Question

When twenty-seven-year-old Natasha Frechette learned that she had multiple sclerosis, she wondered whether she would not only need someone to take care of her but whether she would be able to keep her data manager job at the small research firm where she worked. After all, the disease with which Frechette was diagnosed could lead to numbness, blindness, and eventual paralysis. Not to mention she would need to take time off for physical and occupational therapy. In a related story, Joel Boswell could no longer work as a mechanic at United Airlines after he was treated for a brain tumor. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged in its class-action lawsuit against the airline that rather than hiring Boswell for other jobs for which he was qualified, United Airlines placed him on involuntary leave until he retired. According to the EEOC attorney, “They [disabled workers] shouldn’t have to compete with everybody else. If they can do these jobs, they should try to work out an accommodation with the disabled worker.”

Frechette and Boswell are not alone. Millions of U.S. workers grapple with similar issues. In fact, over 7.4 million workers received Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits in 2008. Many of these workers suffer from serious or chronic illnesses that interfere with their ability to perform the work that brings so much meaning to their lives. Yet, many disabled employees do not let their employers know for fear of being perceived as cop-outs or of being discriminated against. Failure to disclose one’s illness, regardless of the reason, is risky. First, employers could mistake disability-related behaviors as dysfunctional behavior. For example, career coach Rosalind Joffe speaks of a client who, by not disclosing his illness to his employer, was accused of being a drug abuser. Most importantly, employers won’t know if and in what ways to adjust the disabled employee’s work if they don’t know that an adjustment is required.

1. 1. As a manager, how would you balance a disabled employee’s needs for a work adjustment to your need to design jobs that meet organizational performance goals?

1. 2. Do you believe United Airlines was justified in placing Boswell on involuntary leave? Explain.

Answer 1

1) As a manager and a human, I have to balance between organization's productivity and ethical values. Thereby, must facilitate to re-assign job responsibilities in cases where the employee is disabled and not able to perform his/her regular tasks and duties. I could re-assign different work and provide required leave (unpaid/paid) to the employee based on his medical requirements. In case an employee, such as Boswell is unable to perform mechanic duties, he can be assigned administrative duties such that he would not have to do heavy physical work.

2) No, employees are assets to any company and the employers must ensure proper treatment to them. Boswell should have been given leave to recuperate from the illness and then assigned a job which he could easily perform. Thus his motivation and self-esteem would be retained. Resulting in higher loyalty towards the company.