Employers who are considering whether or not a job applicant accompanied by an assistance dog (commonly referred to as guide dogs) could be employed, should consider that accommodating an assistance dog could be a reasonable adjustment under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Employers may have concerns regarding where a guide dog should sit and whether or not it will interfere with colleagues’ work. However, one of the five organisations registered as a member of Assistance dogs (UK) will have trained the dog and can help settle the dog into the workplace. These organisations have helped integrate many dogs into a variety of different workplaces.
XpertHR has just published an assistance dogs policy (subscription required) which establishes the basis on which employees can bring assistance dogs to the workplace, by setting out the responsibilities of the line manager, the employee who is brining the assistance dog to work and colleagues. It would be great to hear from any employers who wish to share their experiences on employees with assistance dogs.
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