Your employee has come to you asking for accommodations. What are you supposed to do next?

The truth is that some employers may not know offhand, and that’s okay! If you’ve never had to provide accommodations for an employee, then you may only know the duty to accommodate as a theoretical concept. But what does it actually look like on the ground, day-to-day?

No accommodations are identical. Just because two employees have children of the same age, or two employees have the same physical limitations, those two individuals may have very different accommodation needs. It is also important to remember that employers need to accommodate to the point of ‘undue (or unreasonable) hardship’ – a high legal threshold to reach. Accommodations are not just a ‘nice to have,’ they’re legally necessary.

So, how do you put them into practice? Here are a few tips that may be helpful to remember as you figure things out:

Have a policy in place early

You don’t need to have survived a fire to run a fire drill. You run a fire drill and test your fire alarms at work because, in the event that something happens unexpectedly, you want to be sure that you’re properly prepared. You can think of your accommodation policy the same way. 

You can have an accommodation policy in place even if you’ve never needed to accommodate. The policy does not need to be specific, but it can lay out the groundwork to explain to employees how they can ask for accommodation, who they should approach, what sort of documentation may be required, how often needs may be routinely re-evaluated, etc. 

When the time comes that you do need to make accommodations, that policy can serve as a guidepost. It also sends the message to new and even prospective employees that your workplace believes fully in the accommodation process, and is committed to putting measures in place that make your workplace accessible to all employees. 

Ask the right questions

If you know anything about accommodations, you likely have a sense of the questions that you cannot ask. If someone needs medical accommodations, for example, you are not allowed to know their precise medical diagnosis or treatment. That is private health information, and too much knowledge could negatively impact your treatment of that employee. 

That does not mean, though, that you cannot ask any questions. Accommodations at their best should be a two-way conversation with the employee, where you can work together to come up with solutions. If someone needs frequent breaks, for example, work on how you can best build those into their schedule. 

For guidance, employees can provide a functional abilities form completed by their physician, which details exactly how their condition impacts them as it relates to the workplace, providing important restrictions and limitations information. Practically speaking, this may mean breaks, the implementation of a chair or stool so they can sit, some modified duties, or the use of assistive technology. The physician may even invite you to contact them directly if you have any further questions or need clarification.

If an employee needs family status accommodations due to child care, do not ask them questions about why they cannot afford a full-time nanny, or how they expect to juggle their career while being a parent. Instead, ask about how you can support them while still maximizing their productivity, such as scheduling adjustments, or a potential hybrid or flexible schedule. 

Think outside the box

Accommodations can be tricky, but they can also present the opportunity to get a bit creative. Perhaps you’ve never had an employee perform certain duties while seated, but that does not mean that it cannot be done – it just requires a bit of ingenuity. 

Just as every accommodation request is different, accommodations can look different for different employees, and there is no one ‘right’ way to do things. If someone needs instructions delivered in a different way, see what will work for them – this may mean implementing visuals and graphics, but that does not mean that they need to be stuffy. 

Again, engaging in conversation with the employees is a great way to ensure that you both come up with creative solutions. Guessing at their needs can lead to providing too many unnecessary alternatives that actually do little to help the situation. 

Reevaluate regularly

Some employees may need permanent accommodations, others may only need short-term assistance, and some accommodation needs can change over time. An employee with young children, for example, may need to adjust their schedules until other childcare becomes available, or until the children are old enough to look after themselves. A person with a disability may have varying needs depending on the state of their health. 

If an employee has an accommodation plan, check in with them regularly to assess how things are going, and if their needs are being met. They may reveal that some accommodations are not as helpful as expected and need adjusting. They may also tell you that their health has improved, and some measures are no longer necessary. 

Do not assume that all employees need the same accommodations, or that an employee needs the same accommodations forever. Your business’ needs can change over time. So, too, do your employees’. 

Ask for help

If you’re struggling to figure out how to best craft your workplace accommodations, ask for help. It’s always better to get help in doing it right than to get it wrong and put a great employee at a serious disadvantage. No matter what situation you’re facing, there’s likely someone else who’s been through it before and can offer some guidance.