legal words
Accommodating Chronic
Illness in the Workplace
HOW TO SUPPORT EMPLOYEES FOR SUCCESS
By Krista Kais-Prial
One of the most sensitive and difficult issues that human
resources professionals grapple with on a daily basis is
how to accommodate employees with disabilities in the
workplace. Interestingly, however, the topic remains a grey
area, leaving many questions unanswered. How much is too much
medical documentation? What can you ask for? What should you
do to meet your duty to accommodate? At what point does the
accommodation process itself become discriminatory?
These questions become even more complicated when an
employee has a chronic illness. Acute injuries and illnesses last a
short time and as a result can be easier to accommodate in the
workplace on a temporary basis. Chronic injuries and illnesses, on
the other hand, are persistent, recurring and long-lasting, and can
sometimes last a lifetime. Many chronic illnesses do not have a
cure, but with support, treatment and medication, employees can
continue to work while managing their symptoms.
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HRPROFESSIONALNOW.CA ❚ JUNE 2018 ❚ 11
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