Most people spend much of their day working. One half of office workers experience some kind of job related discomfort. Poor ergonomics can affect you in ways you least expect. It is important to understand the ergonomic process of your job and be able to identify potential hazards in your work environment.
Workplace Ergonomics
The information contained herein is for purely informational purposes only, and is not intended to present medical, occupational, or therapeutic advice.
Ergonomics is the science of studying how efficient people are in their work environment and details what can be done to make them more productive throughout the day.
> Return to Health
Poor ErgonomicsSeveral conditions can be the result of poor ergonomics, including:
• Headaches & Migraines
• Fatigue
• Poor digestion
• Stiff neck
• Back injury, discomfort, numbness, aches, & pains
that feet do not dangle Three �nger gap between seat edge and back of the knee
Eyes looking
straight ahead
Feet at on the
oor, supporting
weight of legs
Thighs parallel
with oor;
knees bent at
90 degrees or
wider
Elbows bent
around 90
degrees, tucked
in close to body
Top 1/3 of
monitor aligned
with eye height
Desk is just
below elbow
height
Wrists straight
Adjust monitor
to arm’s length
away
1 hourseated
20 minstanding
Repeat
With proper ergonomics, you can complete your job more efficiently. Proper posture and routines help to maximize your personal comfort and while minimizing symptoms of stress while working at a computer.
Sit Up Straight: Tips for Seated Workplace Ergonomics Sit To Stand: Advice for Ergonomics in Action
The following are general considerations for returning employees to work safely and effectively. Each employer’s return to work program may operate differently, and can benefit from a tailored program, but here are some important aspects to consider:
Return to Work Checklist
Employer Suggestions
Consider manager training about your RTW program/philosophy, focus on locations with high absence incidence rates or high accommodation requests.
Leverage your leave administrator for diagnostic and location trend reporting to be prepared for frequent accommodation requests related to high frequency leave scenarios.
Consider onsite evaluations for positions with high frequency leaves to pro-actively identify opportunities for ergonomic changes to aid in accommodation requests.
> Return to Health
✔ Is the Return to Work (RTW) program centralized or decentralized within the employer’s hierarchy? –Do all RTW decisions follow this process? –If not, what processes do? (e.g. Accommodations)
✔ How are accommodation requests handled, is there an identified escalation path if locations deny a request or are inconsistent?
✔ Does the employer have a separate process and escalation path for early intervention or stay at work requests?
✔ What wellness programs does the customer have in their benefit suite that can be linked to their leave programs? –Which wellness vendors can have warm transfers? –Which wellness vendors can share data for trend analysis?
✔ Are there any specific job functions or certification requirements that would preclude you from having a RTW program for your population?
ADF# DI2112.19
DisabilityMetLife ADA Workforce Solutions
Navigating ADA & FMLA Compliance A guide for customers
Balancing the requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can be complex.
This resource guide, along with MetLife’s ADA Workforce Solutions, is designed to help you navigate the process, comply with the regulations, and optimize your company’s most valuable asset — your employees.
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MetLife ADA Workforce Solutions
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A guide to complianceFMLA and ADA regulations are often difficult to navigate. In addition to the federal regulations, employers must also consider state and local leave laws, applicable labor agreements and business needs all while helping employees stay at work or facilitate a safe and productive return to work.
Having a compliant, consistent process in place is critical for your company and your employees. MetLife provides third-party, expert support to help you evaluate and manage leave situations, while balancing risk management, human resource policies, occupational health and safety concerns, and workforce productivity.
Read on for a comprehensive overview of how it works.
ADA & FMLA: The overlap and the differences
The FMLA and ADA both make leave available to employees.
The ADA requires that employers consider an accommodation for employees who have a disability as defined by the law. The FMLA provides leave entitlement to employees with a serious health condition among other reasons. If the employee does not have any leave time available through any federal, state or employer sponsored program, leave may be a reasonable accommodation under the ADA.
Similarities between the FMLA and the ADA end there, however. FMLA requirements are rigid while the ADA has more nuance and flexibility. Under the ADA, employers may determine that a requested accommodation cannot be made because it creates an undue hardship. Employers cannot make a similar determination about FMLA leave.
The chart below illustrates other key differences between the two laws:
FMLA• Intent: Provide employees a work/life
balance to care for themselves or family member
• Result: Absence from work — either full-time or modified schedule
• Eligibility Criteria: Employees must have worked a year, have worked for 1250 hours in the 12 months immediately prior to leave and must work at a location with 50 employees within a 75-mile radius
• Length: Defined 12 work weeks per 12-month period for a qualified event
• Interaction with Other Leaves: Can run at the same time as most leave types including vacation, disability and sick leave
• Covered Employers: 50 or more employees• Reasons for leave: Employee serious health
condition, family member serious health condition, care of a newborn or newly adopted or newly placed foster child, a qualifying exigency necessitated by a family member’s military service, care of a covered military service member
• How it works: Process for specific notice requirements, certification methods and leave entitlements are defined by regulation
ADA• Intent: Prohibit discrimination and remove
barriers for employees or job applicants with disabilities
• Result: Absence from work or workplace accommodations
• Eligibility Criteria: Every individual is covered, even as an applicant, and on day one; even part-timers are protected by the ADA
• Length: A “reasonable” period away from work or with an adjusted work schedule
• Interaction with Other Leaves: In general, every other type of leave must be exhausted first
• Covered Employers: 15 or more employees• Reasons for leave: Employee disability• How it works: Employers are to engage in
an interactive process with the employee to identify solutions to reasonably accommodate the employee’s disability
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MetLife ADA Workforce Solutions
Employee scenario: Sarah’s journeyHere’s an example of how the ADA can come into play.
