Reasonable adjustments conversations can feel difficult to navigate. Not because leaders lack compassion but because they want to get it right. These conversations carry vulnerability, legal considerations and often confusion for the individual opening up.
Good preparation can help to set the tone, reducing anxiety on both sides and ensuring the conversation is grounded in clarity and shared purpose rather than defensiveness or misunderstanding.
This guide offers a practical, human-first approach to preparing for any reasonable adjustments conversation – whether you’re a manager, HR professional or senior leader.
- Begin with your intention
Before thinking about tools or solutions, ask yourself:
- What do I want this conversation to achieve for them?
- What do I want it to achieve for the organisation?
- What shared purpose can we agree?
- Am I listening to understand, not to fix?
- Create the conditions for psychological safety
Someone approaching you about support needs may be carrying:
- Fear of judgement
- Worry about their job security
- Previous bad experiences
- Uncertainty about what they’re “allowed” to ask for
Prepare yourself to meet this with calm, steady reassurance.
Plan how you will open the conversation gently and make it clear that this is about collaboration, not scrutiny.
- Revisit the legal basics without overwhelming yourself
You don’t need to be a lawyer. But before the conversation, it helps to refresh your awareness of:
- The Equality Act 2010
- PCP (Provision, Criterion, Practice)
- The fact that adjustments are for symptoms, not labels
- That someone does not need to disclose a diagnosis
- That employers can still be held responsible if they should reasonably have known support was needed
A light re-familiarisation boosts confidence and prevents hesitation.
- Review what you already know
Take a moment to reflect on the situation:
- Have they raised concerns before?
- Have there been changes in performance or wellbeing?
- Are previous adjustments slipping or outdated?
- Could environmental or cultural factors be the issue?
- Is this new or long-standing?This helps you ask more meaningful questions rather than starting from scratch.
- Prepare open, solution-focused questions
Good questions open doors. Poor questions close them. Plan a few ahead of time:
- What’s been feeling challenging recently?
- When things go well, what helps?
- What would a good workday look like for you?
- What small changes might ease the pressure?
- What could we trial for the next few weeks?
- Avoid questions that feel interrogative or diagnostic.
- Be ready for practical next steps
You don’t need to walk in with solutions, but you do need to be prepared to:
- Capture their concerns clearly
- Outline what you can action immediately
- Communicate what needs approval
- Confirm timelines for updates
- Follow up quickly and reliably
- This is where trust is either built or lost.
- Be clear on your own boundaries
Before the meeting, clarify:
- Which decisions you can make yourself
- What requires sign-off
- Whether HR, occupational health or a specialist might need to be involved
- How soon you can return with answers
- This ensures honesty and avoids overpromising.
- Plan how you’ll document the conversation
Documentation is not bureaucracy, it protects clarity and shared understanding.
- Keep it simple:
- What you heard
- What was agreed
- What the expectations are
- What the timelines are
- What happens next
- Write in clear, accessible language.
- Plan for follow-up before you even begin
Most breakdowns happen after the conversation, not during it. Commit to:
- Acting promptly
- Updating the individual when you say you will
- Reviewing adjustments regularly
- Treating adjustments as fluid, not fixed
- Keeping communication warm and transparent
- Consistency matters far more than perfection.
A reasonable adjustments conversation is not just about compliance, it’s an opportunity to strengthen trust, improve wellbeing and create an environment where people can thrive.
When you prepare with kindness, curiosity and clarity, you transform the quality of the conversation and the outcomes that follow.
If you’d like support with training, guidance or adjustments audits, Innate Change is here to help.
Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.