Failure to accommodate is a claim that an employer did not provide a legally required reasonable accommodation.
The phrase often appears in disability and religious accommodation disputes.
Why failure to accommodate matters
Accommodation duties can require practical changes that allow a worker to perform a job or exercise protected rights. A failure-to-accommodate claim focuses on whether the employer met that duty.
The analysis often depends on essential job functions, the requested accommodation, undue hardship, documentation, timing, and whether the parties engaged in an interactive process.
Where failure to accommodate appears
The term appears in human resources records, discrimination charges, agency investigations, workplace lawsuits, return-to-work planning, and leave or schedule disputes.
It may involve job modifications, equipment, schedule changes, leave, reassignment, dress or grooming exceptions, or policy adjustments.
How it differs from nearby terms
Reasonable accommodation is the adjustment being considered. Failure to accommodate is the alleged legal wrong.
The interactive process is the dialogue used to evaluate possible accommodations.
Practical example
An employee with a documented limitation asks for a modified workstation. The employer ignores the request for months and never discusses alternatives. A later claim may frame the issue as failure to accommodate.
Related Terms
- Reasonable Accommodation
- Interactive Process
- Discrimination
- Adverse Employment Action
- Retaliation Claim
- Wrongful Termination
Quick check
Question: Is failure to accommodate the same as the accommodation itself?
Answer: No. It is the claim that a required accommodation was not provided or properly considered.