Disabled employees are offered a variety of protections to ensure that they are treated fairly in the workplace. Recently, this blog post highlighted a court case that ruled that telecommuting was a reasonable work accommodation within the meaning of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This means that employers may have to provide you with the option to telecommute if you are disabled.
After reading this post, many California workers may be wondering what the correct procedure is to ask their employer for reasonable accommodations. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, there is no specific way or time that an employee must ask for reasonable accommodations. In other words, no set legal language must be used. In fact, plain English is acceptable. However, the ADA requires you to let your employer know that your need for a change or adjustment at work is a result of a medical condition.
The EEOC explains that the ADA does not require such requests to be in writing. Therefore, a simple conversation between you and your employer may be enough to request accommodations. The law does not require that you state that you are requesting reasonable accommodations or that you mention the ADA. A request can be made by another person — including a spouse or doctor — and still be valid.
The information in this blog post is general in nature and should not be considered specific legal advice. If you have specific questions about how you should request an accommodation or if you qualify for a reasonable accommodation under the ADA, an experienced employment law attorney can help.
Source: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “Enforcement Guidance:
Source: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “Enforcement Guidance:
