{"id":26242,"date":"2023-08-24T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/08\/24\/can-feds-preserve-telework-as-a-reasonable-accommodation\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:02:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:02:51","slug":"can-feds-preserve-telework-as-a-reasonable-accommodation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/hr\/2023\/08\/24\/can-feds-preserve-telework-as-a-reasonable-accommodation\/","title":{"rendered":"Can feds preserve telework as a reasonable accommodation?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So you\u2019re wondering if telework can count as a reasonable accommodation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assuming you\u2019re not just trying to juke the system into letting you keep working remotely after your agency announced return-to-office plans, there are instances in which working from home could be protected as a reasonable accommodation for those with a qualifying circumstance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut employers need to remember that that\u2019s related to things that deal with disabilities,\u201d said Stephanie Rapp-Tully, an attorney specializing in discrimination in the workplace. \u201cJust because you want to telework, doesn\u2019t mean that it has to be granted. You have to be able to cite a reason why you need telework to do your job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A handful of agencies and their sub-offices have announced formally that they will be increasing in-person work as early as this month, with more trickling in this fall. The response from federal employees online and in interviews with unions representing them has been sour, with many saying they feel the decisions are poorly justified or arbitrary. As agencies are in the process of figuring out appropriate next steps, some may be wondering what recourse they have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Telework as a reasonable accommodation may not necessarily be one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\t