Undue Hardship
The ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified employees with disabilities. However, the law does not require employers to provide accommodations that would create an undue hardship.
An undue hardship is an accommodation that would be significantly difficult or expensive for an employer to provide, considering factors such as:
- The cost of the accommodation
- The size of the organization
- The employer's financial resources
- The nature of the business
- How the accommodation would affect the employer's operations
What counts as an undue hardship for one employer may not be an undue hardship for another. A large national company may have more resources to provide certain accommodations than a small, family-owned business.
The goal of the ADA is to encourage employers and employees to work together to identify practical accommodations that allow qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of their jobs whenever possible.
Many accommodations cost little or nothing to put in place, and even small workplace adjustments can make a meaningful difference — for both the employee and the employer.