• FREE RESOURCES
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • HR DEEP DIVES
        • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for HR Professionals
          Employment Law
          Labor Law Posting Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
          Recruiting
          businesswoman selecting future employees on digital interfaces
          Recruiting Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
          Performance Management
          vector image of young female making star rating
          Performance Review Resources
          Employment Law
          Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity and the EEOC
          Recruiting
          Onboarding Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
  • CORONAVIRUS & HR

  • LOGIN
  • SIGN UP FREE

HR Morning

  • FREE RESOURCES
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • HR DEEP DIVES
        • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for HR Professionals
          Employment Law
          Labor Law Posting Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
          Recruiting
          businesswoman selecting future employees on digital interfaces
          Recruiting Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
          Performance Management
          vector image of young female making star rating
          Performance Review Resources
          Employment Law
          Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity and the EEOC
          Recruiting
          Onboarding Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
  • CORONAVIRUS & HR
  • Employment Law
  • Benefits
  • Recruiting
  • Talent Management
  • Performance Management
  • HR Technology
  • More
    • Leadership & Strategy
    • Compensation
    • Staff Administration
    • Policy & Procedures
    • Wellness
    • Staff Departure
    • Employee Services
    • Work Location
    • HR Career & Self-Care
    • Health Care
    • Retirement Plans

Accommodation doesn't mean 'satisfaction of an employee's every desire'

Tim Gould
by Tim Gould
December 7, 2012
2 minute read
  • SHARE ON

We often read court decisions where employers get hammered for failing to properly handle an employee request for an accommodation of some type. Nice to see one case where common sense carries the day.
A recent case out of Chicago concerned one Latice Porter, a data entry specialist in the Field Services Section of the city police department.
Porter was a committed Christian, and after she returned to her job after a nine-month medical leave, she was unhappy to learn that her days off would be Friday and Saturday. That meant she couldn’t attend church on Sunday.
She asked to be reassigned to the work group that took Sunday and Monday off. Because the department was trying to “balance the workforce” — there were more employees in the Sunday/Monday group than in the Friday/Saturday group — she was told she’d be reassigned when an opening came up in the Sunday/Monday group.

Didn’t want to change shifts

Her supervisors also suggested that she work the 3  to 11 p.m. shift, which would allow her to attend church services. But Porter never followed up on that suggestion.
Instead, in a four month period, she was absent from work on 16 Sundays. When she was called on the carpet for her pattern of taking Sundays off, she filed a religious discrimination complaint with the EEOC.
The case eventually landed in federal appeals court, where the judge confirmed the lower court’s rulings: The city had made a reasonable attempt at accommodation when it offered to change her work shift.
“Had changing watch groups affected Porter’s pat or other benefits, a much more rigorous inquiry would be required,” the judge wrote. “That is not the case before us, however.
“Porter simply did not want to work the later watch, but that does not make the proposed accommodation unreasonable.”
The judge also made a comment that should warm the heart of every employer:
“[I]t is well settled that [federal bias law] … requires only reasonable accommodation, not satisfaction of an employee’s every desire.”
The case is Porter v. City of Chicago.

Get the latest from HRMorning in your inbox PLUS immediately access 10 FREE HR guides.

I WANT MY FREE GUIDES

Keep Up To Date with the Latest HR News

With HRMorning arriving in your inbox, you will never miss critical stories on labor laws, benefits, retention and onboarding strategies.

Sign up for a free HRMorning membership and get our newsletter!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
HR Morning Logo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linked In
  • ABOUT HRMORNING
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • WRITE FOR US
  • CONTACT
  • Employment Law
  • Benefits
  • Recruiting
  • Talent Management
  • HR Technology
  • Performance Management
  • Leadership & Strategy
  • Compensation & Payroll
  • Policy & Culture
  • Staff Administration
  • Wellness & Safety
  • Staff Departure
  • Employee Services
  • Work Location
  • HR Career & Self-Care

HRMorning, part of the SuccessFuel Network, provides the latest HR and employment law news for HR professionals in the trenches of small-to-medium-sized businesses. Rather than simply regurgitating the day’s headlines, HRMorning delivers actionable insights, helping HR execs understand what HR trends mean to their business.

Privacy Policy Terms of Service
Copyright © 2021 SuccessFuel

WELCOME BACK!

Enter your username and password below to log in

Forget Your Username or Password?

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

Log In

During your free trial, you can cancel at any time with a single click on your “Account” page.  It’s that easy.

Why do we need your credit card for a free trial?

We ask for your credit card to allow your subscription to continue should you decide to keep your membership beyond the free trial period.  This prevents any interruption of content access.

Your card will not be charged at any point during your 21 day free trial
and you may cancel at any time during your free trial.

preloader