Reference no: EM132882102
Kyle Crawford had been a team leader for the League for the Blind and Disabled the past year, but had worked for a nonprofit organization for about five years. As team leader, Crawford had experienced many new work challenges. The number of people who need help in the community had more than doubled since he began his job. His team was responsible for providing help and direction for those in need.
Recently, some of Crawford's team members complained about Kaylee Depew's slow work pace and her failure to keep up with the needs of the clients. In response, Crawford had told the complaining team members that Kaylee was a silent employee who always shows up for work on time. While she worked a little slower than the rest of the team members, the work she did was well done. She often took longer to do the job and sometimes clients had to wait while she finished the prior project. Crawford's response initially seemed to satisfy the team members.
Yesterday, Paige Mora came to Crawford and said that some of the team members had indicated they also wanted to slow their pace of work if something wasn't done about Kaylee. At that point Crawford asked Mora whether she or other team members had talked or confronted Kaylee about her slow work pace. Mora replied, "Yes, we have told Kaylee on numerous occasions to pick up her speed and get the lead out. Clients don't like to wait and wait, beyond the time of their scheduled appointment with her. But she just continues to work at her usual slow pace. Dorothy Craig has spent an excessive amount of time instructing Kaylee on some of the more effective ways to do the job. Even that hasn't worked. Maybe she's just too fat to do the job here!"
Crawford decided to meet with the director, Lamarr Adams, and his immediate manager, Sabrina Lopez. Adams and Lopez discussed how Crawford's team had been one of the most productive and how Kaylee had joined the team about three years ago. According to Sabrina, "Kaylee's weight had ballooned in the past two years, and she appeared to carry about 300 pounds or more on her 5'6" frame. Work records indicated that Kaylee was not able to keep the pace set by some team members but that the team had been negligent to address the issue and her past performance evaluations." Crawford told Adams and Lopez, "I would be welcome to any advice you can give me."
Questions for Discussion
-Every work group has its own personality. Discuss how a group's personality influences its ability to be productive?
-Why is it important for Crawford to identify the issues that distract from group cohesiveness?
-What are the issues in this critical incident?
-If you were Crawford, what would you do? Why?
-Go online and review the Americans With Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA), Neely v. Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., 5th Cir., No.12-51074, and see other recent court decisions regarding overweight employees.
-Is Kaylee a "qualified individual with a disability"?
-Define: Essential job functions, reasonable accommodation, and undue hardship.
-Is overweight covered by the ADA?
-What if Kaylee says "her inability to keep up with the other team members and serve clients in a timely fashion is because of her health?" What should Crawford and the administration do?
-What recommendations would you make to Crawford to help all team members understand reasonable accommodation for employees that are protected under ADA?