At the Oregon Employment Department, we value community and foster a sense of belonging for our employees and applicants. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations in the workplace because they embody these values, as well as our operating principle of promoting a positive, safe, and learning environment.
Reasonable accommodations may be requested for disability; limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; religion; and domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or harassment. In general, a reasonable accommodation means a change or adjustment to a job or work environment. Reasonable accommodations may be requested at any point of the employment process. This can include during recruitment, training, discipline, a change in health or work environment, etc. Every request for a reasonable accommodation will be addressed fairly and respectfully and through an individualized assessment and interactive process.
Retaliating against an employee or applicant for requesting or asking about an accommodation is prohibited, and suspected retaliation should be reported to Human Resources or a manager.
Employees and applicants are encouraged to directly contact a Human Resources Business Partner or the ADA Coordinator to discuss their needs. In the ADA Coordinator’s absence, please contact the backup ADA Coordinator or Human Resources for assistance. Employees and applicants may also contact their manager/hiring manager to discuss their needs. Managers will then assist in connecting the employee or applicant to the ADA Coordinator or appropriate Human Resources Business Partner. Requests may be made orally or in writing. Initial written requests do not need to include the request form linked below, and employees and applicants do not need to mention phrases such as "ADA" or "reasonable accommodation" in their request. All written requests for accommodations will receive a written acknowledgment within 7 calendar days, and all requests (either written or verbal) will be reviewed and responded to in a timely manner.
After the request is made, a Human Resources Business Partner will be assigned to engage in an interactive process with the employee and their manager to determine next steps. The interactive process is a collaborative dialogue between the employee and Human Resources to gather information, assess options, and determine next steps. At times, depending on the particular circumstances at issue, the agency may ask for additional information to document your request or to facilitate the interactive process.
The Human Resources Director or their designee (i.e. a Human Resources Business Partner) will make the final accommodation determination. Each accommodation is unique to the person and the nature of the job. The agency must give primary consideration to the specific accommodation requested by the employee. However, through the interactive process, the agency may identify and provide an alternative accommodation.
Reasonable accommodations do not include modifications or adjustments that cause an undue hardship to the agency. A reasonable accommodation also does not include lowering production standards, promoting or assigning an employee to a higher-paying job, creating a position, or reassigning essential functions to another worker. Reasonable accommodations are intended to enable qualified workers to apply for a job, perform the essential functions of a job, and to enjoy the same benefits and privileges of employment as all employees.
The Employment Department will provide an initial response to requests for reasonable accommodation expeditiously and within no more than 7 calendar days. When an interactive process is needed, the agency will also proceed as quickly as possible through the interactive process and without causing an unnecessary delay. The length of time to conduct the interactive process varies depending on many factors. The person requesting an accommodation will be updated on the status of their request, the factors involved in responding to a request for accommodation, and the anticipated timeline.
In determining whether the agency has created an unnecessary delay in responding to a request for reasonable accommodation, relevant factors would include: (1) the reason(s) for the delay, (2) the length of the delay, (3) how much the individual with a disability and the agency each contributed to the delay, (4) what the agency was doing during the delay, and (5) whether the required accommodation was simple or complex to provide.
Reasonable Accommodation Request Form (to be completed by employee or applicant). *Please download and save this form to your computer before entering information.*
All applicants and employees have the option to start their request by submitting this form. However, completing this form may not be needed in all circumstances. If you have questions about submitting this form, please contact your Human Resources Business Partner or any of the contacts listed above for assistance.
Reasonable Accommodation Determination Form (to be completed by Human Resources).
This form is provided for informational purposes only, as it is used by Human Resources to document the interactive process and determination for each request.
Agency employees and managers may view our required 2-hour training on workplace accommodations from the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) at this link: Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace. Any employee who has not yet taken this training will receive the full support of their manager in scheduling designated, uninterrupted time to complete the training. In addition, agency managers are required to complete this training within 90 days of hire. Please note that this training was provided in June 2020. To access any updated information from BOLI, please visit their website. (accessible to all users).
DAS - CHRO- Domestic Violence, Harassment, Sexual Assault, & Stalking: The statewide HR Policy 50.010.04 requires all current managers, supervisors, and human resources staff to receive training on the characteristics of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault, and stalking; and applicable laws, policies, and procedures. This training meets the requirement and is accessible to all current State of Oregon employees.