S06E12 - HR Rescue: Disability Accommodations and the Interactive Process

According to the EEOC, it is unclear whether COVID-19 is or could be a disability under the ADA. The CDC has identified a number of medical conditions that may put an individual at a higher risk of a serious illness if they contract COVID-19, (e.g., chronic lung disease, serious heart conditions, diabetes, liver disease). Additionally, the EEOC advises that employees with certain preexisting mental health conditions (i.e., anxiety disorder) may have more difficulty handling the disruption to daily life created by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this week’s episode, HR expert Jenni Stone shares steps an employer can take if an employee advises their them that they have a medical condition that may be exacerbated by contracting COVID-19, and requests a reasonable accommodation (e.g., remote working), and how communicate with the employee and exchange information in an effort to reasonably accommodate the employee (i.e., engage in the interactive process). Thank you for listening to this podcast. We will continue to keep you updated on the changing landscape of Human Resources and address any topic area you wish to learn more about regarding HR and HR Compliance.  Please leave a comment below as we value your feedback or if you have an HR question ask and we just might make your question our next podcast! Follow HR Shield Online Here: YouTube:  https://youtube.com/TheHRShield Instagram: https://instagram.com/HRShield Facebook:  https://facebook.com/HRShield Twitter: https://twitter.com/HR_Shield Podcast:  https://hrrescue.libsyn.com Website: https://HR-Shield.com Store:  https://HR-Rescue.com Enable our Alexa Skill!!! About HR Shield Do you own a small business?  Are you considering starting a business? Does hiring an HR professional not fit your budget and current cash flow? Whether you are a newly certified HR professional, business owner, office manager, student or a general curious person HR Shield are certified HR specialists that provide quick, accurate and simple answers to common HR and business questions.  Our mission at HR Shield is to impact those small and midsize companies that don’t yet understand the value or can’t yet afford to hire a full-time certified HR professional.  Our goal is to educate the small business owner and help them understand the importance and impact an HR professional can have on their company and one day hire a full time certified professional. In addition to working with the small to mid-size business owner we provide a full white label HR portal and HR hotline for payroll companies, PEOs and staffing companies and support their small business owner clients.