Reasonable adjustments email builder: a script for the ask

Senior roles come with more written work, not less. Board papers. Structured reports.

Minutes with your name on the action list. All of it lands on your desk at once.

Asking for support at that level can feel risky. It can feel like it undermines the case for being there at all.

The reasonable adjustments email builder was built for exactly this moment. It turns an awkward request into a short, specific ask, without you having to find the words yourself.

Why the conversation comes first

The builder's first output isn't an email. It's a conversation plan. An informal chat with your manager or HR nearly always gets results faster than a formal request.

A conversation is less adversarial. It's easier to have quickly, and easier for your manager to say yes to on the spot.

It also gives you a natural check-in point. You can see whether the relationship needs anything more formal at all, before you write a single email.

The planner gives you four things: an opening line, the challenges worth naming, and the adjustments worth asking for.

It also gives you a line for what to say if cost comes up.

Try the conversation before the email. Most requests never need to go further than a ten-minute chat.

What the builder actually generates

It takes you through three quick steps. First, your country and who you're asking — manager, HR, or occupational health. This sets the correct legal language automatically.

Second, a checklist of common challenges: reading long documents, writing under time pressure, or taking notes in meetings.

Tick whichever apply to you.

Third, a checklist of adjustments: text-to-speech software, extra time on written work, or a note-taker.

From those three steps, it builds your conversation plan. If you want it, it also builds a formal draft email.

Nothing you enter is saved. You can be specific about your real challenges without worrying about a record existing anywhere but your own draft.

A senior-level worked example

Picture a director-level employee. They tick "reading long documents", "writing structured reports", and "concentration in open-plan or noisy environments."

For adjustments, they select text-to-speech software, extra time on written tasks, and access to a quiet space.

The builder's opening line reads: "I want to talk about some support that would help me do my best work."

That framing matters at senior level.

It's forward-looking, not apologetic.

The more senior the role, the more this is a practical setup conversation, not a confession. The builder's wording reflects that.

What adjustments cost your employer

Cost is usually the first unspoken worry, on both sides of the conversation. The data says it shouldn't be.

In the UK, Access to Work can fund technology and specialist support directly. Your employer pays nothing. The Access to Work calculator gives a rough estimate of what that could be worth before you apply.

If cost comes up in the conversation, you now have a specific figure to answer with, instead of a guess.

Common adjustments people request

The builder's checklist covers twelve options, but a handful come up again and again. Text-to-speech software tops the list, followed by extra time on written work.

Written instructions instead of verbal ones are another common ask. So is a note-taker for meetings, or access to a quiet space for focused work.

You don't need to pick many. Two or three specific requests are easier for an employer to act on than a long, vague list.

Pick the two or three adjustments that would make the biggest difference to your week. Specific and short beats broad and vague.

What this means for you

If you're managing a heavier written workload than you were two years ago, don't wait for a missed deadline. Have the conversation now, while it's still your choice to raise it.

If the informal chat doesn't resolve things, the builder's email step is ready as a fallback. The masking cost calculator can also show what the current workaround time is already costing you, if that number would help.

Asking for support isn't a weaker position. It's the position that gets you help sooner rather than later.