Reasonable Accommodations Are Not a Loophole: What You Need to Understand Before You Go to HR

Anne Marie the AntiHR Lady
2 days ago
4 min read

Let me say this plainly:

A lot of you are walking into workplace situations thinking you have more protection than you actually do—because you don’t fully understand how reasonable accommodations work.And if you don’t understand this, you are going to position yourself wrong. Which means you’re going to lose leverage. And if you lose leverage, you lose your ability to negotiate your way out of that situation with anything. So let’s talk about it.

What the Law Actually Says (And What People Get Wrong)

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the standard is this:

You must be able to perform the essential functions of your job—with or without reasonable accommodation.

That’s the standard.

Not:

“I have a disability, so they have to keep me”
“I need accommodations, so they can’t let me go”
“They just need to adjust the job however I need”

No.

That is not how this works.

What “Essential Functions” Really Means

Essential functions are the core duties of the job. The reason the job exists.

If you remove those duties, it is no longer the same job.

Let’s make this practical:

If you are hired to manage a team → managing people is essential
If you are hired to handle customer calls → communication is essential
If you are hired to analyze data → producing that analysis is essential

These are not optional.

These are not flexible.

These are the job.

What Accommodations Are—and What They Are NOT

This is where people get themselves into trouble.

Here is the truth:

Reasonable accommodations are meant to support your ability to perform the essential functions of a job—not to make you qualified for a job you cannot perform, even with those accommodations.

Let me break that down.

Accommodations can:

Help you structure your day
Adjust your schedule
Provide tools or support
Modify how the work is done

But accommodations do NOT:

Eliminate the core duties of the job
Turn the job into something else
Make you qualified for a role you fundamentally cannot perform

And that distinction matters more than you think.

The Hard Truth People Don’t Want to Hear

I’m going to say something that people don’t like—but it needs to be said. If you are in a role where—even with reasonable accommodations—you cannot perform the essential functions of that job…

That role is not a fit. And the law does not require your employer to keep you in it.

That is not discrimination.

That is not retaliation.

That is a job mismatch.

Where People Get It Right (And Where Employers Get It Wrong)

Now let’s be clear—because this is important.

Most of the people I talk to?

They are right.

Their employers are:

Ignoring accommodation requests
Refusing to engage in the interactive process
Delaying, deflecting, or outright denying support
Pushing them out instead of working with them

That is a problem.

That is where your leverage comes from.

Where People Get It Wrong (And Lose Their Leverage)

But every once in a while, I see something different. I see people trying to use accommodations to stay in a job that they cannot perform—even with those accommodations. And that is where the strategy falls apart.

Because now:

The employer has a legitimate argument
Your claim weakens
Your leverage disappears

And instead of negotiating an exit, you end up just being exited.

Why Documentation Is Everything

Now let’s talk strategy. If you can perform the essential functions—and your employer is not supporting you—you need to prove that. And this is where most people fail.

They know they can do the job. But they don’t document it.

So when things escalate, it becomes:

Your word vs. theirs
Your memory vs. their records

And guess who wins that?

This is exactly why I created the AntiHR Documentation Journal.

Because if you are dealing with:

Accommodation requests
Performance concerns
Workplace pushback

You need a real-time record of:

What you’re doing
What you’re capable of
What you’ve asked for
How your employer responded

That documentation is what turns your situation into leverage.

The Question You Need to Ask Yourself

Before you go to HR…

Before you escalate…

Before you start talking about discrimination…

Ask yourself this:

Can I perform the essential functions of this job—with reasonable accommodations?

If the answer is:

Yes → you may have leverage
No → you need a different strategy

Because accommodations are not a loophole. They are a tool. And like any tool—they only work if you are using them in the right situation.

Before You Go to HR—Start Here

If you’re not sure where you stand, don’t guess.

Don’t walk into HR thinking you’re protected without understanding how this actually works.

Start with my free download:

“Before You Go to HR: A Reality Check for Employees in Hostile Workplaces.”

👉 Subscribe and Download it here: https://mailchi.mp/2b0f9aecea2b/antihr-subscribe-page

Because this is where I break down:

What you think HR is going to do vs. what they actually do
How to assess your situation realistically
And how to avoid walking into that meeting unprepared and mispositioned

Too many people go to HR too early… or for the wrong reasons… and lose leverage they could have used. Don’t let that be you.

Final Thought

Understanding this distinction is not about discouraging you. It’s about positioning you correctly. Because when you understand how this actually works, you stop fighting the wrong battles… And you start playing the game in a way that gives you options.

For more tips about navigating and escaping difficult HR situations: