Hello friends — looking for some outside perspectives. To be clear, I’m not looking for employment law advice. I’m an HR professional with 10+ years of experience, primarily in OD, so I understand my rights around accommodation. I’m more interested in what others would practically do in this situation.

I’m currently in the final stage of an interview process after two interviews and a take-home case study. My final round is next week for a role I really want and that would be a significant step toward my long-term career goals.

Unfortunately, over the weekend I sustained a head injury and was diagnosed with a minor concussion. I’m generally okay, and my doctor expects me to recover within days to a few weeks, but right now I’m noticing a pretty significant difference in my cognitive processing.

I’m processing information much more slowly than usual, and my short-term memory is off. I’m forgetting where I put things, things I’ve said in conversations, and even basic things at work like taking myself off mute during meetings. These aren’t things I normally struggle with.

Before the injury, I felt quite confident going into this final interview. I’ve worked hard to prepare at every stage. Now my confidence has taken a hit because I’m worried my temporary cognitive symptoms could affect my performance in a way that isn’t representative of my actual abilities.
I’m debating whether to request an accommodation.

My view is that candidates should absolutely request accommodations when they need them. At the same time, during a competitive hiring process, I personally would weigh whether I actually need the accommodation before disclosing a disability or medical condition. An employer obviously cannot reject someone because of a disability, but in practice it can be very difficult to know whether disclosure influenced a decision when there are multiple legitimate reasons for choosing another candidate.

For context, the final stage consists of:

45-minute panel interview
15-minute presentation based on the case study I completed in the previous round
interview

Interview is virtual and questions will be provided 30 minutes in advance

So I’m curious:

A) If you were in my position, would you request an accommodation?

B) If so, what accommodation would you consider reasonable and actually useful in this situation?

I’m particularly interested in perspectives from people who work in HR/recruitment, have gone through interviews with a temporary disability or concussion, or have been on the hiring side of accommodation requests.

TL;DR: I’m in the final round for a role I really want and sustained a minor concussion a week before the interview. I’m temporarily experiencing slower cognitive processing and short-term memory issues and am worried it could affect my performance. Would you request an accommodation, and if so, what would you ask for?

I am a lower manager asking this as I am unsure if my higher manager can do this or is violating the law.

One of my workers has received a doctor's note asking for him to be able to sit at work at least 20 minutes each hour while they figure out what is going on with his legs (he's been having trouble standing).

My upper manager is refusing to accommodate this temporary request, saying that any reasonable accommodations requests need to go through a process before they can be enacted.

While I know that for an extended request for accomodations this is appropriate, when a doctor asks for work restrictions, must they be adhered to until a diagnosis is made and it is determined the employee needs extended accomodations of some form?

Of note I have currently given the employee a chair as he is a fall risk and will take the heat if there is push back.

Edited to add:

1. The job is rides. They are looking at a screen or drying items in a small closet, as the DMs have been trying to keep them off physical rides

2. My upper manager has already instructed the employee to start the process for accommodations. However, said manager has stated (verbally) that it is too easy for employees to "falsify a doctor's note so I am unsure if he would send the worker home

Thank you for those so far who have offered advice and knowledge. It's helpful to know what I need to do.

I’m the assistant general manager of a fast casual restaurant in an outdoor mall. I’ve worked for the company for over a year, 15 months. Our current general manager is new, having worked for the company for just under 4 months, 6 weeks of which they were at a different location for training.

We’ve butted heads on a few incidents. Policies that have been in place since before I started have been challenged and changed simply because the GM didn’t like them, and I’ve been struggling to adjust.

We offered a 15% discount to employees of other businesses in the mall. As far as I’m aware, this has been going on for more than a decade. It certainly predates 90% of the current staff, and the staff member who’s been with the company for more than a decade can’t remember when it started, or if it was already established when they were hired. The mall used to run off flyers for employees of which stores had discounts before COVID lockdown, and our store’s 15% off was always included. Usually those missives get sent by email to the stores as well, and our district manager and marketing department have always been part of that as well.

Apparently the new GM did not know about it. I could’ve sworn I’d given it out multiple times in front of them, as had others. It wasn’t a secret, we weren’t hiding it, and we had no reason to think it wasn’t sanctioned by the company until today.

