Tag: disabilities

How to Create a Disability-Friendly Workplace

In today’s world, simply complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) isn’t enough for many employers. They want to be more proactive in creating a disability-friendly workplace. Today, BLR’s experts offer some tips. First of all, the following indicators show that an organization is willing to “walk the talk” of a disability-friendly workplace: The […]

New Website from DOL Offers Information on Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has launched a new website – Disability.gov – offering information for people with disabilities, their family members, veterans, caregivers, employers, and others. The new site replaces DisabilityInfo.gov and features information about disability-related programs and services as well as social media tools to serve the more than 50 million Americans […]

Not Discipline, ‘Opportunity to Improve’

Yesterday’s Advisor presented attorney Jathan Janove’s suggestions for dealing with employees who say, “My aberrant behavior was caused by my disability.” Today, we’ll give you more of his tips plus an introduction to a new training option. When you have to move forward with discipline, says Janove, the first thing is to always couch it […]

Disciplining Disabled Employees: What You Need to Know

What can you do when an employee says that the discipline you are about to impose is the result of his or her disability? It’s a delicate spot, but you can manage it, says attorney Jathan Janove. First of all, says Janove, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) allows employees to be disciplined for violating […]

Safety Risks–Can You Require Physicals of All Employees?

Yesterday’s Advisor explored tips for dealing with safety and disabilities. Today, we’ll give you some tips on periodic medical exams for safety-sensitive positions and an introduction to a new wellness system that might help. Thanks once again to expert Lindsay E. Harris, senior counsel at Speer Associates/Workplace Counsel, an employment law and employee relations consulting […]

Dangerous Discussion: ‘Your Disability Makes You a Safety Risk’

What’s the smart move for HR managers who think an employee poses a safety risk? May you ask questions? May you demand a physical? Today’s expert sorts it out. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does limit your freedom to make disability-related inquiries relating to safety risks, says attorney Lindsay E. Harris. However, with proper […]

EEOC: ADA Allows You to Discipline the Disabled

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued a comprehensive question-and-answer guide addressing how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to a wide variety of performance and conduct issues. According to the new guide, employers can apply the same performance standards to all employees, including those with disabilities. It also points out that the […]

Expert: ‘First, Visit the Scream Room!’ (Managing Disabilities … Part 2)

Yesterday’s Advisor covered 7 ADA traps. Today we’ll look at one more common trap—the co-worker question—and we’ll see how the famous BLR “Red Book®” takes care of many traps HR faces, especially when it comes to state law and how it interacts (and conflicts) with the federal. Yesterday, attorney Nancy Cooper (an owner in the […]

7 Hidden Traps in Managing Workers with Disabilities, and Dealing with the ADA.

In the age of the Americans with Disabilities Act, dealing with employees with disabilities can be tricky. In a BLR audio conference, a noted HR columnist for Inc. magazine recently revealed just how tricky. Here are traps she says to avoid. Dealing with employees with disabilities presents many traps for unwary employers, says Nancy Cooper, […]

Canada’s Top Court Signals Tougher Days Ahead on Accessibility

by Tara McPhail McCarthy Tetrault Canadian human rights laws require employers to accommodate employees and customers with disabilities up to a point. What point? The point at which the accommodation would constitute “undue hardship” on the employer. But what makes an undue hardship? A recent Supreme Court of Canada decision appears to set a high […]