Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
A federal district court remanded the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) wellness program rules, finding it unclear how the rules’ 30% threshold met the Americans with Disabilities Act’s (ADA) requirement that wellness programs be “voluntary.”
It’s no secret that discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims based on disability cost employers plenty—and it’s not just the dollars awarded in damages (although, admittedly, some jury awards are eye-popping). It’s the expense of litigation. It’s the time employers must spend defending claims. It’s the bad publicity for the company. It’s the damage to employee […]
Employees with qualifying disabilities may rely on a service and/or emotional support animal for a variety of reasons, and allowing them to do so at work may be considered a “reasonable accommodation” under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), provided the task performed by the animal is needed in the workplace, it’s directly related to […]
I know this sounds like a contradiction, but a Dallas court recently said it wasn’t. So, a Texas employer can be cleared of firing an employee because of his disability—despite the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)—but still be liable for failing to provide a reasonable accommodation. The Dallas office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission […]
Supervisors and managers with the best of intentions say the worst possible things. Some are said out of concern and some out of a desire to “act like a manager.” But they’re all dangerous. Here’s a rogues’ gallery of 7 of the most troublesome.
A recent decision from the Iowa Court of Appeals should cause Iowa employers to hit pause on routine decisions relating to workers’ compensation claimants. The decision, Vetter v. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, effectively dismantled the definition of “disability” for disability discrimination claims.
An employee with a disability must demonstrate that he is able to perform the essential functions of his job, with or without reasonable accommodations, in order to be protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But what exactly does “essential functions” mean? What are the essential functions of a particular job, and who determines […]
Determining what is a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is meant to be an interactive process between the employer and the employee. However, after exerting significant amounts of energy in the process, one Illinois employer got a reaction it had hoped to avoid—a lawsuit.
Recently, the 7th Circuit—which covers Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin—issued an opinion underscoring the importance of diligence, thoroughness, and consistent communication when you interact with employees seeking accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and reiterating its position that the interactive process is a shared responsibility between employers and employees.
Complain about me to EEOC? I don’t think so. No raise for her. Sound like any of your managers? Retaliation is the dumbest thing managers and supervisors do.