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gonehome

I think some places would rather have the dogs, even if it means excluding those with lethal allergies to dogs.

Maybe that's fine?

Not every place has to be a fit for everyone.

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Maybe that's fine?

It’s not fine. Allergies are disabilities under the ADA. If you don’t provide a safe workplace for people with severe or potentially fatal allergies then you’re in violation and open to a lawsuit.

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) does require employers to make “reasonable accommodations” for employees with a qualifying disability if doing so won’t impose an “undue hardship” on the operation of the employer’s business.

Sounds like there’s a lot of room there for reasonable policy.

How are pets (not service animals) relevant at all to the operation of a tech company's business?

It's a perk to many, and can be a part of company culture

What happens if you have both blind employees that use guide dogs and employees that are allergic to dogs?

I would think you would do whatever you could to allow both of those employees to function while ensuring they don't cross each other's path.

You place them in separate areas.

What happens when an existing employee has an ADA-approved service dog?

Do they fire that person so the allergic new hire can come to work? Do they alternate weeks and deep-clean the office during the weekends?

The building I work in has at least one person with a serious enough dog allergy that dogs aren't allowed on that floor, and at least 2 people who use service dogs. It's a large building, though not enormous (5-10 floors), people seem to manage.

Let's say it's a small office then. If they have just one floor and someone with a service dog what's a reasonable accommodation for a potential hire with allergies?

How do you provide a safe environment specifically? If someone has a life threatening allergy, even if there has never been a dog in the workplace the pet hair and dander on dog owners clothing is enough to be a serious issue.

You can find at least one person who is deathly allergic to anything. If I’m deathly allergic to carpets, that means no office in the world is allowed to have carpets?

This level of extremist view isn’t very helpful. Typically the expectation is about making _reasonable_ changes which is, ultimately, flexible. There’s an office in my building that has a sign on the door stating that it is a nut free zone due to an employee’s severe allergy. I have dietary requirements that my employer accommodates. Employers don’t get to have the value of an employee without incurring costs: adapting process is part of that cost.

You can find extreme examples — such as an allergy to sunlight — and sometimes the accommodation for those examples may be different to “banning carpet from the office”.

The original post is what you are referring to. Apparently all companies must accommodate people allergic to dogs. Thankfully, just apparently.

Yes, no office that employs you. If we have to get crammed into one space to work together, we have to come down to least common denominator.

EDIT: And I'm not trying to advocate for whatever group there is. It's just reality. You make software that is used by people, you need to make it accessible. You make books, you need to make them readable and so on and so on.

And you know what I noticed? I noticed that when people make stuff accessible with least common denominator in mind, that stuff becomes easier and more comfortable to use for me as well even though I don't have any issues.

Ok time to organize a class action against all buildings that have carpets

Fuck carpets in offices in general though. I've almost slipped on one at our office on several times.

Not to mention carpet is filthy (especially in high traffic areas) and is frequently coated with those crazy waterproofing chemicals

I know that’s why I’m totally serious

Maybe it's fine to exclude people allergic to dogs?

Maybe it's fine to exclude people with other health conditions as well?

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