How COVID has Changed Assessing and Implementing Reasonable Accommodation Under the ADA
COVID has undoubtedly ushered in a wave of change for how employers manage their workforce. One of the most significant of those changes has been handling accommodation requests. Given increases in unique requests for leave, caregiving issues, remote work, time off for mental health issues, and religious and medical exemptions related to COVID-19 vaccines, testing, or masks, employers have their hands full in this area like never before. This engaging and interactive program will analyze these and related issues, review the legal and practical considerations involved, and provide some fresh best practices for compliance.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze the unique accommodation issues employers are presently facing in the aftermath of COVID.
- Review the legal and practical considerations involved with handling those accommodation issues.
- Identify fresh best practices for compliance with the ADA as it applies to these new accommodation challenges which employers are facing.
Mario R. Bordogna, Esquire
Mario Bordogna is a Partner in the Labor and Employment Practice at the law firm of Bowles Rice, LLP working with employers nationwide on the front end to keep them in legal compliance with labor and employment laws and on the back end if they need a strong and experienced litigation advocate. For 25 years, Mario has represented employers in sectors like health care, education, energy, hospitality, manufacturing, and others in the areas of HR/employment counseling, employment litigation, wage and hour, harassment, trade secret and non-competition matters, labor-management relations, accommodation, policy development and investigations, and much more.
Anne-Marie Welch, Esquire
Anne-Marie Welch is Member in Clark Hill’s Labor and Employment Practice Group, defending employers nationwide in claims alleging wrongful discharge, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and more. She also prosecutes/defends matters involving non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements.
To prevent lawsuits, Anne-Marie routinely conducts internal audits and advises management and HR regarding labor and employment law compliance and best practices. She also serves as a trainer and independent investigator for employers, especially in the higher education, automotive, manufacturing, and cannabis industries.
Anne-Marie is the Labor & Employment leader of the firm’s Automotive and Manufacturing Industry Team.