The Employer’s Wage and Hour Advisor

The status of live-in home care workers and companionship employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has become a moving target in recent years, and the most recent move spells big changes for the home care industry.

Allowing an employee to work four to five days per week from home is not a reasonable accommodation for most jobs under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) after all. On April 10, 2015, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its ultimate decision in  EEOC v. Ford Motor Co., a case arising from Ford’s rejection of an employee’s request to work from home several days per week to accommodate her disability (irritable bowel syndrome).

Allowing an employee to work from home four to five days per week might not be a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) after all. On August 29, 2014, in a rare move, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated its earlier three-judge panel decision against Ford Motor Company.