Essay
Bill HF 4925 is arguing for a standardized form to request accommodation in the workplace. A standardized form would make it easier to “determine the appropriate reasonable accommodation the employer, agency, or organization shall, upon request, provide a job accommodation request form to an individual who discloses a disability in need of accommodation and initiate an informal, interactive process with the individual with a disability in need of the accommodation”. The MN Department of Human Rights webpage states that “under federal and state law, employers with 15 or more employees are required to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with physical and/or mental disabilities. An accommodation may include a change to the workplace, the job, the way the job is done, or the application or hiring process” (MN.gov). In other words, federal and state law already requires employers of 15 or more employees to provide an accommodation process, this bill would just help streamline and standardize the process.
Accommodations adjust workplace requirements or environment for specific employees, this can be positive or negative. The National Library of Medicine states that “by modifying the work environments, work routines, and work tasks of employees with health restrictions, organizations can effectively help them continue to perform their jobs successfully… However, while accommodations tackle health-related performance problems, they might create new challenges on the part of the affected employee…discrimination, bullying, and maltreatment appear to be common during accommodation processes” (Kensbock, Et al). In other words, accommodations may lead to bullying.
