Knowledge Check #5

A pregnant employee requests seated rest breaks and a modified lifting limit. Under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), what must the employer do? *

Require her to take unpaid leave instead

Provide the accommodation without requiring leave, unless it creates undue hardship

Deny the request since pregnancy is not a disability

Only accommodate after a doctor's formal legal demand

The PUMP Act requires a private, non-bathroom space and reasonable break time to express milk for up to how long postpartum? *

3 months

6 months

1 year

2 years

An employee requests a modified dress code to wear religious headwear. The center denies it, citing unspecified "classroom ratio concerns," without further review. Is this appropriate? *

Yes, ratio concerns always override accommodation requests

No — blanket denials without formal review of the actual conflict are not appropriate

Yes, as long as the denial is documented

It depends on the employee's tenure

What is an employer required to do when an employee requests an accommodation under ADA, PWFA, or for religious reasons? *

Automatically approve every request

Automatically deny requests that involve schedule changes

Engage in an interactive process / dialogue to determine an appropriate accommodation

Require a lawyer to review each request

Under ADA, an employer is not required to provide an accommodation if doing so would cause: *

A minor scheduling adjustment

Undue hardship to the business

Any cost at all

A change to the employee handbook

An employee requests time during a shift to observe a religious practice. What should the center's first step be? *

Deny it, since religious practice is a personal matter

Engage in interactive dialogue to explore whether and how the request can be accommodated

Require the employee to use PTO automatically

Refer the employee to HR with no discussion