• Section 1 - Context
• Section 2 - Authority
• Section 3 - Scope
• Section 4 - Procedure
• How to make a workplace adjustment request
• Considerations when reviewing a workplace adjustment request
• Responsibilities
• Review of Work Adjustments
• Privacy
• Concerns
• Discrimination and Harassment Grievances
• Section 5 - Compliance
• Section 6 - Definitions

Section 1 - Context

(1) RMIT recognises the importance of accessible workplaces to maintaining a diverse and adaptable workforce.

(2) A workplace adjustment, or reasonable adjustment, is a modification to a work process, practice, procedure, schedule, roster or setting that enables a person to meet their role's essential requirements. A successful workplace adjustment optimises productivity and delivery, while also supporting an employee to succeed and thrive at work.

(3) RMIT has adopted the ‘social model’ of disability as defined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The social model is considered best practice in accessibility and recognises that disability arises from the interaction between people and their environment. Disability is the impact of an environment that is not accessible to people with an impairment; it is not the impairment itself.

Section 2 - Authority

(4) Authority for this document is established by the Employee Lifecycle Policy.

(5) This procedure enables RMIT to meet its obligations under the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010.

Section 3 - Scope

(6) This procedure applies to all employees of RMIT University, RMIT Online and RMIT Training (RMIT).

(7) This procedure applies to all casual, fixed term and continuing employees and candidates (of the above-stated entities) who have an ongoing or permanent disability that requires short, medium or long-term adjustments.

(8) This procedure does not include assistance or adjustments for reasons other than ongoing or permanent disability, including short-term or temporary adjustments that are supported via a return-to-work plan (managed by the Injury Management Team).

(9) This procedure may extend to reasonable workplace adjustments for volunteers, interns and consultants.

Section 4 - Procedure

(10) RMIT will provide workplace adjustments for employees with a disability or chronic illness and will support flexible working arrangements that remove barriers and enable success for employees. RMIT will also make workplace adjustments wherever it is required to do so by law.

(11) RMIT will implement and monitor workplace adjustments that do not otherwise place RMIT in the position of ‘unjustifiable hardship’ which is when an adjustment is too expensive, difficult, or time consuming to implement, or would cause some other hardship to RMIT. The threshold for an adjustment to be considered an unjustifiable hardship is high due to RMIT’s size.

(12) Accessibility at work emphasises removing environmental barriers which prevent inclusion, full participation, and advancement. RMIT also adopts a person-centered approach to ensure that the focus is on what matters to the people receiving support. Person-centered approaches ensure that we see people as unique individuals with valuable gifts and contributions.

How to make a workplace adjustment request

(13) Employees may request a workplace adjustment via Service Connect at any time. Employees are eligible to ask for an adjustment if they are:

1. a person with a disability, a medical condition or a mental illness
2. a person who is neurodiverse
3. a carer of a person with disability.

(14) Employees are responsible for initiating the request and must read the information on the Accessibility Work Adjustment page ahead of submitting a request (Workplace adjustment form). 

(15) Employees can also contact the Workplace Adjustment Officer for advice and support by emailing: diversity.inclusion@rmit.edu.au. The Workplace Adjustment Officer supports staff within RMIT University, and can provide advice and high-level guidance for the entities where needed.

(16) Once the request has been submitted, the Workplace Adjustment Officer and the employee’s manager will coordinate a response and organise the supports required.

(17) Employees are encouraged to speak with their manager about the need for a workplace adjustment and the underlying impairment, health condition, disability or caring responsibilities if they would like to disclose. The Workplace Adjustment Officer can support this conversation if required.

(18) Employees are not legally required to share disability information to request an adjustment, however, it is encouraged as it will provide a full understanding of the supports required.

(19) The requirement for an adjustment may be temporary or ongoing and could include support ranging from improved awareness of the immediate manager and team to tangible supports (e.g. the provision of aids, equipment etc.) or other forms of workplace adjustments (see list of potential adjustments below).

Considerations when reviewing a workplace adjustment request

(20) The following circumstances will be taken into consideration when assessing RMIT’s capacity to provide a workplace adjustment:
•    role functions
•    skills required of the role
•    performance requirements of the role
•    workplace adjustment options available
•    how well the adjustment will support the individual and their team to perform in their roles.

(21) In some circumstances, it may be reasonable to request that a workplace adjustment application is supported by medical evidence or relevant medical advice from health specialists, case workers, or another supported organisation. If this is required, the Workplace Adjustment Officer will work closely with the employee to ensure that this is a dignified and confidential process.

(22) Common workplace adjustment requests may include (but are not limited to):

1. Workplace access:
   •    changes to work area design and means of access to the workplace
   •    flexible or fixed working location (e.g. or a fixed location where other team members rotate locations)
   •    workstation accommodation (e.g. a fixed desk in a hotdesking office, a sit/stand desk or adjusted lighting)
   •    modifications to technology and equipment (see GetIT)
   •    access for an assistance animal.
   •    access for an assistance animal.
2. Hiring and career development practices:
   •    changes to the procedures used for testing and selection
   •    training or retraining
   •    considerations in relation to promotion or role change
   •    option for employees to have a support person for any recruitment processes.
3. Work procedure
   •    modifications to the specific requirements of a role
   •    restructuring of duties
   •    modifications to working hours
   •    adoption of hybrid work practices
   •    flexible hours
   •    additional supervision or support
   •    provision of information in suitable formats
   •    adjustment to communication styles.
4. Provision of specific services, facilities, aids or equipment, including, but not limited to:
   •    Auslan interpretation and/or captioning
   •    equipment, or assistance with aspects of a job
   •    access to car parking
   •    ergonomic assessment and equipment
   •    workplace support worker
   •    psychological support via the Employee Assistance Program
   •    access to Work Assist Program
   •    access to Employment Assistance Fund.
5.  Reassignment of an individual employee:
   •    a change of position
   •    reassignment of specific tasks to another position or person.

