Peloton’s failure to implement reasonable adjustments

Mr Saunders was employed by Peloton, initially as a part-time Member Experience Associate and later as a Studio Concierge. Mr Saunders is autistic, and since starting his employment, requested reasonable adjustments including avoiding rush hour traffic and wearing sunglasses at work.

As the business grew, Mr Saunders experienced sensory overload and required further adjustments, including regular breaks and less customer-facing work. Mr Saunders took unpredictable and unscheduled recovery breaks of about 20 minutes because of the sensory overload. The studio was designed to be highly stimulating for customers, with loud music, bright lights, and strong fragrances, which exacerbated Mr Saunders’ sensory issues.

There were ongoing issues with the implementation of reasonable adjustments, and at times, Mr Saunders was required to self-manage his breaks and there were miscommunications about the scheduling and nature of his duties. The management team and HR team had limited experience with making reasonable adjustments.

Mr Saunders raised several grievances about the failure to implement adjustments and about being required to perform customer-facing duties. During a restructuring, he was moved to a different role with a pay cut, which he felt was not properly explained or justified. After continued difficulties, including a lack of effective adjustments and unsuccessful applications for alternative roles, Mr Saunders resigned and brought claims for disability discrimination, failure to make reasonable adjustments, and constructive dismissal.

It was found that Peloton had accepted that Mr Saunders was disabled, as defined under the Equality Act 2010, as they had knowledge of Mr Saunders’ disabilities throughout his employment. Mr Saunders complained about several acts by Peloton including changes in “zoning”, allocation of tasks and the pay cut. It was found that these actions were not classed as less favourable treatment, and instead they were attempts to accommodate Mr Saunders’ needs. It was decided that Peloton did not directly or indirectly discrimination against Mr Saunders because of his disability, however, Peloton failed to comply with their duty to make reasonable adjustments in respect of rest breaks and the requirement he worked in public facing areas.

The Tribunal also highlighted the importance of how the ‘high energy’ environment was crucial to Peloton’s branding and customer experience, and that employers should not be expected to change fundamental practices in their workplace when making reasonable adjustments.

This case highlights the importance of making reasonable adjustments and ensuring that any reasonable adjustments are implemented consistently and are clearly communicated to all relevant managers and staff. As an employer, you are expected to act on knowledge of a disability, therefore it is vital that you keep accurate records of meetings with employees, any discussion regarding their medical condition and reasonable adjustments.

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