Special Needs Checklist

AllianceCU

I am being asked to create a Special Needs Checklist for all final candidates to sign prior to being hired.
I was given a few qustions for a start to get the checklist started. They are: I am not able to work overtime because; I will need to elave work early on certain days in order to; I need to arrange special starting hours on certain days in order to; I need special arrangements for lunch because; I need spe ial seating arrangements because; and I need an extra large PC monitor because.
My question is can I do this for one thing, and for a second if I can does anyone out there have a templete or Checklist that I could look at to see what kind of information was on it, and how it was worded?
I am really stumped on this one, and I am not even sure where to go to look up if I can do this legaly or not.
Anyhelp would be wonderful.
Thank you in advance.

Gillian

You should talk to whoever asked you to do this and tell them that this has all sorts of problems, potentially legal and otherwise. The special seating arrangement, PC monitor etc. could be needed because of a disability, something that shouldn't be part of the hiring decision. The need to leave early on a particular day could also be a disability issue where you might have a requirement to accomodate. Other issues about overtime etc. probably aren't legal issues but what do you do when the needs of the person changes? Are you going to tell them they can't change because of what they stated at the beginning?

To answer your question, you shouldn't do it because it will cause no end of problems. I don't think that you will find anyone with a template.

Steve McElfresh

Gillian is quite right. Many of these items are effectively pre-employement disability queries, patentedly not allowed by ADA and raising significant risk of employment discrimination claims. You would be safer mountain climbing in a lightning storm or kissing rattlesnakes.

If someone with authority insists you do this, run don't walk to get an opinion from your labor counsel -- which will be unequivocally negative, me thinks. Love to hear if I'm wrong.

Needless to say, this is not legal advice, for which you need a real lawyer.

Regards,

Steve Mac

Steve McElfresh, PhD
Principal
HR Futures

408.605.1870

Rockie

I agree with the previous posts. Another thing to consider is the "snakepit" you are going to to open up if you start "honoring" special requests for certain employees (this excludes legal requirements, etc.) Special hours to accommodate "desires" of some employees such as modified hours, start or end times to the day, etc. You will end up having, at the very least, a morale problem from other employees if you do not honor their special needs.

We get requests all the time from individuals wanting to work different hours, or more recently, we have a manager who wants to "cut" her hours. She wants to work four days one week and three days on the alternate week. She also wants these days to be Thursdays and Fridays. There is no way that we can accomodate this and still run her department efficiently. (Of course, she did not expect a salary adjustment as she was "sure" she could get the same amount of work done in fewer days.)

The MAJOR problem with this arrangement though would be, "How can we say no to the next manager that wants this type of arrangement?" The next thing will be our patients will have to come in when it is convenient to the employees. This is the dilemma employers are running into these days - trying to run a business at the "convenience" of the employee instead of employees being responsible to
work the business hours set forth by the company.

I can certainly understand accommodating individuals with injuries,sicknesses or disabilities, but "lifestyle" convenience is another story.

hrbanker

What were you hoping to accomplish with the checklist? If it's to make sure candidates can work the hours you need them, you might try this. In our initial interview we state the hours of the job and ask if the candidate can work those hours. With the economy and staff reductions, we no longer work around school or second job schedules and we are up front with candidates about that.