Easy Small Business HR

Menu
  • HOME
  • ARTICLES BY TOPIC
    • All Articles
      • Background Checks
      • Dealing with Difficult Employees
      • Diversity
      • Employee Benefits
      • Employee Performance
      • Employee Retention & Engagement
      • Employee Theft
      • Employee Turnover
      • Employment Law
      • Fair Labor Standards/FLSA
      • Family Medical Leave/FMLA
      • Firing/Disciplinary Actions
      • Managing Employees
      • Pay and Salary
      • Policies and Procedures
      • Recruitment, Interviewing, Hiring
      • Supervisor Tips and Strategies
      • Workplace Safety
    • Close
  • RESOURCES
  • PODCAST
  • ABOUT US

July 14, 2014 by Dianne Shaddock Leave a Comment

When Is An Employee Request For Reasonable Accommodations Actually Reasonable?

When Is An Employee Request For Reasonable Accommodations Actually Reasonable?

What do you do when your employee comes to you requesting a change in hours because a sleep condition makes it difficult for them to get up early?

Or when an employee needs to take time off during business hours for medical appointments on a continuous basis?

How do you handle situations where your employee is requesting changes in their job description because they are no longer able to perform their job?

Working on improving employee engagement?

EPIC is an Employee Engagement software that gives you the tools and insights to create a workplace culture that encourages engagement, loyalty, and trust.

TRY IT RISK FREE HERE

Just how do you know if an accommodation is reasonable?

Let’s start with the meaning of reasonable accommodations and then back into what is considered reasonable – or not.

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,

“An accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way things are customarily done that enables an individual with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities.”

Examples of reasonable accommodations:

  • Adjusting an employees’ schedule to accommodate restrictions related to their illness
  • Allowing an employee to go to regularly scheduled doctor or medical specialist appointments
  • Ensuring that there are no impediments to an employees’ ability to physically access office buildings or work spaces
  • Restructuring an employee’s role so that they can focus on just the key functions of the job. (Removing any nonessential functions)
  • Providing an interpreter for an employee who is deaf or hard of hearing
  • Ensuring that there are materials coded in Braille for the sight impaired

Examples of unreasonable accommodations

Knowing what is reasonable when responding to employee requests is not so black and white.

Employers should always look at reasonable accommodation needs on a case-by-case basis because what is satisfactory for one employer may not be reasonable for another. This basically means that almost everything on the previous list of ‘reasonable accommodations’ may not be doable for some employers.

With that said, here is a short list of possible requests that may be considered unreasonable depending on the impact of the request on the business and/or other staff members:

  • Adjusting an employees’ schedule to accommodate restrictions related to their illness: If adjusting an employees’ schedule means that the business is legitimately not able to function or it creates a disparate impact on your staff, this may not fall under the intent of a reasonable accommodation.
  • The accommodation request will place an undue hardship on the employer because of cost. Some businesses may not be able to pay for a part time or full time interpreter onsite to accommodate the needs of someone who uses sign language. The fact that an accommodation may be a financial burden does not mean that you are off the hook though. Organizations will need to substantiate financial hardship.
  • Requests that will significantly change the major functions of the job:  It may be reasonable to remove minor, nonessential job duties but if there is a request to change the job significantly to the point that it is essentially not the same job, this may not be considered reasonable; especially if the employee’s original job duties are vital to the business.

The ADA regulating body does recognize that there may be requests that constitute an undue hardship for the employer, but employees do have the right to file a complaint with the EEOC if an accommodation is denied.  It is vital to carefully assess and document any hardship that would reasonably interfere with your ability to accommodate a request.

Employers are required to make reasonable attempts to accommodate whenever possible, but not when it causes undue hardship. Look at these requests on a case-by-case basis, be sure to do your due diligence before making any decisions and consult with your HR professional or employment lawyer to be sure that you are following the intent of the ADA.

The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Google+ profileMy LinkedIn profile

Dianne Shaddock

President and Founder at Easy Small Business HR
Get more tips on interviewing, hiring, managing and engaging your employees. Dianne Shaddock is the President of Easy Small Business HR, Employee Hiring and Managing Tips and the author of the eGuides, "How To Supervise:  What Your Boss Never Told You Before You Took the Job", A Step-By-Step Guide For New and Seasoned Managers and "How To Find and Hire the Best Employees".
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Google+ profileMy LinkedIn profile

Latest posts by Dianne Shaddock (see all)

  • Build the Best Team for Your Small Business - November 12, 2019
  • Cross Training Staff – Doing the Right Thing For the Wrong Reasons - January 18, 2019
  • Proactive Employee Management Really Boils Down To The Basics - December 21, 2015
  • Office Meetings Do Not Have To Be A Productivity Time Drain If Done Right - November 17, 2015
  • Proposed Changes To Employee Rights Laws: WAGE Act Bill - November 3, 2015

Filed Under: Diversity, Employment Law, Family Medical Leave/FMLA, Managing Employees, Policies and Procedures Tagged With: ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, employment law, How do you know if an accomodation is reasonable?, reasonable accommodation request

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Be Social, Let’s Connect!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on LinkedInFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on Reddit
Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on LinkedInFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on RedditFollow Us on iTunes

Recent Posts

  • Build the Best Team for Your Small Business
  • Cross Training Staff – Doing the Right Thing For the Wrong Reasons
  • Proactive Employee Management Really Boils Down To The Basics
  • Office Meetings Do Not Have To Be A Productivity Time Drain If Done Right
  • Proposed Changes To Employee Rights Laws: WAGE Act Bill

Recent Comments

  • Lucia on The Consequences for Supervisors Who Ignore Poor Employee Performance
  • Norma on 10 Helpful Tips When Dealing With Difficult Employees
  • Henry Killingsworth on Clearing Up Legal Misperception of Reference Checking
  • Nyangoma Rachel on Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions
  • Online Training on Workplace Negativity Is Contagious – Here’s How You Can Control an Outbreak
  • Kristofina Grace on Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions

Top 25 Online Influencers in Human Resources

HR Examiner Top 25

Copyright © 2025 · Executive Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in