Support for Staff

Monash supports staff with disability to work safely and productively and to be treated fairly at work in line with Victoria’s Equal Opportunity Act (2010) and the Federal Disability Discrimination Act (1992).

Monash is committed to providing an inclusive, accessible, respectful work environment that is free from discrimination. Monash recognises that workplace adjustments are essential to supporting a diverse workforce, ensuring that people with disabilities can participate equitably in a diverse workforce, ensuring people with disabilities can participate on an equitable basis with others.  Monash’s support and response to workplace adjustments is underpinned by Impact 2030, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework and the Disability and Accessibility Action Plan.

Flexible work arrangements

Flexible Work Arrangements are one of the most effective ways to support staff and accommodate diverse needs.

Flexible work requests can be either formal or informal, and supervisors play a critical role in this process by:

  • Recognising when staff may benefit from flexible arrangements
  • Discussing options proactively and supporting staff in identifying suitable arrangements
  • Facilitating requests in line with organisational procedures
  • Ensuring staff are aware of both formal and informal pathways for requesting flexibility.

Refer to the Flexible Work procedure and the  Monash’s Flexible Work Guidelines for further information.

Workplace adjustments

Workplace adjustments refer to the changes made to almost any aspect of work to ensure that staff with disability have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential as employees. Adjustments may include the provision of support services, accessible facilities, assistive technologies and software and/or the application of flexible work practices so as to facilitate the performance of work by a staff member with a disability. Workplace adjustments may be temporary or permanent.

Many staff with disabilities do not require any adjustments in the workplace to carry out the genuine and reasonable requirements of their job and some may only need minor changes with minimal or no costs.

Staff with disability requesting reasonable workplace adjustments should discuss this with their supervisor or HR Business Partner or refer to:

Examples of flexible work arrangements and workplace adjustments

Requesting flexible working arrangements

Staff with disability requesting workplace adjustments should raise this with their supervisor.  Supervisors hold a key role as the first point of contact; some adjustments are treated as business as usual.

Requests can be made:

  • Informally
  • Formally
  • Locally
  • Centrally - via HR

The relevant procedures are:

The relevant HR Business Partner will support the processes with you and your supervisor. They may also work with the Staff Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team in Monash HR via Staff Disability Support: staff-disability@monash.edu

Supervisor resources and support

Supervisors can access:

  • Leadership and development training and workshops are available in disability confidence: see the list of all staff equity, diversity and inclusion training available here
  • Australian Disability Network information on workplace adjustments here
  • Resources: The Staff Equity toolkit includes a number of resources under ‘Disability Inclusion and Accessibility’ and ‘Neurodiversity toolkit’.

The relevant HR Business Partner will support processes with you and your staff member. They may also work with the Staff Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team in Monash HR via Staff Disability Support: staff-disability@monash.edu

Digital Experience and Inclusion

Working to improve the inclusivity and accessibility of our digital experiences, the Digital Experience and Inclusion team collaborates with teams right across the University to support them in enhancing their products and services to meet the diverse needs of our communities.

Refer to the Digital Experience and Inclusion Team website.

Accessible facilities

Parking
For information about accessible parking, refer to the Buildings, Property Division website. Staff can request more information about parking assistance from Buildings and Property at buildings.property@monash.edu

Accessible toilet facilities
Accessible and all-gender toilet locations can be found on the Monash Digital Wayfinder map by selecting or searching on the left hand side.

Hearing Augmentation
Monash has three types of hearing augmentation technology in audio visual spaces, which vary depending on the type and size of the room. Please see this page for more information and locations.

Teaching and students

Resources for staff to support students with disability, and to access the inclusive teaching toolkit please visit the staff intranet site: Disability Support For Staff Intranet.

Students seeking disability support services can visit the student Disability Support Services (DSS) website.

Contact the relevant Monash HR Team

We seek to provide an inclusive and flexible environment for staff by identifying and removing any remaining systemic barriers to equitable access and participation.

There are 3 specialised teams in Monash HR:

Staff Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Contact us for enquiries about disability support for staff.
Staff Disability Support staff-disability@monash.edu

Employee Assistance
This team provides support and assistance to staff members affected by illness and injury whether work or non work related injuries. Expertise and services focus on the provision of advice and support to staff members and managers regarding workplace injury and incidents, the return to work process and associated workplace adjustments, and the management of leave or absences due to illness and/or injury.
Employee.Assistance@monash.edu

Respectful and Ethical Conduct
Staff wishing to seek advice on navigating unacceptable behaviour, including discrimination, should consult the Resolution of Unacceptable Behaviour and Discrimination Procedure procedure. They may also wish to contact Respectful and Ethical Conduct for a private discussion at ethical.conduct.queries@monash.edu or phone 03 9902 4945. Also see: Equal opportunity at Monash

Note: At Monash University, Health Safety and Wellbeing (HSW) are separate to Monash HR. Visit the following webpage for information about Psychosocial health and safety.

What external assistance can you access?

Free, confidential counselling is available for you and your family through the Employee Assistance Program.

The Employment Assistance Fund is a Federal Government initiative which provides employers with financial help for work-related equipment, modifications and services to appropriate adjust the workplace for staff with disability

Funding may be available for:

  • Workplace modifications and equipment
  • Assistive software and technology
  • Communication equipment
  • Auslan interpreting services for job interviews and work-related activities
  • Disability awareness training for existing staff.

An application for funding can be completed with the support of your supervisor and/or HR Business Partner.