We’re rapidly approaching the five-year mark since the first cases of Covid-19 began impacting the population and workplaces in pandemic proportions. Even now we’re still navigating the various complexities associated with returning to the office and how the policies and practices related to the reasonable accommodations process have been significantly altered by Covid-19 itself and its ripple effects. This session explores how to navigate the new normal of requesting and fulfilling reasonable accommodations in a post-pandemic workplace, and how considerations such as returning to physical locations following a prolonged remote work arrangement and the emergence of hybrid working models have introduced complex variables to the process.   

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Explore how Covid-19 has introduced a host of new considerations into the reasonable accommodations process, such as the emergence of Long Covid as a covered condition; the impact that Covid had on exacerbating pre-existing disabilities – some of which may not have previously required reasonable accommodations; and how newly-diagnosed disabilities – particularly those related to mental health – resulted from the pandemic. 
  2. Discuss how recent additions and revisions to legislative policies in select jurisdictions have changed the landscape for post-pandemic return to work accommodations processes for large employers. 
  3. Learn how a coordinated approach to accessibility and accommodations can create a more seamless integration of the digital and physical work environments that can enhance inclusion and productivity by maximizing individual mobility through hybrid models and collective collaboration across workspaces.  

Moderator:  

  • Stacy Daigle – Assoc. Director, TGS Culture Lead at Becton Dickinson 

Panelists: 

  • Alison Faye Johnson – RTX ADAPT Chair / Global Trade Sr. Manager at RTX
  • Conner O’Connell – Benefits Accommodations People Consultant at Google 
  • Tiffany Solberg – SVP, Life Event Services Manager- International Operations & Disability Strategy at Bank of America
  • Jenny Sonnenberg – Team Lead, Leaves and Accommodations at Discover