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Work organization

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Good to know

The employer is obliged to make all reasonable changes to fulfill the entitlement to disability-friendly employment in order to maintain the employment relationship. This applies to every job held by a severely disabled employee or trainee, even if the statutory employment quota has already been met.

Organizational adjustments are often associated with little or no cost. In the case of adjustments that are more costly for the employer in terms of finances or personnel, the responsible Inclusion Office can be consulted.

If necessary, individual adaptations of organizational processes are also part of a disability-friendly work design. People with illnesses that have a fluctuating history with better and worse days or phases, such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatic diseases, a disturbed day-night rhythm, mental illnesses, and many others, benefit in particular from such adaptations. Neurodiverse people can also compensate for disability-related disadvantages through individual adjustments and sustainably increase their productivity at work.

Possible adjustments to the work organization always depend on the individual case. Possible options include

  • Strength- and needs-oriented adaptation of work tasks,
  • avoidance of under- and overstraining,
  • sufficient familiarization time with new tasks,
  • creating structured and predictable daily routines through routine tasks and/or timely planning of new tasks,
  • agree on realistic deadlines,
  • regular concrete re-enrolment from the manager, trainer, professor, project management, etc..,
  • agree on regular, if necessary short, jour fixes
  • Allow buffer time for tasks,
  • Embed work assignments in their context,
  • Determine staff, people who can be contacted at short notice in case of acute questions or difficulties,
  • Restrict telephone communication in favor of communication via email or chat, if possible in terms of content,
  • Mark important instructions or rules as particularly important in terms of communication,
  • repeat instructions as necessary,
  • Enable flexible break management
  • also allow flexible working hours and/or flexwork or mobile work at short notice,
  • ...

 

Job coaching can also profitably support the employee and the employer in individually adapting organizational processes and strengthening the competencies required of the employee or trainee to perform the job.

 

Who is eligible?

Severely disabled employees and employees or trainees who are treated as equals have a legal claim against the university to a disability-friendly department and maintenance of their workplace, in which they can use and develop their skills and knowledge as fully as possible. This also includes a disability-friendly adaptation of the work organization.


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