      Use longer briefings and debriefs following activities. Provide one-to-one support prior to and during the interview or event with a Facilitator, Assessor, or Event Support.

      Allow for a ‘timeout’ during the interview or assessment centre activities, where the individual can rewind a few minutes or go back to the beginning of the activity.  

      Offer to share briefing materials and/or interview questions before the day*.
      Mobility condition

      Adjust their timetable/scheduled interview to take place at the best time of day for their physical wellbeing.

      For events occurring in-person, the building and facilities should be accessible and any equipment they require must be available on the day(s). Offer them the opportunity to complete the interview or event at home.

      *Note: for test security purposes, please ask the participant to delete all copies of test briefing materials and/or interview questions after the activity/event.

      Using inclusive language

      Consider the language used in assessment exercises or interview questions to ensure. For example:

      • Ensure that your interview questions and activity instructions are specific rather than generic.
      • Use words such as “moved” and “travelled” instead of “walked”, and “communicated” instead of “talked”.

      Interview questions should ideally be reworded prior to the interview, to help the interviewer ask questions in an inclusive manner without having to pause and rephrase them during the interview.

       

      Inform the assessors

      For individuals requiring an adjustment, in some cases it would be appropriate to inform the Assessors (with their consent) of specific aspects of their condition. For example, a person with a visual impairment may pick up on non-verbal body language cues less frequently (or at all) of people involved in their activities. If this is included as a behavioural indicator to look out for as an Assessor, it would be sensible to explain to the Assessor that this criterion should not be considered during the activity they observe.

      In some cases, an assessment centre or job sample test may be more appropriate than an interview. Assessment centres are better at capturing accurate reflections of the candidate’s behaviours and competencies across multiple activities, whereas interviews rely on the candidates accurately and honestly describing their behaviours.

       

      Providing feedback

      Whether an individual has requested reasonable adjustments or not, ensure that any feedback you provide about their performance follows best practice. When providing feedback to someone who has requested reasonable adjustments, it is generally important to ensure that the feedback is:

      • Person-centred: Ask the individual what their preferences are for receiving and communicating feedback. You may want to give them some options for how the feedback could be shared.
      • Expected: Set expectations early about what feedback will be provided and when. Ideally this should be communicated at the start of the process.
      • Clear: Give specific examples of the behaviours you observed, the impact they had in that situation and suggestions for improvements. Ensure that your feedback relates to the behaviours, not the person. Do not make any assumptions about why they behaved in a certain way but focus on what impact this had.
      • Positive: Ensure that you give positive feedback as well as developmental feedback. Recognising someone’s strengths is an effective way of reinforcing positive behaviour whilst showing the individual that they are valued.
      • Concise: Keep to the point and ensure that the individual is not bombarded with too much feedback or information. Breaking the feedback down into smaller chunks can be helpful.
      • Written: Offer to share written feedback alongside any verbal feedback so that the individual can re-visit the feedback at their own pace and at a time that suits them.
      • Signpost: You could also signpost the individual to any additional sources of support within Centrica, e.g., coaching, to understand how their condition may contribute to some of the behaviours observed.

       

      Reasonable Adjustments on the Clevry Platform

      The Clevry platform and assessments support diversity in multiple ways, including:

      • Our platform meets W2A accessibility standards (with partial compliance with triple A). Please see the following website for more information about these standards: https://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20/
      • Reasonable adjustments can be made to support those who require accommodations (see section below)​.
      • The test page has an intuitive, simple design, with quick access to clear and support guidance.
      • Our test design is based on a power test philosophy. This means that we offer generous time limits so that most Candidates have sufficient time to attempt to answer all the questions in the test. It provides a purer measure of their cognitive ability than speed tests, which are more influenced by the Candidate’s processing speed. This creates a less stressful and more inclusive experience for the Candidates. In addition, the time taken by a Candidate is not included in their test scores.
      • The assessments use business-related language and do not include culturally-specific content.
      • Unnecessary fads that may impact accessibility are avoided (e.g. videos, gamification which can negatively impact the performance of individuals who are neurodivergent, have a visual impairment, or who experience digital poverty or low network connectivity).
      • Clevry frequently update our comparison groups and monitor test scores for group differences (incl. by offering adverse impact analyses to clients).

      Using the Clevry Platform

      When using the Clevry platform, it is important to follow the guidelines in the previous sections of this document (e.g., communicating to candidates that reasonable adjustments can be made, asking candidates to declare if they need reasonable adjustments and what they may be, and providing contact details for the candidates so that they know who to contact). There is also some additional support you can offer, including:

      • Providing access to the practice site / help for Candidates (e.g., through Clevry’s joy at work website: https://joy.clevry.com/)
      • Reviewing the success of the reasonable adjustments provided – check in with the individual during and after for feedback

      Reasonable adjustments that can be made in the Clevry platform by the recruiter

      • Extending the test timer on timed assessments (e.g., cognitive ability tests or situational judgement tests) This can be done in the Clevry platform. Clevry recommend asking the candidate how much additional time they need, but usually this is around 25% extra time.
      • Resetting an assessment: if something happened while the candidate was completing the assessment, they may contact the recruiter to ask for a test reset. The recruiter can do this in the Clevry platform and the updated results will appear in Workday.
      • Deciding not to use a specific assessment: in some cases, the recruiter may decide not to use a specific assessment if an appropriate reasonable adjustment cannot be made. Alternative ways of assessing the person against the key capabilities needed to perform in the role may be used instead.

      Reasonable adjustments that can be made in the Clevry platform by the Candidate

      • Adjusting the colours and font size. Candidates can change the font size by zooming in and out on the page, and they can change the contrast of the background and font colours using the “accessibility” button at the bottom of the page.
      • Re-reading the instructions. Candidates can re-read the instructions in the test by clicking on the “i” symbol.
      • Hiding the test timer: Candidates can hide the test timer which normally appears at the top of the page by clicking the stopwatch symbol. This may help reduce feelings of stress or anxiety.

       

      Interpreting psychometric test results when reasonable adjustments have been made

      When we adjust a test, we must also adjust the way we interpret the results. This is particularly true for ability test results, where accommodations such as adjusting the time limit, will have an impact on the meaning of the ability score. 

      Interpretation of accommodated test scores is particularly critical in high-stakes assessments such as recruitment, where the results are linked to getting a job and comparisons are being made between candidates.

      Best Practice Advice 

      • Interpret the scores in the light of what we know about the Candidate’s condition and the impact this may have on performance in the job. Can the job be accommodated in a similar way to the test and are the Candidate’s abilities sufficient to meet the demands of the role?
      • Be careful if comparing to other candidate results – accommodated scores are difficult to compare with other candidates because of the variation in testing conditions
      • Norm comparisons are problematic where time limits have been increased – the accommodated test-taker had longer to complete the test than those in the norm sample
      • Accommodation increases the potential for error in test scores –we can be less sure about where the test-taker’s true score lies

      Further steps to consider

      Last Updated: January 2024