Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

Host Ellie Gelder is once again joined by consultant employment lawyer Victoria Othen to talk about disability at work and what reasonable adjustments look like at each stage of the employment life cycle. In part two, which is packed with practical examples, they discuss:

• Relevant factors when assessing the reasonableness of an adjustment;
• Risks and exceptions relating to pre-employment health questions during the recruitment process;
• Case law on reasonable adjustments in respect of performance and attendance management, and redundancy processes;
• Reasonable adjustments to policies and procedures;
• Low or zero cost adjustments; and
• Victoria's top tips for employers to comply with their duty to make reasonable adjustments.

Listen to our previous Work Couch episode: Disability at work (Part 1): "Right to try work" and the law on reasonable adjustments.

Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

1. Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance on workplace adjustments

2. Noor v Foreign & Commonwealth Office EAT/0470/10

3. Dominique v Toll Global Forwarding Ltd EAT/0308/13

4. AECOM Ltd v Mallon [2023] EAT 104

5. Adjusting your recruitment process for a candidate with a disability: What is reasonable? (RPC article, 18 September 2023)

6. Waddingham v NHS Business Services Authority ET/1804896/13 & ET/1805624/13

7. Shearer v South Lanarkshire Council 4107433/23 (Scottish ET)

8. Archibald v Fife Council [2004] HL 32

9. Rentokil Initial UK Ltd v Miller [2024] EAT 37

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

In our second live episode, recorded before a special audience of RPC clients, host Ellie Gelder

is joined by three leading voices in employment law to dissect - and make sense of - the transformational and ground-breaking Employment Rights Bill. The panel comprised:

• Professor Catherine Barnard, Professor of European law and employment law at the University of Cambridge;
• John Bowers KC, of Littleton Chambers. John is Principal of Brasenose College, University of Oxford, and also sits part-time as a judge in the Employment Appeal Tribunal; and
• Shantha David, Head of Legal Services at Unison, the UK's largest trade union.

The panellists each share their insights into the practical implications of many of the key reforms introduced by the Bill, including: "day one" rights to protection from unfair dismissal; restrictions on fire and re-hire; trade union-related reforms; changes to collective redundancy; bereavement leave and the strengthened duty to prevent sexual harassment.

They also provide their key watch-outs and tips for employers and business leaders, as they look to navigate the evolving employment law landscape.

Please note: This episode was recorded on 30 September 2025 in front of a live audience at RPC's London offices as part of the Employment, Engagement and Equality team's panel event exploring the Employment Rights Bill. All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

* These podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with all the latest episodes.

References

1. Employment Rights Bill

2. Written evidence submitted by Professor Alan Bogg and Michael Ford KC to The Employment Rights Public Bill Committee (ERB69) (December 2024)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.