ADA

Yes, body odor could require reasonable accommodations

03/13/2025

Correcting slipping hygiene may be unpleasant, but it’s necessary. Reiterating company policies on dress and grooming should do the trick unless the problem runs deeper than relaxed standards. That’s where the Americans with Disabilities Act comes in.

Court rejects telework accommodation for supervisor

03/13/2025

A federal trial court has rejected an ADA telework claim for a worker supervising subordinates.

ADA & your workplace: How to document an unreasonable accommodation

02/24/2025

Under the ADA, employers don’t have to go along with an accommodation that is unreasonable—one that, in the terminology of the ADA, “causes an undue hardship.” If you reject what you consider an unreasonable accommodation, be ready to explain why.

Disabled remote worker? Think twice before demanding return to office

02/24/2025

Recently, many employers (and the federal government) have ordered most employees to return to their offices. Be careful about ordering disabled employees to do so. The EEOC just sued an employer that insisted on requiring everyone to come back to the office, despite some having disabilities.

Chronic pain under the ADA

02/12/2025

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 51.6 million U.S adults, or 20.9% of the adult population, suffer from chronic pain. They may need periodic time off, as well as reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Can’t accommodate with time off? Hire a replacement

02/12/2025

The ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations, including time off, for a disabled worker unless the accommodation creates an undue hardship. But how much time off is a hardship?

How to handle allergies in the workplace

01/15/2025

Fortunately for employers, most allergic symptoms aren’t debilitating enough to constitute disabilities under the ADA. But for millions of employees, that’s not the case, so companies should be prepared to handle these instances.

Determine legitimacy of absence through call-off rules

01/15/2025

You expect employees to show up on time, as scheduled. But absences do happen, for many reasons. The only way to separate legitimate absences from frivolous or fraudulent ones is to require prior notice and a reason.

Beware requiring employee to seek counseling, which could trigger an ADA lawsuit

12/20/2024

Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court made it easier for employees to claim discrimination even if their employer’s actions didn’t substantially harm them. Now, the same reasoning from Supreme Court’s Muldrow v. St. Louis decision is being applied to the ADA.

AIDS and HIV in the workplace

12/11/2024

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with a physical or mental condition that substantially impairs a major life function may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation. Someone with HIV/AIDS may have challenges that require accommodations.

ADA