Best Business Practices for Employee Accommodation Requests

Employee Accommodation.

Hello! Today I’d like to talk to you about the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the interactive process that you, as an employer, should engage into with an employee if they are requesting an accommodation for a disability.

Best Business Practices for Employee Accommodation Requests

If you have an employee come to you asking for some form of accommodation, it is recommended that you focus less on whether to not they have the disability, but whether your organization can accommodate their request.

Any employee must be able to perform the essential duties of their job with or without an accommodation. Those with accommodations can still be held to the same performance standards as other employees. You do not need to create tasks for them or remove essential job functions from their duties.

If an employee cannot perform essential job functions, even with an accommodation, consider whether you have another job for which they would be qualified. If this is not an option, can you provide a short-term unpaid leave of absence for the employee to recuperate and return the job and be able to perform those essential functions?

Most importantly, the process should be an open dialog with your employee. You have the right to request documentation from a medical professional to help make your decisions, but make sure you involve the employee. After all, they are the ones that will know best what they can and cannot do.

 

Tandem HR

Tandem HR is an IRS Certified Professional Employer Organization (CPEO) in the Chicagoland area that assists hundreds of small and mid-sized businesses to save time and money while growing their business. Call us at 630.928.0510 today to learn how Tandem HR can help your organization become an exceptional workplace.