Introduction
Accommodation requests are increasingly frequent—and when they’re handled inconsistently they slow teams, frustrate employees, and create legal exposure. With hybrid work patterns and tighter enforcement, HR leaders need a predictable, private, and defensible approach. Document automation can turn ad hoc intake and manual tracking into standardized, timestamped records that speed decisions and reduce disputes.
This Accessibility & Reasonable Accommodation Policy Template gives you a practical blueprint: clear rights and response timelines, confidential intake and HIPAA‑aligned handling, interactive trial plans with success metrics, data minimization and retention rules, manager training and audit‑ready acknowledgement ledgers, plus recommended Formtify templates to operationalize the workflow. Use these elements inside your workplace policies to build consistent decisions, secure confidential workflows, and maintain audit‑ready records.
Core policy components: rights, response timelines, examples of reasonable accommodations and decision criteria
Rights and scope: Clearly state employees’ rights under applicable laws (e.g., anti‑discrimination and disability statutes) and the scope of the employer’s responsibilities. In the employee handbook and company policies section, define who is covered, what counts as a request, and the relationship between workplace policies and other HR policies.
Response timelines
Establish predictable timeframes for each step so requests don’t stall. Typical milestones include:
- Acknowledgement: 2 business days
- Initial intake review: 5–10 business days
- Interactive process: continuous, with formal update points every 5–15 business days
- Decision communicated: within 30 calendar days of a complete file (shorter where safety or operational urgency requires)
Document all dates in a case log. These timelines become part of office policies and set expectations for managers and employees.
Reasonable accommodations & decision criteria
Explicitly list examples of reasonable accommodations (tailor to your workplace):
- Modified work schedules (flex hours, reduced shifts)
- Ergonomic equipment and workstation modifications
- Temporary reassignment to a vacant position
- Remote work or hybrid scheduling for roles that allow it (include remote work policy references)
- Job restructuring and reassignment of non‑essential tasks
Decision criteria should be transparent and include:
- Impact on essential job functions
- Effectiveness of the accommodation for the individual’s limitations
- Undue hardship on the business (financial and operational analysis)
- Availability of alternatives and trial possibilities
Use these elements inside your workplace policies examples and in templates so decisions are consistent and defensible.
Intake and documentation: confidential request forms, medical authorizations and secure data handling (HIPAA alignment)
Standardize intake. Use a single confidential request form for all accommodation requests to ensure you capture consistent information: employee contact, job title, limitation description, requested accommodation, and preferred timing.
Consider using a secure online form that routes to HR with restricted access. For a ready-to-use HIPAA‑aligned medical authorization form, see Formtify’s template: https://formtify.app/set/hipaaa-authorization-form-2fvxa
Medical information and HIPAA alignment
While employers are not covered entities under HIPAA in most cases, you should still treat medical information with equivalent privacy protections:
- Collect only what’s necessary to evaluate the request.
- Get written authorization before requesting third‑party medical records.
- Store medical documents separately from general personnel files and limit access to HR and designated decision‑makers.
Secure documentation practices
Implement these practical protections:
- Encrypted storage with role‑based access controls
- Audit logs that show who accessed what and when
- Secure transmission channels for forms and attachments
These practices integrate with broader HR policies and support compliance for workplace policies and data privacy requirements.
Interactive accommodation plans: trial periods, success metrics, and individualized workflow templates
Design interactive plans. Treat accommodation planning as a collaborative, iterative process — often called the interactive process in HR policies. Begin with a proposed solution, then pilot it, measure outcomes, and adjust.
Trial periods and checkpoints
Set a defined trial period (commonly 2–8 weeks) with clear checkpoints. At each checkpoint:
- Document performance and functional outcomes
- Collect feedback from the employee and their manager
- Adjust equipment, schedule, or responsibilities as needed
Success metrics
Use concrete, role‑based metrics to measure success rather than subjective impressions. Examples:
- Attendance and punctuality trends
- Completeness and timeliness of deliverables
- Quality indicators tied to the role
- Employee self‑reported functionality and comfort
Individualized workflow templates
Provide templates that map the employee’s core tasks to accommodation actions (e.g., who approves time adjustments, who provides equipment, communication channels). This reduces ambiguity in day‑to‑day operations and can be referenced in the employee handbook or manager guidance documents.
Data minimization and retention: what to capture, how long to keep records and automated deletion/retention rules
What to capture. Limit captured data to what’s necessary for documentation and decision‑making: request date, nature of the limitation, medical documentation summaries (not raw medical histories), accommodations considered, decisions and rationale, and logs of communications.
