Feed: Slashdot
Feed Link: https://slashdot.org/
---

Title: Amazon's Return-to-Office Mandate Sparks Complaints from Disabled
Employees

Link: https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/06/16/004720...

An anonymous reader shared this report from Bloomberg: Amazon's hard-line
stance on getting disabled employees to return to the office has sparked a
backlash, with workers alleging the company is violating the Americans with
Disabilities Act as well as their rights to collectively bargain. At least
two Amazon employees have filed complaints with the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the National Labor Relations Board, federal
agencies that regulate working conditions. One of the workers said they
provided the EEOC with a list of 18 "similarly situated" employees to
emphasize that their experience isn't isolated and to help federal regulators
with a possible investigation. Disabled workers frustrated with how Amazon is
handling their requests for accommodations - including exemptions to a
mandate that they report to the office five days a week - are also venting
their displeasure on internal chat rooms and have encouraged colleagues to
answer surveys about the policies. Amazon has been deleting such posts and
warning that they violate rules governing internal communications. One
employee said they were terminated and another said they were told to find a
different position after advocating for disabled workers on employee message
boards. Both filed complaints with the EEOC and NLRB. Amazon has told
employees with disabilities they must now submit to a "multilevel leader
review," Bloomberg reported in October, "and could be required to return to
the office for monthlong trials to determine if accommodations meet their
needs." (They received calls from "accommodation consultants" who also
reviewed medical documentation, after which "another Amazon manager must sign
off. If they don't, the request goes to a third manager..." Bloomberg's new
article remembers how several employees told them in November. "that they
believed the system was designed to deny work-from-home accommodations and
prompt employees with disabilities to quit, which some have done. Amazon
denied the system was designed to encourage people to resign." Since then,
workers have mobilized against the policy. One employee repeatedly posted an
online survey seeking colleagues' reactions, defying the company's demands to
stop. The survey ultimately generated feedback from more than 200 workers
even though Amazon kept deleting it, and the results reflected strong
opposition to Amazon's treatment of disabled workers. More than 71% of
disabled Amazon employees surveyed said the company had denied or failed to
meet most of their accommodation requests, while half indicated they faced
"hostile" work environments after disclosing their disabilities and
requesting accommodations. One respondent said they sought permission to work
from home after suffering multiple strokes that prevented them from driving.
Amazon suggested moving closer to the office and taking mass transit, the
person said in the survey. Another respondent said they couldn't drive for
longer than 15-minute intervals due to chronic pain. Amazon's recommendation
was to pull over and stretch during their commute, which the employee said
was unsafe since they drive on a busy freeway... Amazon didn't dispute the
accounts and said it considered a range of solutions to disability
accommodations, including changes to an employee's commute. Amazon is also
"using AI to parse accommodation requests, read doctors' notes and make
recommendations based on keywords," according to the article - another policy
that's also generated internal opposition (and formed a "key element" of the
complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). "The dispute could
affect thousands of Amazon workers. An internal Slack channel for employees
with disabilities has 13,000 members, one of the people said..."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

---
VRSS v2.1.180528