Handling accommodation and adjustment requests

Skills you'll practise

• Recognize an accommodation or adjustment request even when the employee doesn't use any special words
• Run an interactive process: clarify the limitation, explore options with the employee and decide within a reasonable time
• Ask only for the documentation needed and keep medical information separate and on a need-to-know basis
• Record the request, the options considered, the decision and the review date
• Escalate to HR or legal advisers when a request may be refused or the law in your location is unclear

Course outline

1. 1.Handling accommodation and adjustment requestsVideo · 3 min
2. 2.What counts as a requestLesson · 15 min
3. 3.The interactive processLesson · 20 min
4. 4.Confidentiality, records and reviewLesson · 20 min
5. 5.Handling accommodation and adjustment requests: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 16 questions
6. 6.Handling accommodation and adjustment requests: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
7. 7."My back's been bad since the operation"Scenario
8. 8.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out

Sources it draws on

The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.

• EEOC: Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship under the ADA (US example)
• EEOC: Enforcement Guidance on Disability-Related Inquiries and Medical Examinations of Employees under the ADA (US example)
• EEOC: Compliance Manual Section 12, Religious Discrimination (US example; see its note on Groff v. DeJoy)
• EEOC: What You Should Know About the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (US example)
• Job Accommodation Network (JAN), funded by the US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy
• GOV.UK: Reasonable adjustments for workers with disabilities or health conditions (UK example)
• General HR practice: fair process, confidentiality and documentation. Your own policies and local law apply; involve HR or legal advisers