Today they send a text in our employee group chat. I will include the text here:

“Hello all.
This is a friendly reminder that we DO NOT have a mall discount. Whomever is giving out this “discount” needs to stop immediately. I just got reamed by a guest from [store located on mall property] who states he gets a discount here every time. Interesting as to what amount we are giving him. This must STOP immediately.
We DO NOT have a mall discount. We DO NOT give free drinks to offset the no discount.
I believe this message is pretty straightforward but if you need clarification then please talk to me in person and we will clear this up.
Thanks to who ever started this as now I am going to get a negative review.”

I’m not at work today. I immediately get concerned, and go through about six versions of a response before I settle on:

“Thank you for clarifying. For context, that discount has been around longer than most of us have worked for [company]. We were all trained to give it out to people that worked in the mall, and the people who trained us were trained the same. I don’t even know who started it. Please give us some time to adjust, this is the first any of us have heard that we aren’t supposed to be using it anymore.”

My intention was to follow what the GM had asked for, and ask for grace while we fielded the inevitable complaints we were going to receive. I give this discount out between 2-5 times in a 10 hour shift, for a total of maybe $10-$15 off our sales. It’s very rare that the same people will come in even multiple weeks in a row, and we were originally instructed to only give it out if other employees were in their uniforms or actively working, which I have always upheld.

This was their response:

“No there’s no adjustment period when I get scolded by a guest and FOUR other guests almost intervened. This is NOT a policy so it will be stopped today.
We do not just make up rules to make things easier.
NO MALL discounts until [company] states otherwise.”

I then sent private messages to the GM apologizing for the lack of awareness on my part, as I had no reason to suspect the discount wasn’t sanctioned by the company, or that they weren’t aware we were giving it. I also clarified what I was intending with my words, that we were going to do as they asked, but that it will be hard for us since more people are going to complain. I also expressed sympathy for the situation and dealing with that guest (I know who it was based on the context of what store they were from, as that one store has an employee who is rude to us consistently).

I then get back:

“I am done with this conversation as I am very pissed.”

Understandable.

It seems highly likely that my GM now believes I am the instigator for this discount, and therefore the source of why the entire incident has taken place. I’m not sure if there’s any way to absolve myself. I struggle to communicate at the best of times, and I’m certain that if my GM believes I am the one who started this discount, they will write me up for it. Even if they don’t believe I started it, it’s clear they think the rest of the staff and I have somehow been hiding this from them, and I will still get the blame.

The GM is very stern when it comes to any mistakes I make. They do not care for context or apologies (they refer to such as “excuses”) so I feel very much as though I am in a catch 22. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t, but I refuse to sign a write-up containing false information. I never hid anything, I never conspired to hurt the business, I did everything fully believing the company knew and approved of our actions, especially because our POS system has a coupon code for this action, a flat 15% off, that never leaves. They update the coupon list all the time as coupons are introduced and then expire. The 15% off never goes away, and to my knowledge doesn’t have any stated purpose. The store I trained at uses it as a senior discount, as their community is on the older side. At store level we have no power to make up our own coupons or discounts.

As I’m typing this out I remember the VP of the company asking me about what discounts we offered several months back. I was the acting GM over the summer and higher ups in our company often come when there are events. I was asked about something in relation to pricing and then follow up questions were asked of me about coupon codes we regularly used and why. I distinctly remember showing him the 15% we use for mall employees. I’m so upset it took me hours to remember this, but the likelihood of my current GM fact checking with the VP, and the VP remembering a three minute conversation from months ago is slim.

Do I have the right to refuse to sign a write up on the grounds that it contains untrue information? What happens after that? I love my job, and despite this one issue it’s been relatively easy getting used to having a GM again after months of not having one. I don’t want anything to compromise my good reputation with the company, as I am well liked and known by the corporate office and our parent company.

[IL] I’m in IL and recently accepted a job in the marketing department of a corporate law firm. I submitted for the background check yesterday and just got this email:

PUBLIC RECORD NOTICE

The purpose of this email is to notify you that Backgrounds Online, a consumer reporting agency, is reporting public record information that may be adverse about you to:
(Employer)

This notice is not an indication of employer’s decision regarding your application status.

