Accommodations at Work

[Soleil]

My new job has decided, about a week after hiring me, that we should all be wearing earpieces with our radios. While we need the radios to do our jobs, we can (and I have) do our jobs without earpieces.
But now, for whatever reason, we need to wear them. The problem is, I can't; I physically cannot wear them. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) they must provide "reasonable accommodations".
This means I had to go to work early to speak with Human Resources (their office closes before my shift begins), where I was given a form to give my doctor. So now I have to go to the doctor so they can write some suggestions of "reasonable accommodations", then speak with Human Resources again.

I'm rather annoyed by all this; partly because of all the time I have to spend on this, and the money for the doctor's appointment and gas. I've honestly never really felt "disabled" before, but I'm kind of feeling it now that I have to go through all this stuff that abled coworkers don't have to do.
Also, why does my doctor have to suggest accommodations? I'm the one with nonfunctional ears, not her; I know what I need, they should be speaking to me.
And of course since I don't know how this will all go (will Human Resources want to speak with me tomorrow, or a few days from now?) there's a bit of uncertainty that's causing me a little anxiety.

I think headphones actually would be rather helpful for my job, but it's still rather inconvenient having to do all this.

 

[Aspychata]

Change is hard, and the process for change is just as bad. Perhaps just hang on and ask HR if they do fail to update you. A simple question of what is the status of my situation?

 

[VictorR]

Sorry to hear of your tribulations.

Hopefully your doctor is supportive and is willing to work with you in identifying the best options for you, as in my experience, one of the biggest challenges is when the doctor identifies challenges, but doesn't really indicate what works, and the employer tries to implement what they feel might be reasonable accommodations but which don't work or aren't the best for the employee.

I agree with you that ultimately, the employee is the best expert of what works for them, and that ideally, an employer, if the request is one that is relatively easy to implement and not overly expensive, should endeavor to accept a request at face value. Unfortunately, many employers fear that allowing accommodations for someone may lead to a "slippery slope" or morale concerns and so err on the side of caution in requesting a doctor's note. (depending on your jurisdictions, they may be required to pay for it if they were requesting it)

If it may help, there's a good general guide at https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandto...des/pages/requestreasonableaccommodation.aspx that explains how the accommodation process works.

By the way, I am using "accommodation" as that is the legal term, but I have seen some start to shift towards "adaptations" since that is a more neutral term, and ultimately, regardless of disability status, most employees would benefit from flexibility in their work, which ultimately improves morale and productivity.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

So now I have to go to the doctor so they can write some suggestions of "reasonable accommodations", then speak with Human Resources again.

Also, why does my doctor have to suggest accommodations? I'm the one with nonfunctional ears, not her; I know what I need, they should be speaking to me.
And of course since I don't know how this will all go (will Human Resources want to speak with me tomorrow, or a few days from now?) there's a bit of uncertainty that's causing me a little anxiety.

I think headphones actually would be rather helpful for my job, but it's still rather inconvenient having to do all this.

Because you are requesting accommodations via the ADA, this becomes somewhat of a legal issue should your employer terminate your employment because of your request(s). Because part of the purpose of the ADA is to provide you those protections, part of that is some sort of "proof" of your "disability" or "condition" via a licensed professional such as a medical doctor or psychologist. It can never be because "you claim to have a condition",...it requires that doctor to say you have this condition and these are the accommodations they might recommend. This is in line with someone coming back to work after an injury,...there may be a set period of time where this person is on "restrictions". However, in our case,...it's more of a permanent thing. The HR person, after receiving the appropriate paperwork will then contact you to further discuss your request for accommodations, but will also have you describe your "experience" (sensory, physical, mental) as it pertains to your work. It's not a big deal. Just some "hoops to jump through",...part of the legal paperwork. Yes, it is inconvenient,...but keep in mind, part of the reason for it is that someone, at some time, tried to not comply with company policy and then claim some sort of "disability",...when there wasn't one. The ADA is there to help minimize these issues,...but yes, there is procedure to be followed.

 

[Suzette]

Hang in there. You won't actualy be the only one challenging the ear piece. Ear pieces maybe incompatible with hearing aids as well. But that just means your employer needs to re think the edict.

 

[Soleil]

Because part of the purpose of the ADA is to provide you those protections, part of that is some sort of "proof" of your "disability" or "condition" via a licensed professional such as a medical doctor or psychologist.

I get that they need certain paperwork for legal reasons, but it's still silly since I can prove it just by showing people my ears.
At this point I've spoken to HR and we've agreed that a face-to-face meeting would be best. I can better explain my needs, and they can show me what options they already have. We'll see how things go.
I know it's illegal to fire someone for being disabled or for needing accommodations, but it's also hard to prove, especially when I've only been there about a month.