Category: @Work Magazine

Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to engage in a timely, good faith interactive process and provide reasonable accommodation. What, then, makes an accommodation objectively reasonable?

If companies use outbound feeds and allow data to flow into leave management technology, employers can simplify the leave process, improve compliance, and enhance the employee experience by creating one source of truth.

Most courts agree that inflexible policies discriminate against people with disabilities, yet employers still have and enforce them. And some employers are not aware that these policies may violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

It is difficult to navigate the patchwork of federal, state, and local leave and accommodation laws in addition to employer-sponsored leaves, and it is in the best interests of all parties to simplify the ability to identify and use entitlements and benefits. Taking an integrated approach helps accomplish this.

While risk managers are keenly focused on workplace safety and workers’ compensation, it’s important for them to have a working knowledge of all benefits to ensure employees can access available benefits. Human resources professionals and risk managers should work together to support employees with job-related injuries and nonwork-related conditions.

As the paid family and medical leave (PFML) landscape changes, employers should look at the needs of their workforce by location and demographics and reassess their leave programs and benefits, which can be a meaningful retention tool.