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It seems like I’m seeing more and more people with service animals—particularly “comfort animals” meant to ease anxiety or similar problems. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers must provide “reasonable accommodations” to employees with disabilities. Does that mean you must allow disabled employees to bring their pets to work? Well, it depends.
Employers striving for a diverse workforce take care not to discriminate against employees with a disability, but hidden disabilities can be tricky. Supervisors might think they’re dealing with performance problems when they really should be considering whether an employee has a disability protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Young v. United Parcel Service means employers need to think twice before treating pregnant employees under job restrictions differently than they treat nonpregnant employees who are similarly unable to perform their jobs temporarily. In a 6-3 ruling handed down March 25, the Court reached for middle ground between interpretations […]
It may seem like an easy decision to fire an employee who is disruptive at work, shows up late or not at all, and keeps coworkers on edge all the time. It’s also an easy decision for an employer to go to great lengths to hold on to an employee who is talented, creative, passionate, […]
The new year is off and running, but it’s not too late for human resources professionals to make a few employment law-related resolutions that should make their lives easier in 2012. Sexual harassment policies Boyd Byers a partner with Foulston Siefkin LLP in Wichita, Kansas, says attention to sexual harassment policies should top the list […]
Whether engaging in a specific project, such as working with IT to incorporate text-to-speech readers or other assistive technology in your online environment, or carrying out the seemingly simple task of adjusting your hiring and recruiting page, you must be up to date on Web access for disabled employees and applicants. Are you aware of […]
By David Banks Hawaii’s Act 206, which provides employment protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence, becomes effective January 1, 2012. Hawaii is one of only five states to enact a law protecting victims of domestic and sexual violence. Among other things, the Act: prohibits discrimination on the basis of domestic or sexual violence […]
Earlier this week, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed a major milestone when it turned 20 years old. Like most 20-year-olds, it (1) didn’t get this far without some growing pains and (2) still has a ways to go before reaching full maturity. Let’s take a look back at where the law began, how […]
Nearly two years after Congress passed the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced recently that employers should not expect to see new regulations providing a more detailed explanation of the law’s requirements anytime soon. To understand the reasons for the delay and how it may affect employers, we spoke with […]
Q: We’ve been going through the interactive process with one of our employees (we’ll call him Mike). As a result, we’ve been accommodating him with unpaid leaves for the last year. It’s been tough, and Mike’s supervisors have told me more than once that they need to terminate him and move on. According to them, […]