Workplace Accommodation
Accommodations are changes to a person’s work duties or physical environment to eliminate barriers from medical conditions, disability, religion, gender, or family status. Some examples include changes to a person’s physical work space, changes to the way in which a task is completed, or inclusion of an adaptive aid.
What to Expect — Employee
- You identify with a need based on a protected characteristic within the Human Rights code of Manitoba, and that an accommodation would enable you to participate equally with your co-workers. You can either contact the Wellbeing Office directly or advise your Supervisor of your request for an Accommodation.
- You will be asked to provide supporting documentation or a medical form to the Wellbeing Office or fax to the attention of the Wellbeing Office at 204.774.2935. This documentation will need to explain the impact of your disability or protected characteristic on your ability to perform your regular duties. If you are intending to request remote work as an accommodation, please contact the Wellbeing Office to find out more and to receive the appropriate form for your doctor to complete.
- You will be asked to provide suggestions of accommodations that may meet your needs (e.g. specific adaptive software or hardware device).
- You are expected to cooperate with the Wellbeing Office by providing relevant information, including medical or another workplace accommodation reports, as needed. This includes participating in an evaluation of your role to determine what reasonable accommodations are available.
- You will be asked to comply with and perform the work according to the accommodation plan and provide feedback to your supervisor and/or the Wellbeing Office periodically.
- You are expected to accept reasonable solutions that meet your functional requirements even if they are not your preferred solutions.
The Wellbeing Office, along with your supervisor, will conduct an individualized assessment based on your supporting documentation and your roles and responsibilities to determine what accommodations are available that will support your needs without causing undue hardship. If we require more information, we will ask you to provide the supporting information.
- The Wellbeing Office may call a meeting with the following people: yourself, supervisor(s), union representative and human resources consultant, and the Wellbeing Office to create an accommodation plan that all involved can support.
- Once an Accommodation Plan is completed, you, your supervisor, and the Wellbeing Specialist will sign a copy of the plan. You will receive a copy in an accessible format.
- Every Accommodation Plan will have a review date. Some situations where the plan may need to be reviewed earlier are when:
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- You have your annual performance review.
- Your workspace is changed or moved.
- Your roles and responsibilities have changed.
- Any other changes impact the accommodation required.
- You request a review.
- The Accommodation Plan (or parts of it) is no longer needed.
What to expect — Supervisors
When an employee identifies that they have a special need based on a protected characteristic that would allow them to participate on an equal level with their co-workers if accommodated, please refer them to the Wellbeing Office.
If an employee comes directly to the Wellbeing Office, we will reach out and work with supervisors to discuss the accommodation request. You will be asked to provide information and expertise related to the job tasks and environment of the employee. Supervisors are an integral part of the process and a department's needs will be considered before any plans are finalized.
This information is further explained in Reasonable Accommodation in the Workplace [PDF] (manitobahumanrights.ca).