TL;DR: Deb Muller interviews Joshua Peterson of Disclo on Two Minute Matters about the three most important elements of ADA accommodations for employers: Follow the interactive process in good faith, communicate promptly and document thoroughly. They stress that accommodations should be a collaborative conversation — and sometimes a temporary trial is the best way to find what works.
Three Key Takeaways from the Video: Most Important Parts of Interactive Process
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Interactive Process is Mandatory: Employers must engage in a two-way good-faith conversation to understand and meet accommodation needs
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Timely Communication Matters: Respond quickly, explain the process and reassure employees after disclosure
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Document Everything: Clear timely records protect the organization and ensure alignment with the employee
Video Transcript: Most Important Parts of Interactive Process
00:00:12.599
Hi everybody, it is Deb Muller, CEO and founder of HR Acuity. We are back for another episode of Two Minute Mattersand I’m really excited to be joined today by my co-star Joshua Peterson.
00:00:21.680
Joshua is the Head of Workplace Accommodations and Client Experience at Disclo. If you are not familiar with Disclo, they are the leading platform for helping employers manage employee accommodations. So I’m sure you can imagine what we’re going to talk about today.
00:00:40.160
Hi Joshua, thanks for joining.
00:00:41.879
Joshua: Hey Deb, thanks for having me. I’m excited about our topic today.
00:00:47.320
Deb: We’ve been teeing this up for a while, so I’m excited to see what we can get done in two minutes. We could probably talk a lot longer! We just had a great webinar with the Disclo team and Keith Sundling from the EEOC a month ago talking about accommodations. If you haven’t watched that, go to Empower, get the link and watch it.
00:01:05.799
But now we want some of Joshua’s expertise. He knows the rules — we’ve got two minutes. I’m putting the timer on my phone right now. He’s going to talk about the most important thing employers need to get right with ADA accommodations.
00:01:25.720
Joshua: Ready to go when you are.
00:01:28.840
Joshua: The most important parts of the interactive process for employers are:
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Having an interactive process in the first place
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Communicating timely
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Documenting everything
On the interactive process — you’d be surprised how many employers get in trouble for simply getting a request, making a decision and going with it. The EEOC says you can’t do that. You need a back-and-forth good-faith effort: talk with the employee, clarify requests, understand their real needs. Sometimes there are multiple ways to grant a request and a conversation can uncover workable solutions.
If you’re not sure something will work, offer a temporary or short-term accommodation and try it out — that’s good faith.
00:02:31.440
Second, communicate in a timely manner. When you get a request, respond, explain your process and have templates ready so you know how to respond in different situations. Don’t leave someone hanging after they disclose a disability. Show them you received it, you care and you’ll follow up with dignity.
00:02:54.599
Third, document the process. In ER, if it’s not documented, it’s as if it didn’t happen. Timely documentation mitigates risk. Get agreement from the employee on what was discussed.
00:03:18.440
Deb: You did it in two minutes — prize for you! I love that the interactive process isn’t scary; it’s about having a conversation. There are great resources like Disclo and JAN (Job Accommodations Network). And I loved your point — just try something out. It’s not forever. Do something temporarily to see if it works for both the employer and the employee.
00:03:58.239
Joshua: Absolutely. Many Disclo clients find that trial accommodations work and can be sustained. It shows employees you care, you’re inclusive and you want to retain their knowledge and skills.
00:04:20.160
Deb: I kept going past two minutes because this is such an important topic. Let us know in the comments what’s worked for you, any tips and we’ll keep the conversation going. Joshua, thank you so much for joining me.
00:04:42.520
Joshua: Thanks everybody. See you next time.