(23) Adjustments can be applied or reviewed at any stage of employment and through various work practices, including:
•    recruitment, selection and appointment
•    training and career development
•    probation, induction, progression, and promotion
•    moments of change and transition (e.g. organisational restructure, office relocation, technology change, retirement and long-term leave types)
•    performance management.

(24) For requests that are more complex or need additional functional support, additional stakeholders may be involved in the workplace adjustment process, with the employee’s consent. These may include:
•    service areas such as People, Property Services and ITS
•    a support person (e.g. if an employee would benefit from the support of an independent person, this could be an RMIT staff member or someone external to RMIT)
•    the Federal Government’s disability employment website, JobAccess
•    Service Australia’s Disability Employment Services
•    health professionals
•    external contractors and consultants.

Responsibilities

(25) Employees are responsible for:

1. describing and requesting any adjustments that would support them to meet the inherent requirements of their role and enable them to undertake the functions of their role safely
2. considering whether they feel comfortable to share the underlying reason for their adjustment request with their manager. This may not always be necessary and is at the employee’s discretion
3. participating in the implementation and review of any adjustments
4. advising their manager as soon as possible if the adjustments put in place are not effective
5. if required, seeking and providing written information from a treating practitioner or relevant expert regarding their request
6. completing a workplace adjustment form if applying for a different role at RMIT.

(26) The manager is responsible for:

1. consulting with the employee about their adjustments
2. implementing an employee’s workplace adjustment/s immediately, or as soon as practically possible
3. seeking advice (with consent from the employee) from the Workplace Adjustment Officer (or another person in the People team) before making any decisions under this procedure to ensure there is not inadvertent discrimination against employees or job applicants with a disability, illness, medical condition, or caring responsibilities
4. seeking information and advice from the employee and the People team to understand the specific circumstances and the inherent role requirements (what someone must achieve in their role through their work, rather than how they achieve it)
5. assessing and ensuring adjustments will not pose any hazards or risks and will not adversely impact on operational requirements
6. keeping the requestor of the adjustment informed of progress
7. seeking advice from the Workplace Adjustment Office on funding sources (if required) to implement any adjustments.
8. consulting with other employees who may be affected by the adjustments after consent has been gained from the employee requesting the adjustment (only if necessary)
9. monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of any adjustments, in partnership with the Workplace Adjustment Officer.

(27) The Workplace Adjustment Officer is responsible for:

1. providing guidance and advice to remove barriers and enable the success of employees
2. supporting managers to understand the workplace adjustment needs of staff
3. supporting managers to ensure adjustments are in place prior to an employee’s first day
4. engaging external services and funding bodies where appropriate (e.g. JobAccess)
5. managing and reviewing the workplace adjustment to ensure it is effective every 3 months
6. providing disability awareness training to teams and managers as requested
7. only sharing staff information, with consent from the effected staff member.

Review of Work Adjustments

(28) After the implementation of a work adjustment, the employee and manager can provide feedback on the process and outcome to the Workplace Adjustment Officer.

(29) Temporary adjustments have a review period identified when they are established, and can also be reviewed with the Workplace Adjustments Officer at any time if circumstances change.

(30) If a workplace adjustment is an ongoing requirement, staff must record all requirements on a workplace adjustment form. This becomes a record of information for future adjustments, particularly in cases where a change of position, manager, promotion, or location necessitates a review or continuation of work adjustment requirements. It enables RMIT to consistently meet the employee’s workplace adjustment requirements.

Privacy

(31) Information about personal circumstances, disability or health conditions is treated in accordance with RMIT’s obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.

(32) De-identified statistics are maintained and used for planning and reporting purposes by the People team.

(33) Managers may discuss matters with service providers (e.g. Employee Assistance Program) in general terms and on a no-name basis to obtain advice on managing any situation. Managers may also contact the Workplace Adjustment Officer for further guidance and support.

Concerns

(34) If an employee or manager has concerns in relation to the workplace adjustments process or their adjustment request, they may raise their concerns directly with their manager, People Connect, People Partner or the Workplace Adjustment Officer.

Discrimination and Harassment Grievances

(35) Any grievances arising from discrimination or harassment on the ground of disability, illness, injury or personal circumstances should be reported in the first instance to either:
•    a manager
•    a member of the People team, or
•    escalated via the Complaints Portal in accordance with the Staff Complaints Procedure.

(36) A staff member or applicant who requests a workplace adjustment is protected from being disadvantaged because they made such a request. Individuals who feel that they have experienced unfavorable treatment due to their disability or workplace adjustment request may contact People Connect for advice or raise their concerns via the Complaints Portal.
 

Section 5 - Compliance

(37) Compliance with this policy is monitored by the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access team.

(38) Compliance breaches should be raised either with the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access team or reported via the Compliance Breach Management Procedure.

(39) Breaches are reported on a case-by-case basis to the Chief People Officer and People Executive Team. Where applicable, they will be included in reporting to the relevant Council Committee being either Nominations, Renumeration and People Committee or the Audit and Risk Management Committee.

Section 6 - Definitions

(40) (Note: Commonly defined terms are in the RMIT Policy Glossary. Any defined terms below are specific to this policy).