The EEOC has summarized Reasonable Accommodations in various contexts:

Reasonable Accommodation & Disability

The law requires that an employer provide reasonable accommodation to an employee or job applicant with a disability, unless doing so would cause significant difficulty or expense for the employer.

A reasonable accommodation is any change in the workplace (or in the ways things are usually done) to help a person with a disability apply for a job, perform the duties of a job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment. Reasonable accommodation might include, for example, providing a ramp for a wheelchair user or providing a reader or interpreter for a blind or deaf employee or applicant.

Reasonable Accommodation & Pregnancy, Childbirth, or Related Medical Conditions 

The law requires that an employer provide reasonable accommodation to a qualified employee or job applicant with a known limitation related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would cause significant difficulty or expense for the employer. A reasonable accommodation is any change in the workplace (or in the ways things are usually done) to help a person with a known limitation apply for a job, perform a job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment. Reasonable accommodation might include, for example, allowing additional break times for the worker to rest, drink, eat, or use the restroom, allowing a worker who usually stands to perform their job to sit, telework, or leave for medical appointments or to recover from childbirth.

Reasonable Accommodation & Religion

The law requires an employer to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs or practices, unless doing so would cause difficulty or expense for the employer. This means an employer may have to make reasonable adjustments at work that will allow the employee to practice his or her religion, such as allowing an employee to voluntarily swap shifts with a co- worker so that he or she can attend religious services.

From <https://www.eeoc.gov/prohibited-employment-policiespractices>

Williams, McClure & Parmelee is dedicated to high quality legal representation of businesses in a variety of matters. We are experienced Texas employment law attorneys based in Fort Worth who know Texas courts and Texas law. For more information, please contact the law firm at 817-335-8800. The firm’s office location is 5601 Bridge Street, Suite 300, Fort Worth, Texas 76112.

SCOTUS Says EEOC Owes Trucking Co. $4.7M

May 24, 2016

After the EEOC’s sexual harassment class action lawsuit against CRST Van Expedited was thrown out, the trucking firm sued for $4.7 million in legal fees. Last week the Supreme Court unanimously agreed that the federal agency must pay the fees, overturning an Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling. In 2007 the EEOC sued CRST on behalf of 250 female truck drivers who claimed they were sexually harassed at work. A district court dismissed all the claims, saying the EEOC had not adequately investigated the claims, nor attempted to conciliate its claims before filing the suit. The Eighth Circuit upheld the lawsuit’s dismissal, but said since claims were dismissed without a ruling on the case’s merits, CRST could not recover fees. The Supreme Court sent the case back for review, saying a favorable ruling on the merits of a case is not a necessary requirement to find that a defendant is a prevailing party.

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Williams, McClure & Parmelee is dedicated to high quality legal representation of businesses and insurance companies in a variety of matters. We are experienced Fort Worth, Texas civil litigation attorneys in Tarrant County who know Texas courts and Texas law. For more information, please contact the law firm at 817-335-8800. The firm’s office location is 5601 Bridge Street, Suite 300, Fort Worth, Texas 76112.