An employee’s casual comment about a medical limitation can trigger accommodation obligations, making a manager’s response critical to supporting the employee and reducing the company’s legal risk. In an HR.com article, Galloway employment lawyers Doris Bobadilla and Wendell Hall share five common employer missteps and offer practical guidance for handling accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“Having an established process is an employer’s best safeguard,” the authors write. “It replaces panic with structure, prevents managers from making off-the-cuff errors, and sets the organization on a clear path to resolve difficult workplace situations fairly and lawfully.”
The article explains why employers should avoid reflexively denying requests, waiting for specific language, defaulting to leave, assuming accommodations create a company-wide precedent, or seeking excessive medical information. Bobadilla and Hall also discuss evaluating a position’s essential functions, documenting the interactive process, and recognizing when outside guidance may be helpful.
