To pay or not to pay? Office furniture for remote workers

Q         For employees working from home, we currently don't provide reimbursement for furniture without a doctor's note stating a need for an ergonomic chair or desk. If we require someone to work from home more than half the time, do we have to purchase an ergonomic chair other than for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) purposes?

A         No. Generally, if you require someone to work from home for more than half the time, you don’t have to pay for an ergonomic chair other than for ADA purposes. The requirement doesn’t change your obligation to provide a reasonable accommodation, but there is no federal mandate for you to reimburse an employee for remote expenses, except when they would have the effect of dropping the individual’s pay below minimum wage.

Thus, absent a state or local law to the contrary, you aren’t required to provide reimbursement for ergonomic chairs, desks, or other furniture merely because you require an employee to work from home more than half the time.

Only for ADA disability. You are required, however, to provide reasonable accommodations, such as ergonomic chairs, to employees who have a disability under the ADA. If an employee has a disability-related accommodation at work, such as an ergonomic chair, you need to consider providing the same solution for the work at home, subject to the same undue hardship considerations as exist with providing such accommodations when working in the office.