Handling Workplace Accommodations

Employers face growing responsibilities in providing workplace accommodations that are both legally compliant and culturally sensitive. Our panel (Tony Dalimonte and Cliff Hammond) discusses how to navigate accommodation requests including relating to: - Religion: The requirements for providing religious accommodations have changed significantly. Employers will be well-served to take the initiative and launch a careful review and update of their organization’s policies, procedures and approaches to handling employee requests for religious accommodations. ​​​​​​- Pregnancy: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) regulations on the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) dramatically expand the scope of workplace accommodations that covered employers are required to provide to pregnant employees, both before and after childbirth. - Disability: Hundreds of disability lawsuits are filed each year asserting violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Michigan’s Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act (PWDCRA). It is imperative for employers to understand their legal obligations to comply with the ADA and PWDCRA, which includes providing reasonable accommodations.