October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (#NDEAM). One disturbing and largely illegal action erects an enormous barrier that people with disabilities struggle to overcome. That action is placing an employee with a disability on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) *immediately after* they request an accommodation.
This isn’t a rare occurrence. In fact, it’s so frequent that it’s one of the top reasons why people with disabilities don’t ask for the support they need in the workplace. When someone requests an accommodation, they are seeking support. Instead, they’re often met with the first step towards their termination. This sends a clear message: “You asked for help, and now your job is at risk.”
Retaliatory PIPs are a thinly veiled way of avoiding accommodations. Labeling an employee as a problem after they ask for help is disingenuous at best and potentially fraudulent. This practice forces people to hide their disabilities or leave jobs entirely, destroying trust, driving away talented employees, and increasing turnover costs.
Here’s what employers should be doing instead:
– Listen First: Understand what’s being asked for and why. This is the first step of the interactive process, which is the minimum required by the #EEOC
– Solve, Don’t Punish: Identify if performance issues are due to a lack of accommodations.
– Encourage, Don’t Deter: Employees should feel safe requesting support, not punished for making the request.
Let’s use #NDEAM to break this toxic cycle. Asking for accommodations should never end a career.
Alt: Simulated mobile phone call.
Potential Fraud
A PIP Right after requesting accommodations.
Three action buttons:
1. Remind me
2. Message
3. Slide to answer