Hospital Housekeeping Systems, LLC (HHS), a provider of housekeeping, food and facilities support to numerous industries, based in Dripping Springs, Texas, will pay $520,000 as part of the settlement of a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced. The EEOC charged in its suit that HHS violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when the company began requiring employees to take the Essential Functions Test (EFT) at hire, annually, and upon the return from a medical leave of absence, even when portions of the test were not job-related. When the employees failed any portion of the EFT, HHS fired them despite the employees successfully performing the essential functions of their jobs. The company also did not offer any reasonable accommodations during the EFT. This alleged conduct violates the ADA, which requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities unless doing so would cause an undue hardship.
