EFHOH welcomes European Commission Guidelines for Reasonable accommodation at work
The European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH) welcomes the European Commission’s Guidelines and Best Practices on Reasonable Accommodation at Work, issued on May 31, 2024.
The guidelines are part of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 and serve to provide information for employers on how to offer reasonable accommodation to workers with disabilities, as required under the EU Employment Equality Directive. They mark a crucial step in our continuous effort to urge the European Union for clearer explanations on the practical implementation of the right to reasonable accommodation.
The guidelines are part of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 and serve to provide information for employers on how to offer reasonable accommodation to workers with disabilities, as required under the EU Employment Equality Directive. They mark a crucial step in our continuous effort to urge the European Union for clearer explanations on the practical implementation of the right to reasonable accommodation.
As active members of the Disability Platform that informed this guidance, we commend the Commission’s dedicated efforts to develop these guidelines in collaboration with the European disability community.
The guidelines outline practical measures to ensure compliance with Article 5 of the Employment Equality Directive. They provide clear explanations on defining reasonable accommodation for workers, how employers and employees can receive support, including financial assistance, to implement these accommodations, how cost-effective solutions can be identified, how accommodation can benefit an aging workforce, and the advantages employers can expect from providing reasonable accommodations to their employees. They consider a wide range of disabilities set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, including hearing loss and deafness.
Examples in the guidelines illustrate methods of supporting staff with hearing loss such as providing assistive technology , offering personal assistance at work such as speech-to-text interpretation, adjusting the workspace layout, including teleworking, implementing flexible working hours, and arranging tasks flexibly to accommodate diverse needs.
EFHOH actively contributes and will continue to engage with the European Disability Platform in regular reviews of work packages and consultations related to initiatives such as AccessibleEU, the Employment Package, Disability Card, and Independent Living. Our contribution ensures that the perspectives and needs of hard of hearing people are integrated into the development and implementation of guidelines, promoting inclusive practices at work across Europe.
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Guidelines and good practices on reasonable accommodation at work
