Hacker News Reader

> Remote work was a medical requirement for me and even in those circumstances Google refused to consider it.

Certainly that must be illegal under the ADA, or something similar?

IANAL but I don't think it's necessarily illegal by default under the ADA. The first thing the employee has to do is establish that their condition falls under a protected class and then they can request an accommodation. If the employer can demonstrate that there's no way to reasonably accommodate the employee then I believe they're off the hook - that is a much higher burden for a large company to satisfy than say for a small 10 person start-up.

Depending on the position working remotely is reasonable or unreasonable as determined by the company.

I think it’s pretty typical to say coming into the office is a requirement so full time remote would not be a reasonable accommodation under the ADA.

I think the reason why many companies don’t allow as a rule is that by selectively allowing remote work, they are vulnerable to ADA suits.

If it was an existing condition or not a work related injury then most likely they have no legal recourse.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com