[lit-ideas] Re: amazing employment application questions
- From: Carol Kirschenbaum <carolkir@xxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 19:01:21 -0700
>But the "w/ or w/out reasonable accommodations" has so many variables, is so
>nebulous, as to be astonishing. What are "reasonable accomodations"?
>Bathroom breaks? Typewriters that work? Chairs?>
ck: Julie, the "reasonable accommodations" phrase comes straight from the ADA.
(In the mood for a lecture?) Reasonable accommodations includes required
changes in furniture, time, ways of doing the job (flexibility), the presence
of a job coach, etc. etc. What makes an accommodation "reasonable" is whether
the employer thinks it is. (So far, nearly all employee-brought ADA suits have
been settled in the employer's favor.) As they say...Research shows that
reasonable accommodations cost employers an average of under $500 per employee.
So what, in real life, are some examples of "reasonable accommodations"? Use of
voice-activated software, Braille software, enlarged text software--lots of
software solutions in assistive technology. (That's the area you're asking
about, for the most part, in reasonable accommodation land.) All
"accommodations" must be directly tied to the employee's disclosed disability,
and must (or should) be asked for, by the employee, at the time one accepts the
job.
Anyone with a disability that requires accommodations might be well-served by
talking with a disability specialist. Each state has free services provided by
the Dept. of Vocational Rehabilitation (DOR) and its sister org, CAP--client
assistance program. Lots of online disability boards and orgs also can help.
See me offline for some pointers.
Getting cranky after 3 pm doesn't usually count as a covered disability, btw.
But then if you had a disability that made you cranky, you'd have a mental
illness (gasp!), which is the most stigmatized area in all of employmentland.
Carol
----- Original Message -----
From: JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 6:38 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: amazing employment application questions
I tend to be a great employee until I lose my cool, shoot myself in the foot,
w/ re. to references for future employment opportunities.
I of course answered "yes". But the "w/ or w/out reasonable accommodations"
has so many variables, is so nebulous, as to be astonishing. What are
"reasonable accomodations"? Bathroom breaks? Typewriters that work? Chairs?
Julie Krueger
========Original Message======== Subj: [lit-ideas] Re: amazing employment
application questions
Date: 6/5/06 8:30:53 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: carolkir@xxxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent on:
Julie wrote:
>The question (and I wrote it down verbatim so I would not forget the exact
wording) was as follows:
"Will you be able to perform the essential job functions for the position you
are applying for with or without reasonable >accommodations?"
ck: I think you jumped the gun in anticipation of nefarious questioning.
There's nothing wrong with this question! It just asks whether this is a job
that suits your abilities. It does *not* ask a person to self-identify as
having a disability, and it does *not* ask if a person needs any
accommodations. It looks so innocuous, I wonder why they bother with it. Maybe
just to show they're in compliance with ADA...
The other one, asking whether you're willing to work overtime, is odd to see
on an application, but it's not as bad as the requirement that one put one's
SSN right on the app. (That's common in public employment here.) Suggested
response: Give them what they want on the app. Then ask other employees about
these things quietly, once you have an offer. As you indicate, the world of
employment is far from fair. But I don't think it's illegal to ask about
willingness to go overtime, without pay. Might be interesting, as a researcher,
to see whether anyone who writes "no" has been hired. I'm sure you can hear the
employer countering with "reasonable demands in business" and all. This
request, though, strikes me as possibly a violation of ADA, since many
disabilities affect stamina--and, on another track, some people must use public
transportation (stops at a certain time) or rely on a carpool. Admin assts.,
though, are expected to be on call more flexibly than MDs these days.
Which is better: Not getting the job because of grumpy app behavior but
making your point; getting the job but hating some occasional requirements;
getting the job and being such a fabulous employee that they gladly make
exceptions for you. Of course, you can always get the job, resent the hell out
of the extra hours, and be such a lousy employee that you shoot yourself in the
foot when it comes to references for the next job.
(Ask me about the last one, my personal specialty.)
Carol
----- Original Message -----
From: JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 6:05 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] amazing employment application questions
I filled out an application for employment today -- the position was for
Administrative Assistant.
On the application was a yes/no question which I have never in my 25 years
of employment and employment seeking experience encountered. It was the last
in a series of yes/no questions along the lines of "would you be willing to
work overtime?", etc.
The question (and I wrote it down verbatim so I would not forget the exact
wording) was as follows:
"Will you be able to perform the essential job functions for the position
you are applying for with or without reasonable accommodations?"
Julie Krueger
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