Retention guidance (practical ranges)
Legal retention requirements differ by jurisdiction. As practical, commonly used ranges for company policies and HR policies are:
- Accommodation request records: retain for the duration of employment plus 3 years
- Medical information and authorizations: retain separately for 3–7 years depending on local rules
- Decision rationales and logs: retain for at least 3 years after the action is closed
Consult counsel to set final legal retention schedules for your jurisdiction and industry. Include the chosen timeline in your workplace policies template to maintain consistency.
Automated deletion and retention rules
Implement rules in your HRIS or document management system:
- Tag records on creation with retention period metadata
- Automate archive then deletion workflows with approval gates for exceptions
- Log automated deletions and retain an audit record (redacted if it contained medical details)
These controls support data minimization and make audits easier.
Training and compliance: manager guidance templates, employee notifications and audit‑ready acknowledgement ledgers
Manager training and templates. Provide managers with simple, role‑specific guidance: how to receive a request, whom to notify in HR, and how to avoid improper inquiries. Include short scripts and checklists they can use in conversations.
Employee notifications and acknowledgements
Use templated messages for each stage: acknowledgement, request for medical info, trial confirmation, and final decision. Require employees to sign (electronically if possible) a brief acknowledgement so the HR file is audit‑ready.
Audit‑ready acknowledgement ledgers
Maintain a central ledger that records every acknowledgement and key action with timestamps and reviewer initials. The ledger should be exportable for audits and internal compliance reviews. Keep it separate from medical records and limit access to compliance and HR leads.
Ongoing compliance checks
Schedule periodic reviews (quarterly or semiannual) to examine a sample of cases for consistency with workplace rules and your employee handbook. Use the findings to update training and refine HR policies.
Recommended Formtify templates to operationalize accessibility policies: medical authorization forms, leave requests, appraisal & appointment templates
Use ready templates to make workplace policies operational quickly. Recommended Formtify templates:
- Medical authorization (HIPAA‑aligned): https://formtify.app/set/hipaaa-authorization-form-2fvxa — use for third‑party medical releases and to standardize what information you request.
- Leave of absence request: https://formtify.app/set/leave-of-absence-request-letter-eov60 — integrates with leave and absence policy workflows and helps document eligibility and timelines.
- Performance appraisal / accommodation check: https://formtify.app/set/performance-appraisal-letter-6xd8y — use during or after a trial period to capture objective role‑based metrics.
- Appointment / offer letter template: https://formtify.app/set/appointment-letter-27avk — useful when reassignment or permanent job changes are part of an accommodation.
Embed these forms into your HRIS and employee handbook so frontline managers can follow consistent procedures. These pieces together create a practical workplace policies template — especially helpful for small businesses that need straightforward, compliant workflows for remote work, harassment policy enforcement, leave and absence policy management, and other employee conduct policies.
Summary
This template lays out a practical, defensible approach to accessibility and reasonable accommodation: clear rights and response timelines, a standardized confidential intake, HIPAA‑aligned handling of medical information, iterative trial plans with objective success metrics, data‑minimizing retention rules, manager training, and an audit‑ready acknowledgement ledger. Document automation turns those elements into predictable, timestamped workflows that speed decisions, reduce disputes, and make compliance reviews far easier for HR and legal teams. Use these building blocks inside your workplace policies to create consistent, secure processes — and operationalize them quickly by visiting https://formtify.app.
FAQs
What are workplace policies?
Workplace policies are written rules and procedures that describe expected behavior, benefits, safety rules, and operational practices at your organization. They set clear expectations for employees and managers and provide a framework for consistent decision‑making.
Why are workplace policies important?
Policies ensure consistency, reduce legal risk, and make it easier to manage employee expectations across the company. Clear policies also speed incident resolution and support defensible decisions when disputes or audits arise.
How do you write a workplace policy?
Start with applicable legal requirements and your organization’s operational needs, then define scope, responsibilities, step‑by‑step procedures, timelines, and escalation paths. Keep the language plain, test drafts with stakeholders, and include retention and access controls for any sensitive information.
What should be included in an employee handbook?
An employee handbook should include core policies such as conduct and anti‑discrimination rules, leave and absence procedures, accommodation request steps, reporting channels, and disciplinary processes. It should also list key contacts, how policies are updated, and where employees can find forms and acknowledgment procedures.
Are workplace policies legally required?
Some policies are legally required or implied—examples include safety rules, certain leave notices, and anti‑discrimination accommodations—while others are best practice to manage operations. Always confirm specific obligations with counsel and adapt policies to local laws and industry requirements.
