With ADA claims on the rise
again this year, employers should continue to focus on the steps
they take to accommodate disabled employees. Such focus requires
grappling with the following questions: What types of
accommodations are reasonable? What are unreasonable? What are the
essential functions of the job in question? And to complicate
things further, an employer must contemplate and address each of
these questions based on the specific job that the disabled
employee is performing. A recent case underscores the complicated
nature of reasonable accommodations and the process a company must
follow in order to properly address the requests of disabled
employees.
In the case, the employee suffered from Sjogren's Syndrome,
an autoimmune condition which causes, among other symptoms, joint
pain and fatigue. The employee was prescribed various medications
by her doctor, which she had to take on a fairly regimented
schedule. She informed her supervisor about her condition
