Affinity Health at Work were commissioned to produce a series of case studies and practical guides on how to implement workplace adjustments for mental health.

The Client: Acas, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, works with millions of employers and employees every year to improve workplace relationships.

The need: Following an upward trend in employees and employers seeking advice regarding access to and implementation of work adjustments for mental health, Acas wanted better quality information to be made available to employers, employees and professionals; and provide materials that could improve the formation and implementation of organisational policies and practices around health and safety, disability and absence management.

Our approach: We adopted a six-step approach drawing on co-design methodology, ensuring that a broad range of professional expertise is drawn on to inform the development of guidance and accompanying resources.

1. Evidence review to ensure that the latest evidence is incorporated into our approach

2. Stakeholder consultation to indentify case studies and good practice considerationsprofessional bodies and professional membership organisations (eg. CIPD, BPS), employees and employers

3. Synthesis and development of case studies drawing on interviews with employees, employers, and work and health professionals, and using best practice guidance design principles

4. Consultation and feedback was gathered from multiple stakeholders and internal communications teams to ensure that guidance was clear and accessible

5. Integration of feedback to refine the guidance and test the reading age of the guidance to ensure accessibility

6. Production of final guidance and user testing integrated into the final guides and case studies with Acas.

The outcomes: The guidance and case studies were launched by acas, accompanied by a social media campaign, podcast and conference dissemintation, and was noted as achieving three-fold engagement on previous guidance releases with many employers noting that they are including new considerations in refreshed policies and practices

Case studies: https://www.acas.org.uk/case-studies-about-reasonable-adjustments-for-mental-health

Guidance: https://www.acas.org.uk/reasonable-adjustments-for-mental-health

Obstacles and facilitators:

• Identifying good practice examples was challenging as responses to open calls for participation were overwhelmingly to share examples of challenges faced and wishes for good practice. We leveraged our strong professional networks to help us identify case studies and drew on our research skills to work with particpants to identify the key components of their journey that elicited successful access and sustainability of their work adjustments.
• Workplace contexts vary grately so designing guidance that is accessible and applicable can be challenging. We engaged a diverse range of stakeholders, drew on an evidence-based practice approach and worked closely with the acas team to ensure that we developed materials that were comprehensive, accessible to all and relevant across sectors and job roles.