Page 11 - Federation magazine: December 2016 / January 2017
P. 11
“I feel that the (RAP) Reasonable Adjustment “I have been experiencing menopause
Passport is an informative document. Having symptoms for the last six years (since I was 51)
a disability, it has enabled me to document the but these had become so intrusive in my
way my disability can affect my everyday life working life that I had to finally sit down with
and give more understanding to others around my supervisor to discuss the way forward.
me. “I had been having what is known as
“It is really useful as it is a living document ocular migraines which is where the vision is
so disturbed that it had left me unable to focus
that can be updated any time in the future if for 10 – 15 minutes, with a sharp, pulsating
needed to accommodate any changes that can
be made to help and assist me within my role headache coming within half an hour of the
initial visual disturbance. Occurrences had
while at work. I also feel that it could be really increased to where I was having migraines
useful if I move job location, as it will be
informative to supervisors of my disability and every couple of weeks, being unable to control
the onset and with several days debilitating
gives an understanding of how it affects my headaches and weakness.
day to day life and what assistance and
adjustments can be of help to me while I’m at “I also had night sweats, sleeplessness and,
at times, extreme tiredness, which I had
work. likened to that of the first few months of
“I think that the RAP benefits both me and
the Force. It has enabled me to discuss my pregnancy, which left me feeling nauseous
and unable to do much at all for a few hours. I
health condition in detail and how it affects me also had problems concentrating and my
and in doing so it has helped me to feel like I
can achieve more within my role.” memory recall was really a problem. This was
particularly worrying in that the role that I was
Lee Bennett, passport holder undertaking at the time was overseeing the
“The RAP has really enabled me to gain a much departmental staffing numbers and
greater understanding of the needs of my staff presenting data at key meetings. My father
and how their world feels for them. The RAP was at the time living with dementia, and I
really does help to walk you through a day in had been worrying that I was developing
their life and how their working environment similar symptoms.
affects them in terms of their mental health “I had a discussion with my supervisor
about my symptoms and together we looked at
completing the Reasonable Adjustment
and productivity. Passport. This allowed me to highlight the key
“By listening and understanding and with symptoms that were causing me an issue and
both parties coming up with potential solutions how it affected my work. My supervisor
for reasonable adjustments, I have seen facilitated my thinking and helped me to
first-hand how even small changes can make develop a strategy to help me when I was at
all the difference. Reasonable adjustments can my worst – allowing me to move my working
be as simple as a fan on the desk to help hot hours - coming in later or leaving earlier;
sweats or ensuring that staff have more amending my work portfolio to allow me to
flexible working conditions because they have concentrate on the areas that I was better at,
caring responsibilities or long-term health and ones where I could see that I was
conditions. achieving - which is very important for a
“These things mean that we need to make person’s morale, self-worth and confidence.
changes to the way they work to help make life This is a living document, so that should my
easier for them, improve self-esteem, alleviate symptoms develop further, or when they
stress and to help them do the great job that diminish, the RAP can be altered to reflect this.
they want to do. In most cases making a “Although I knew of the RAP, I hadn’t
reasonable adjustment is not difficult and often automatically thought about it in conjunction
costs very little. with managing the effects of my symptoms
“It is all about ensuring that your member more effectively. Should I, or my supervisor,
of staff does not feel disadvantaged in any move teams, it will be recognised by other
way within their working life and it really is supervisors as the document has been ratified
important to realise that finding the right by both the Force and staff councils.”
adjustments could take time to get right but
making even a small change can have a huge Carol Brown
impact. Service Improvement Team
Public Protection
DS Trudy Gittins, supervisor, and deputy chairman of West Bromwich Police Station
the DCC
www.westmidspolfed.com federation December 2016/January 2017 11
