The struggle between employees and their employers to get back to work is becoming more heated.
Disabled employees are filing more claims of discrimination with federal and state agencies. An increasing number of the claims are based on mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to lawyers, government officials, and disability organizations, the increase is being driven in part by employers pressing people to return to work in the office. Employers are also dismissing some of their requests for exemptions.
From 2021 to 2022, the number of complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission citing discrimination against those suffering from anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder increased by at least 16% for each condition. Data from numerous state civil-rights organizations show that in recent years, disability charges have surpassed past top complaints, such as retaliation and race discrimination.
Big corporations have pushed their employees to return to the office since the beginning of 2023. Disney CEO Bob Iger ordered employees to return to the office four days a week on March 1. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that employees would need to return to the office three days a week in March as well.
In August, ResumeBuilder surveyed 1,000 companies about their return to office policies. 28% would threaten to fire employees who don’t comply with their policies. The survey also showed that 72% of employers felt that returning to the office improved revenue.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 21.3 percent of disabled people were employed last year, up from 19.1% in 2021. This is the highest percentage ever recorded. However, the unemployment rate for disabled people is still triple that of non-disabled people.
Employers still approve the vast majority of accommodation requests, but the approval rate has decreased since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Sedgwick, which oversees leave and disability claims for employers. 95.6% of all requests were accepted in 2021. According to David Setzkorn, leader of Sedgwick’s workforce absence and disability practice, workers’ requests were approved 91.8% of the time in the first half of this year.
Working remotely would give me more independence. I would be able to work in an environment where it would already be accessible to me. If I worked from home, I wouldn’t have to worry about unreliable elevators or inaccessible stalls in public restrooms. I would not be concerned about bad weather or a lack of reliable transportation.
The pandemic has shown us that remote work is possible. Accommodations need to be personalized for every employee who needs them. No two employees are the same. Disabled employees should be able to receive accommodations.
Sources:
Ceron, Ella. “Remote Work Helps Push Disabled Employment to a Record High of 21%. but the Gain Is Imperiled by Return to the Office Mandates.” Fortune, Fortune Media Group Holdings, 25 Feb. 2023, https://fortune.com/2023/02/24/remote-work-disabled-employment-record-high-remote-work-office-mandates/.
Fung, Brian. “Amazon to Require Office Workers to Show up in Person at Least Three Days a Week.” 17 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/17/tech/amazon-return-to-office/index.html.
Hyken, Shep. “Nine out of 10 Companies Will Require Employees to Return to the Office.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 25 Sept. 2023, http://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2023/09/24/nine-out-of-10-companies-will-require-employees-to-return-to-the-office/?sh=5f48eb902baf.
Weber, Lauren. “The Fight over Return-to-Office Is Turning into a Disability Dispute.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 9 Nov. 2023, http://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/the-fight-over-return-to-office-is-turning-into-a-disability-dispute-fc5538e2.
Valinsky, Jordan. “Disney CEO Bob Iger Orders Workers to Return to the Office 4 Days a Week | CNN Business.” CNN, Warner Bros. Discovery Media, 10 Jan. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/10/business/disney-return-to-work/index.html.