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Think twice before banning remote work, using different return-to-work rules or requiring employees to compete for their own job.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with a physical or mental condition that substantially impairs a major life function may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation. Having a chronic and potentially deadly viral syndrome may impact one or more of these life functions. Someone with HIV/AIDS may have challenges that require accommodations.

Disabled employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations that allow them to perform the essential functions of their jobs. Arriving at those accommodations is supposed to be an interactive process. If employers drag out that process, they run the very real risk of being sued.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts and behaviors, and it can interfere with the ability to perform one’s job.

After last year’s landmark Supreme Court Groff v. DeJoy religious-accommodation case that strictly limited when employers can turn down requests, some employers took a hard line, demanding details about professed religious beliefs and solid documentation. But that is backfiring as courts set down strict standards on how much information employers can demand.

Regulations went into effect in June 2024 and the agency is now fully engaged in enforcing them through both the conciliation process and federal court litigation. If you haven’t yet read the regulations and changed your policies and practices to conform to the rules, there’s no time to lose.

The ADA provides the broadest protection for employees with sleep disorders. While the FMLA may provide time off for testing, treatment and recovery, the ADA may require more significant changes to the work environment, including scheduling changes and modified duties.

Hearing loss may affect major life activities such as working. People with hearing loss and related limitations may qualify as disabled under the ADA, entitling them to reasonable accommodations.

EEOC rules implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act say employers should routinely grant pregnant employees’ requests for time off to attend pregnancy-related medical appointments. It’s so clear-cut that one employer just quickly agreed to settle when the EEOC threatened to file a failure-to-accommodate lawsuit under the PWFA.

We have an employee with hearing loss who refuses to wear hearing aids. She doesn’t seem to realize or care how this affects those around her when she can’t hear conversations, etc. How should we deal with this?