• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

ADA

Employee is wasted at work? You don’t have to tolerate it!

04/05/2010

It’s true that the ADA and FMLA require you to accommodate employees with medical ailments—even employees recovering from alcoholism. But take note: You certainly can enforce a zero-tolerance policy that forbids employees to work while under the influence of alcohol. Employers have every right to expect workers to show up sober in the morning. Being an alcoholic is no excuse.

Could gambling addiction become an ADA-protected ‘disability’?

03/26/2010
Just in time for March Madness … the new draft of a prominent American Psychiatric Association (APA) manual recommends expanding the category of “mental disabilities” to include new disorders, including binge eating and pathological gambling.

Sears finalizes record ADA settlement, worth $6.2 million

03/12/2010

A federal judge has approved a $6.2 million settlement agreement between Chicago-based retail giant Sears and the EEOC. The settlement comes after the commission determined last year that Sears’ policy of terminating disabled employees rather than negotiating reasonable accommodations violated the ADA.

Rejecting job redesign for disabled employee? Document why it would be unreasonable

03/12/2010

Job restructuring is one of the reasonable accommodations listed in the ADA, and many disabled employees do ask for their duties to be modified as part of the reasonable accommodations process. If you reject such a request, be sure to document exactly why doing so would be unreasonable under the circumstances. You can use cost, inconvenience and anything else that might make drastically changing the job an undue hardship.

Odd ADA strategy means a jury will decide Xentel case

03/11/2010

A decision by the U.S. District Court with jurisdiction in South Florida has spotlighted some sage ADA advice: Don’t be a jerk if you can avoid it. Xentel, a charity fundraising firm, hired disabled veteran Mark Lerman to work in its call center. Lerman uses a wheelchair. On his first day at work, Lerman found the firm’s restrooms weren’t fully wheelchair accessible …

Determine if mental condition actually impairs

03/11/2010

Not everyone who has a learning disability or even mild retardation is disabled. Under the ADA, every disability is measured by the individual’s condition and whether or not the condition he claims is disabling substantially impairs a major life function. Thus, someone with minor intellectual deficits may not be disabled under the ADA.

You don’t need to accept disabled employee’s preferred accommodation—just a reasonable one

03/11/2010

Disabled employees and their employers often disagree about how to accommodate a disability. Employees sometimes mistakenly believe that they’re entitled to the exact accommodation they prefer. That’s just not true. The fact is, an employer has the right to pick the accommodation it prefers—as long as that accommodation is reasonable.

Be careful! Caregiver discrimination claims are on the rise

03/11/2010

In recent years, employees have begun filing more and more “caregiver” or “family responsibility” discrimination lawsuits. No federal or Minnesota law specifically addresses discrimination against caregivers. However, treating employees with caregiving responsibilities differently than other employees may violate various employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the ADA, the FMLA and the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

We hear a worker is sick: What can we say?

03/10/2010

Q. We recently heard from a co-worker that an employee (“Mike”) seemed to be having some health issues. Mike hasn’t said anything to his supervisor or anyone else as far as we know. What can we say?

Dispense employee medical information only to those who truly need to know

03/05/2010

The ADA requires HR and employers to maintain strict confidentiality on any medical- or disability-related information. That means keeping it in a separate, secure file, away from prying eyes that have no business viewing the information. But confidentiality doesn’t apply just to paper or electronic records. Employers also have to make sure they don’t discuss such information with those who don’t need to know.