Summer is here: When ‘working from the cabin’ becomes an accommodation request

As Minnesota’s cabin season kicks into high gear, employers may find themselves fielding a familiar request: “Can I work remotely?” For many employees, the ask is simply a lifestyle preference—a desire to swap the office for a deck overlooking the water. But for others, the request may be rooted in a medical condition that makes commuting or working on-site difficult. With respect to the latter, employers need to recognize that what sounds like a casual summer plan may actually be a request for a reasonable accommodation under disability discrimination law.

Remote work as a reasonable accommodation

Under both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA), employers have an obligation to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. Remote work has long been recognized as a potential reasonable accommodation, particularly when an employee’s essential job functions can be performed from a location other than the employer’s premises.