Workplace accommodation requests surge by over 21%

Among other findings from the survey:

• Leave requests continue to rise. The majority of employers reported an increase in leave requests for the third year in a row. Of those that reported an increase, 53% received 21% or more requests than they did last year. “HR teams must find ways to manage more leave requests in an increasingly complex landscape of federal, state and local leave benefits,” the report said.
• Mental health continues to be a top driver of requests for both leave and accommodations. The top reason why employees requested accommodations last year was mental health conditions at 57%, followed by chronic physical conditions or limitations (50%) and illness or injury recovery (45%).
• The quality of leave experience affects loyalty, motivation and retention. Fifty-seven percent of workers who had a bad leave experience felt less loyal to their employer, while 55% of those who had a good experience said they were more motivated when they returned to work.
• Accommodation experiences have a big impact on morale and productivity. Two-thirds of employees who had a bad experience said they don’t feel valued and valued by their workplace. By contrast, about the same percentage of workers who reported a good experience said they did feel valued and supported.
• Employees want modern, streamlined experiences. “It would have been nice to handle my leave online and not over the phone,’ “I think the leave process would be easier if I could apply from anywhere” and “I wish the leave process could be clearer and easier to apply” were among comments from respondents.

Meanwhile, this month is a good time for employers to raise awareness of disability accommodations in the workplace, according to the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor. The theme for this year is “Celebrating Value and Talent.”

“National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) activities don't have to end in October,” it said on its website/ “NDEAM also offers an opportunity to launch year-round activities that highlight the importance of including disability in all of your organization's endeavors. Doing so delivers numerous internal and external benefits to employers. Kickoff events can range from large-scale, multiday celebrations to small brown-bag lunches about disability issues. Each year, you can use the new NDEAM theme to frame your kickoff event and influence year-round activities.”