How Should Employers Handle an Influx of Accommodation Requests?

by Kristen Gallagher

As the pandemic subsides and employers transition employees back to the workplace and/or hybrid models, many employers are experiencing an increase in the number of accommodation requests and the increase is coming at the same time as employers set target dates for reopening offices and other workplaces.

Kristen Gallagher, Chair of the Employment & Labor Law Practice Group at McDonald Carano, shares her insights and advice in an article titled “How to Handle an Influx of Accommodation Requests” published by the Society for Human Resource Management. As Kristen emphasized, employers should explain the difference between reasonable accommodation requests that are directly related to a medical condition or personal health and those that are not. The latter type of requests could include challenges relating to availability of childcare, health issues of others in the home environment or general personal concerns about working onsite or in an office setting. While all requests must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, these latter types of requests are unlikely to qualify as an ADA disability.

Read the entire article by visiting the McDonald Carano website: https://www.mcdonaldcarano.com/news/how-should-employers-handle-an-influx-of-accommodation-requests/