Society For Human Resource Management (SHRM) Certified Professional Practice Exam

What constitutes undue hardship when establishing new accessibility standards for disabled workers?

1. The cost is high

2. The finances of the business will be impacted

3. It would be difficult for management to get this ready due to the immense number of items needed

4. The burden on the employer is significant

The correct answer is: The burden on the employer is significant

The concept of undue hardship in the context of establishing new accessibility standards for disabled workers is primarily concerned with the extent to which accommodating these standards would create a significant burden on the employer. When determining whether something constitutes undue hardship, various factors are taken into consideration, but the key determinant is the level of burden that the implementation would impose. Significant burden can refer to a number of issues, including financial strain or operational disruptions, but it is specifically about the degree to which these accommodations would challenge the sustainability of the employer's operations. This means that it is not just the cost or the logistical difficulty that matter, but rather whether these factors together create a level of hardship that would be unreasonable relative to the employer's means or the types of accommodations being requested. While the cost might be high, or the business finances could be impacted, these are components that would be evaluated to ascertain whether the overall burden is significant. Similarly, difficulties in management getting everything ready might contribute to the employer's challenges, but all these considerations lead back to the core idea of whether the resultant burden is significant enough to justify a denial of the accommodation. Thus, identifying the overall impact on the employer's operations and resources is crucial in determining if those new standards would indeed place an undue hardship