How-to: Prep an Accommodation Request
Education only. This is not legal advice and not a determination of your rights under any disability, leave, or employment law. Accommodation processes are employer- and jurisdiction-specific. Your HR team, handbook, and (if you choose) your own counsel are the authorities. Use this how-to to organize your thoughts and follow company process more calmly.
Asking for an accommodation can feel vulnerable. Prep helps you describe the workplace barrier and the kind of change that would help, without oversharing private medical information in the wrong forums.
Time box: 45–90 minutes to prepare your notes and initiate the company process. Interactive processes with HR may take longer; that timeline is theirs to guide.
Start with how HR works. For role context while you plan work adjustments, the Individual Contributor hub or New Manager hub may help you think about essential job functions in practical terms. Managers receiving a request should not improvise; they should involve HR.
When to use / when not
Use when:
– A health condition, disability, pregnancy-related need, religion-related need, or other covered situation (as defined by policy/law where you work) creates a workplace barrier
– You want to initiate or prepare for your company’s accommodation process
Do not use when:
– You only need routine IT equipment that already has a normal request path (try that first if it truly is standard)
– You are asking a peer to grant exceptions outside official channels
– You expect this page to replace HR, forms, or medical documentation rules your employer uses
If you are unsafe, contact appropriate emergency or HR escalation channels immediately.
Prep
- Read your company’s accommodation or disability policy page
- Note the intake channel (HR email, form, vendor portal)
- Write a private draft: barrier at work, tasks affected, ideas that might help, timing
- Separate “what I am willing to share with HR” from “what I will not put in Slack”
- Consider whether you want a support person at meetings if policy allows
- Gather existing documents only if policy asks; do not spray medical records into random inboxes
You do not need a perfect legal theory to start. You need a clear workplace problem statement and willingness to engage the process.
Steps
- Describe the barrier in work terms (15–20 min). What about the job, schedule, tools, or environment creates the obstacle?
- List possible accommodations as ideas, not demands (10 min). Equipment, schedule, location, communication norms, leave as part of a broader plan, etc. HR/process decides what is reasonable under policy.
- Find the official intake path (10 min). Prefer HR over your manager’s personal inbox for documentation, though you may also inform your manager per policy.
- Submit or request a meeting (15–20 min). Keep the first note short; offer to provide what the form requires.
- Participate in the interactive process in good faith. Answer process questions; ask for timelines.
- Track dates, attendees, and outcomes in a personal folder.
- If denied or delayed, ask for reasons and next steps in writing through the process. Consider external advice if needed; this how-to cannot provide it.
Managers: if an employee approaches you, thank them, avoid probing medical details, and loop in HR promptly.
Script (what to say / send)
Employee to HR (illustrative):
“I am requesting an accommodation related to a workplace barrier affecting my ability to [job function / environment / schedule]. I would like to begin our company’s accommodation process. Please let me know the forms or documentation needed and the next meeting time. I can describe the barrier and some ideas that might help.”
Employee to manager (if informing them):
“I am starting an accommodation process with HR related to a work barrier. I will follow their guidance on next steps. I wanted you to know so we can plan work appropriately once HR advises what is needed from the team.”
Manager response:
“Thank you for telling me. I will support the process and connect with HR on my responsibilities. I will not ask you for private medical details. Let’s keep documentation in the official channel.”
Output artifact
Personal accommodation prep packet:
- Barrier description (work-focused)
- Ideas list (flexible)
- Intake confirmation / ticket ID
- Meeting notes and dates
- Outcome and any trial period notes
During meetings, you can ask what trial periods look like and how success will be evaluated. Many workplaces try an adjustment for a defined window. Keep notes on what helps. If an adjustment creates a new barrier, say so early through the same process.
Coworkers do not automatically need your diagnosis. They may need to know a scheduling or tooling change exists. Let HR and your manager guide what is shared. Related: return from leave when leave and accommodation overlap, always coordinated through HR.
Watch-outs
- Posting medical details in public channels. Use HR channels.
- Assuming your manager can approve informally forever. Officialize through policy so coverage is consistent.
- All-or-nothing framing. Processes often explore options.
- Retaliation concerns. Raise them through proper reporting channels; see also reporting-concern guidance.
- This page as legal counsel. It is not.
Done looks like: you initiated the right process with a clear barrier statement and a calm paper trail. For leave that may overlap, coordinate with HR rather than running parallel informal plans.