Reasonable Accommodation: Know Your Rights

The Story (United Kingdom, 2023)

Mr F Reed v Royal Mail Group Ltd, Case No. 3201571/2023, East London Employment Tribunal. Confirmed on the official UK tribunal register.

Reed was a delivery worker. His route of 47 stops had previously been adjusted for ongoing health conditions. One short-staffed day, management asked him to take 10 extra stops on top of his adjusted workload. He declined, citing his health conditions.

After a disciplinary hearing, Royal Mail fired him for gross misconduct — “refusing a reasonable management instruction.”

What the Tribunal Found

• Unfair dismissal.
• Wrongful dismissal (breach of notice).
• Disability discrimination.
• Failure to make reasonable adjustments.

The US Angle

The UK calls them “reasonable adjustments.” In the United States, it is “reasonable accommodation” under ADA Title I.

Once an employer grants an adjusted workload, it cannot unilaterally pile duties back on without re-engaging the interactive process. Skipping that step is the failure.

Firing someone for refusing duties that conflict with a known accommodation can constitute failure to accommodate plus disability discrimination.

Does the ADA Cover You?

• Federal ADA Title I applies to employers with 15 or more employees.
• Some state laws cover smaller employers, so the federal threshold is not the whole picture. Most hospitality workers work for small businesses — check your state.
• One honest difference from the UK case: the US has no general “unfair dismissal” claim. In an at-will system, the whole case lives under the ADA.
• Federal ADA damages are capped by employer size, from $50,000 to $300,000. Some state laws go further.

Red Flags

• “Just this once, take on extra” can be the moment the violation happens — not the firing months later.
• When a health limitation gets reframed as insubordination or a bad attitude, that is the red flag.
• An accommodation is not a favor. It is a right, and it does not evaporate because the shift is short-staffed.

What You Can Do

• Know that an existing accommodation stands until it is properly reassessed — not overridden on a busy day.
• If you are asked to take on duties that conflict with your accommodation, you can decline and explain why.
• Keep notes: what was asked, when, and who asked.

This is information, not legal advice. If this happened to you, consider talking to an employment lawyer. Many offer free consultations.