Job accommodation steps

The need for job accommodation may arise in many different situations. 
It may be brought up by:

• the employee themself
• occupational health care, with permission from the employee
• the supervisor
• a colleague or team.

The following parties participate in the job accommodation:

• the supervisor
• employee.

If necessary:  

• employee’s support person or occupational safety representative  
• care and rehabilitation network (such as work ability coordinator or a representative of occupational health care)

Sometimes, stress caused by changing situations can be reflected not only in an individual employee suffering from mental health disorders, but also in the whole team. In this case, it is important to consider whether job accommodation should apply to the team more comprehensively.

Collect the knowledge required by the new solution.

What does accommodated work require?

• Knowledge and competencies
• Number of social situations
• Required concentration
• Preparation time
• Meaningful content

You can make use of the six-sector model adapter for expert work in order to clarify the core tasks and scheduling.

What is the employee’s work ability like?

• How do the symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating or getting fatigued faster than usual, impact coping with work? 

How can the work tasks and conditions be accommodated in practice? 
You can come by a solution by making changes to the following areas, for example:  

• New organization and structure of tasks
• Division of tasks
• Improving peace for concentration 

Assess the following:  

• What does implementing the solution require from the employee, team and workplace?  
• What benefit does the solution provide and what costs are there related to it?  

At a minimum, the employee whose job is being accommodated and their supervisor should participate in assessing the solutions. Occupational health care can provide support for assessing the solutions.

Choose the best possible solution. 

It is the responsibility of the supervisor to implement the job accommodation solution in practice. The supervisor must consider:

• The impact of the solution on the work of others
• Practices on informing about the accommodation
• Recording the agreed solution and practical measures

To agree mutually:  

• How long does the job accommodation last?  
• Is it temporary or permanent?
• Practices on regular follow-up and assessment in order to identify if the arrangement has been successful:
  • People who participate in the follow-up
  • Time of assessment
  • Practical follow-up targets.  

The assessment should be carried out regularly and it should focus on whether the accommodation has been useful, what the related benefits are, how the process was carried out and if something should have been done differently. The perspective of the employee, the work and the workplace should all be involved in the discussion.