Who Requests and Receives Workplace Accommodations? An Intersectional Analysis

• Published in: Journal of occupational rehabilitation Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 283 - 298
• Main Authors: Hyseni, Fitore, Goodman, Nanette, Blanck, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.06.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Clinical Psychology; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Disabilities; Disability; Disabled Persons - statistics & numerical data; Education; Environmental Health; Female; Handicapped accessibility; Health Psychology; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine; Older people; Orthopedics; Pandemics; Rehabilitation; SARS-CoV-2; Sex Factors; Supplements; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teleworking - statistics & numerical data; United States; Workplace; Young Adult; United States; Disability; Workplace accommodations; COVID-19 pandemic; Employment
• ISSN: 1053-0487; 1573-3688; 1573-3688
• DOI: 10.1007/s10926-024-10172-4

Purpose This study investigates who requests workplace accommodations and who is more likely to have requests granted. We investigate the role of demographic characteristics and their intersection, including disability, gender, race/ethnicity, and age. We also consider the role of other personal and job-related factors. Methods We use the data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) 2021 Disability Supplement to estimate the odds ratio of having requested workplace accommodations and having such request granted during the COVID-19 pandemic when the survey was conducted. In supplementary analyses, we explore the relationship between remote work and flexible scheduling and workplace accommodations, as well as possible trends using CPS 2019 Disability Supplement. Results Our results indicate that Hispanics with disabilities are more likely than others to request workplace accommodations, but they are substantially less likely to be granted accommodations. Consistent with other studies, our paper also finds that people with disabilities, women, and older people are more likely to request accommodations than their respective counterparts. Other personal and job-related factors such as higher education, parenthood, being single, being a citizen, and working in management-related occupations are associated with higher likelihood of requesting workplace accommodations compared to their counterparts, while receiving accommodations is largely explained by occupational differences. Conclusion Our findings show that there are still disparities in the rates of workplace accommodation requests and provision for multiply marginalized groups, and as such, taking into account intersectional differences in addition and in relation to disability is important.