Accommodation requestSarah is an employee who is struggling with vision issues. After being evaluated by her physician, she requests a special monitor that magnifies her screen so that she’s able to continue to work.
FMLABecause Sarah took a twelve-week leave earlier in the year to care for her mother, she has used the maximum amount of leave time available under the FMLA.
ADAEven though Sarah has a disability, she is able to work with an accommodation of time off to have the cataract surgery and intermittent time to use eyedrops in the workplace. She has no time available to her under any other law or employer program. The ADA comes into play, therefore, to ensure that Sarah’s absence remains supported as a reasonable accommodation, when appropriate.
Short Term Disability (surgery, recovery)It’s determined that Sarah will require cataract surgery and will be out of work for four days. Upon her return to work, she will continue the use of the special monitor and may need intermittent breaks to administer eye drops and allow time for her eyes to adjust to the medication.
Sarah’s Short Term Disability (STD) plan has an eight day Elimination Period.
Because Sarah’s absence will last four days, she does not qualify for STD benefits.
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MetLife ADA Workforce Solutions
The challenges for employers
The single biggest challenge facing employers is a lack of internal expertise when it comes to applying the laws related to employee absences. Front-line managers, who are typically an employee’s primary resource, often don’t understand how and when to code an employee as being out on leave; determine when pay should be stopped or re-started; factor in vacation time during leave; or determine who to notify when an employee requests an accommodation or returns to work. While it’s understandable given the complexity, it can expose your company to legal risk.
In addition, while the ultimate decision to accept an accommodation proposal rests with the employer, it can be difficult to recognize when an accommodation is being requested or to engage the employee to gather information during the ADA’s interactive process. It’s important to apply consistent processes when making decisions, because the EEOC and Department of Labor will respond to employee or applicant complaints and can impose fines and reinstatement penalties.
Recommended best practices for employersTo ensure efficient and consistent compliance in handling employee leaves, consider these steps:
• Review and revise your policies to provide detailed guidance on handling a leave request once all other leave has been or is about to be exhausted.
• Specify how leave requests should be handled across employee classes and locations to promote consistency.
• Outline how the interactive process for accommodation requests should be handled. Who talks with the employee? How are those conversations documented? Who else should be engaged?
• Train employees, managers and HR staff so that roles and responsibilities are clearly understood.
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MetLife ADA Workforce Solutions
MetLife’s ADA Workforce Solutions: Your guide every step of the way
If MetLife administers both ADA and FMLA, our ADA Workforce Solutions program guides the process for your employees. The services include researching other leave policies including disability and FMLA that might be available to the employee, coordinating STD and FMLA leave with ADA as appropriate and monitoring a leave as an accommodation if that is determined to be appropriate based on the interactive process and your final decision. From start to finish, you can rely on MetLife to help ensure compliance with the law.
It starts at intake — MetLife’s integrated intake process simplifies claims filing for your employees. Our experts help employees understand their options and determine what type of claim is needed. Based on the type of leave and the reasons for it, we’ll identify the disability and absence policies that apply.
Filing is simple — We’ll evaluate the request and set up all required claims without requiring separate intake calls. When information is collected, including medical information, we may be able to leverage it for more than one claim with your employee’s permission.
We’ll explain each step and claim to employees, ensuring they understand the differences throughout the process.
Automatic ADA reviews — Our claim specialists, at your request, will automatically refer claimants who are denied, or those who reach their maximum disability benefits or exhaust their FML or other company policy leaves, for an ADA consult. Similarly, if you or an employee requests ADA review after available leave is exhausted, the MetLife team will complete the review.
FMLA/ADA coordination — As your plan administrator, we’ll track the time taken under FML or other applicable company leave policies. If FML is denied or exhausted, our ADA Specialists will work with the employee and medical providers to: • substantiate the medical need for leave as an accommodation (leveraging applicable
information already gathered from other claims, with the employee’s permission)• validate and understand the duration and frequency of the leave• identify alternative accommodations or options• coordinate integration points between FML, other leave policies and ADA when
applicable — if you approve leave as an ADA accommodation
Ongoing tracking and evaluation — We help implement and monitor all accommodations, including leave accommodations, and provide you with tools necessary to track activities and progress. When necessary, MetLife’s ADA Specialists will assist with medical follow up and, when appropriate, will explore alternative accommodation options until a reasonable resolution is achieved.
The information contained in this document is intended to furnish an overview of the issues addressed. It is not intended to supply legal advice or to offer solutions to individual problems. Those who require such advice should consult their legal counsel.
1. Only leaves for Own Health Condition may coordinate with ADA events.
2. Federal FMLA. State regulations may differ.
Navigate FMLA and ADA regulations with confidence Our comprehensive ADA Workforce Solutions seamlessly integrate with your disability and absence programs to ensure consistency and compliance across the different legal requirements. That way, you’re able to stay focused on running your business while delivering the support employees need.
To explore our ADA Workforce Solutions for your company, contact your MetLife representative.
