Staff & Faculty Accommodation FAQ

Puget Sound HR/Benefits will not communicate confidential medical information to staff supervision or faculty leadership. Only information pertinent to a staff or faculty member's accommodation being requested will be shared outside of HR in an effort to determine if the accommodation is reasonable or creates an undue hardship. Medical information is kept confidential and separate from the employee's personnel file. Leaders are informed of the nature of the request and of what possible accommodations may be offered in order for the employee to perform the essential functions of their job. Anyone involved in implementing an accommodation is advised that medical/disability matters are confidential and should not be shared with others.

Disclosure of a medical condition or disability is a voluntary process. You are not required to disclose any information about your medical condition or disability to your supervisor or coworkers. However, some people choose to do so. While medical/disability information shared outside of HR/Benefits should still be treated as confidential, this is not guaranteed. If you choose to share information about a medical condition or disability with people not involved in the accommodation process or outside of HR/Benefits, be aware that this information may be perceived as common knowledge and shared with others unless you specify that it is confidential.

Never ask your direct report for personal medical information. If an employee starts to share information with you that includes personal medical information, make sure to let them know that you do not need to know this information. When discussing with a direct report their accommodation request, always focus on the workplace requirements of the accommodation(s) being requested, not on the medical condition or disability itself.

• Contact HR/Benefits if you have any questions about the accommodation being requested.
• Contact HR/Benefits if an employee tells you about a health problem that could impact their ability to perform their job but does not make a specific accommodation request.
• You may not deny a request for accommodation without first consulting with HR/Benefits. While all requests may not be approved, an accommodation request, along with possible alternatives, must be thoroughly evaluated prior to denial.
• Requests for basic office furniture and IT equipment do not require an official workplace accommodation request and will be paid for at the department's expense.