Weak Working Memory In Adults- Unfair Dismissal?

[Scarlett]

A good friend of mine (who I always thought was dyslexic) has been diagnosed as having a weak working memory. This explains everything! however, he doesn't yet have the full £350 screening, just an initial diagnosis. He has just lost a job he loved (failed his probation) as the boss was not confident leaving him in charge of a new complicated till. Other aspects of the job (tour guide) he was fantastic at. He is really upset because it was the first job he has had which he loved and was good at. I feel that the company should have been more sympathetic, as I did email the boss and mention his dyslexia and related disorganisation. My question is this: does a place of employment have to help a person with a disability or difficulty? I know at universty they bend over backwards to help people with disabilities achieve their best. It seems so unfair that my friend has lost out, through something he was trying his best at, the bulk of which he was really good at. Also he was only on a zero hours contract and still on 6 month probation, so I know he has no legal leg to stand on.

[ummmm]

Regardless of the disability they still have to be able to do the job they are employed to do.

[DaisyNonna]

Work a till and be a tour guide?
Different skills

[ummmm]

Most jobs require more than one skill to be fair.

[Scarlett]

I wondered if they could just give him the tour guide bit and not the till bit. It would be a different job, yes, but at least one he could do really well.

[Scarlett]

He has had other till-based jobs which have been fine, but he takes longer to grasp the new things; plus he's part time so has hardly been there long enough to get good at it. If he didn't have weak
Working memory he would have grasped everything quicker and easier.

[ummmm]

I take it they didn't know about his disability?

[Maydup]

Sadly that would mean getting a second person to work the till which wasn't the plan, hence him failing his probabtion. He could appeal, as employers should make reasonable adjustments for disabilities providing the person can do the job required of them. The problem here is that having to employ a second person for the till is not a reasonable adjustment. Making the screen brighter on the till, or allowing him to have an extra training session would be reasonable for example, but it doesn't sound as though that sort of support will be enough.

Instead suggest he looks into being a local Blue Badge Guide. I think its voluntary, but it would be good for the CV and always in demand.

[DaisyNonna]

People need money to live

[DaisyNonna]

Is weak working memory acknowledged as a disability?

[ummmm]

I think most people do that, DB.

[DaisyNonna]

Er! Why not read the list?

[ummmm]

My memory is crap. I haven't used the code to get into work for at least a month and today all I could remember is it has a Z in it...

[ummmm]

I think it was you that told me that, or told someone else and I read it. Something I didn't know, or I missed school that day, and now I find it like the 'must of/must have'