Accommodating Work from Home Requests Due to Medical Reasons

Understand the factors to consider when evaluating requests and best practices for documenting and communicating the ultimate decision to employees.

Many employers have been faced with an influx of requests to work remotely as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. They may not understand how to evaluate a request to work remotely under the ADA framework, or, be unaware of the secondary employment issues that granting a remote work request may trigger, such as monitoring employee performance, complying with wage and hour laws, protecting proprietary information and trade secrets, and expense reimbursement obligations.

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to define the EEOC’s stance regarding remote work as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA.
• You will be able to explain how to handle the ADA interactive process with respect to remote work accommodation.
• You will be able to identify best practices for administering remote work accommodations and denying requests for the same.
• You will be able to recognize secondary employment issues raised by providing remote work accommodations, such as FLSA implications and expense reimbursement requirements.