Accommodation Ideas for Workers with Mental Health Impairments

These ideas, via resource books from http://osmihelp.org/ which credit https://askjan.org/ are framed as helping mental illness. They are almost all good ideas for everybody.

Accommodation Ideas:

Concentration:

• Reduce distractions in the work area:
• Provide space enclosures, sound absorption panels, or a private office
• Allow for use of white noise or environmental sound machines
• Allow the employee to listen to soothing music
• Provide a noise cancelling headset
• Plan for uninterrupted work time
• Purchase organizers to reduce clutter
• Increase natural lighting or provide full spectrum lighting
• Allow flexible work environment:
  • Flexible scheduling
  • Modified break schedule
  • Work from home/Flexi-place
• Divide large assignments into smaller tasks and goals
• Use auditory or written cues as appropriate
• Restructure job to include only essential functions
• Provide memory aids such as schedulers, organizers, and / or apps

Memory:

• Provide written as well as verbal instructions
• Provide written checklists
• Use a wall calendar
• Use a daily or weekly task list
• Provide verbal prompts and reminders
• Use electronic organizers, hand held devices, and /or apps
• Allow the employee to record meetings and trainings
• Provide printed minutes of meetings and trainings
• Allow additional training time for new duties
• Provide a mentor for daily guidance
• Provide reminders of important deadlines via e-mails, memos, and weekly supervision
• Use notebooks, planners, or sticky notes to record information for easy retrieval
• Provide cues to assist in location of items by using labels, color coding, or bulletin boards
• Post written instructions for use of equipment

Organization

• Use daily, weekly, and monthly task lists
• Use calendar with automated reminders to highlight meetings and deadlines
• Use electronic organizers, mobile devices, and / or apps
• Divide large assignments into smaller tasks and goals
• Use a color coding scheme to prioritize tasks
• Hire a job coach or a professional organizer
• Assign a mentor to assist employee

Time Management / Completing Tasks:

• Make daily TO-DO lists and check items off as they are completed
• Provide organizational tools such as electronic schedulers, recorders, software organizers, calendars, watches, and apps
• Divide large assignments into smaller tasks and steps
• Schedule weekly meetings with supervisor, manager, or mentor to determine if goals are being met
• Remind employee of important deadlines
• Assign a mentor to assist with determining goals, providing daily guidelines, reminding of important deadlines
• Consider providing training on time management

Stress / Emotions:

• Encourage use of stress management techniques to deal with frustration
• Allow the presence of a support animal
• Allow telephone calls during work hours to doctors and others for needed support
• Use a mentor or supervisor to alert the employee when his/her behavior is becoming unprofessional or inappropriate
• Assign a supervisor, manager, or mentor to answer the employee’s questions
• Restructure job to include only essential functions during times of stress
• Refer to counseling, employee assistance programs (EAP)
• Provide backup coverage for when the employee needs to take breaks
• Allow flexible work environment:
  • Flexible scheduling
  • Modified break schedule
  • Leave for counseling
  • Work from home/Flexi-place

Panic Attacks:

• Allow the employee to take a break and go to a place wheres/he feels comfortable to use relaxation techniques or contact a support person
• Identify and remove environmental triggers such as particular smells or noises
• Allow the presence of a support animal

Sleep Disturbances:

• Allow for a flexible start time
• Combine regularly scheduled short breaks into one longer break
• Provide a place for the employee to sleep during break
• Allow the employee to work one consistent schedule
• Provide a device such as a Doze Alert or other alarms to keep the employee alert
• Increase natural lighting or provide full spectrum lighting

Fatigue:

• Allow flexible work environment:
• Flexible scheduling
• Modified break schedule
• Work from home/Flexi-place
• Provide a goal-oriented workload
• Reduce or eliminate physical exertion and workplace stress
• Implement ergonomic workstation design

Attendance:

• Allow flexible work environment:
• Flexible scheduling
• Modified break schedule
• Leave for counseling
• Work from home/Flexi-place
• Provide straight shift or permanent schedule
• Allow the employee to make up the time missed
• Modify attendance policy. Example: count one occurrence for all PTSD-related absences

Coworker Interaction:

• Encourage the employee to walk away from frustrating situations and confrontations
• Allow the employee to work from home part-time
• Provide partitions or closed doors to allow for privacy
• Provide disability awareness training to coworkers and supervisors