The background check company is Backgrounds Online

The only thing that this could be is two non traffic ordinance violations I got in a different state over three years ago when I was caught with weed for my 23rd birthday. No other legal trouble and my credit is in good standing. Idk if they check social medias but I don’t have any.

What are the chances that they rescind my job offer? Everyone I’ve talked to IRL (including two HR people) thinks I’ll be fine and they might not even ask me about it. But part of me thinks that people are telling me that just because they’re my friend and I’m obviously freaking out.

Edited to take out the employer’s name lol

What recourse do I have with my offer letter?

I was promoted in Feb 2026 to a leader role.

My Feb 11 offer letter (below) states, "This position will be eligible for our system leader incentive program," and references the FY26 incentive plan, with additional details to follow. Prior to my promotion, I was in a position that was not eligible for this incentive, so I understood the incentive to be part of the overall compensation opportunity associated with the new role.

When I accepted the promotion, I did not negotiate my base salary because I understood, based on the written offer, that eligibility for the system leader incentive program was part of the overall compensation structure. Had I known that my promotion date could make me ineligible for the FY26 plan, I would have wanted to understand that implication and discuss the overall compensation package before accepting the offer.

My boss is now saying there is a December 31 eligibility requirement. This was not identified in my offer letter, and I was not made aware that moving into this incentive-eligible position would exclude me from the FY26 plan. Now my boss is directing me to HR comp person.

This is my offer letter:

February 11, 2026

Dear Y,

X is pleased to offer you the DIR X position in our X department reporting to X. Please see below for the details of your offer:

• Pay Rate: $X annually
• Position Type: FULL TIME
• FTE: 1.000000
• Shift: Shift 1
• Tentative Start Date: February 20, 2026

This position will be eligible for our system leader incentive program. As a part of our system integration, we are conducting a full review of our leadership titling and incentive plans to ensure we have consistency. The FY 2026 incentive plan will be reviewed and communicated in late February, early March 2026 and full details including target percentages will be shared shortly there after. This incentive plan will not impact base compensation.

We would like to congratulate you on your new position and we are pleased you have chosen to continue your career with X!

Please contact us if there is anything further we can do to assist you.

We look forward to you joining our team! Please contact us if there is anything further we can do to assist you. Please sign below or respond to the accompanying email to indicate that you are accepting our employment terms.

Hi there! My company structures our pay so that we have a base pay + commission. The commission is largely based on our monthly book of business—that is, how much revenue I’ve maintained or grown vs. lost.

On maternity leave, commission pay is based on the average commission for the six months prior to leave.

I just returned from maternity leave last week. Five accounts cancelled, and one guy was managing four of them for me. My manager just informed me that my commission will show a loss this month, as in there was no ramp up period upon my return, and I’m responsible for losing the four accounts he clearly didn’t manage.

I know this guy half asses everything, but I didn’t expect to be held responsible for that.

Do I have any protections under FMLA or other precedent? The commission on our rolling books effectively functions as part of our pay.

We work in a small office. Our manager has always been “hands off”, refusing to truly manage. In some ways this has been good, but mostly it hasn’t for obvious reasons.

However, something has shifted, to where instead of being hands off, the only decisions made by the manager are to actively harm the office and its success/clients. This has been confirmed by the manager that these are what their goals are.

They have additionally started making daily comments about the two primary people in the office (all our superiors) , going so far as to call them explicit terms or verbalizing that they deserve violence or to suffer in work rather than considerations of improving the the work for everyone.

It’s so open and public that I had to proceed to our owner to express how uncomfortable it was making several staff members and how inappropriate it was, especially now that it is impacting our clients.

An email was sent. An investigation is supposed to occur with interviews. However the manager’s boss brought the matter to their attention before any of the actual investigation began.

The employees are now nervous about retaliation, as the manager is well known to be vindictive over slights.

With them knowing in advance, how might we anticipate this investigation to proceed and concerns about confidentiality?

Around 6 months ago, I was written up for misusing sick time. My schedule typically is Wed-Fri 12 hr overnight shifts. My work was facing staffing shortages and I would pick up shifts. However before my Friday shift I would sometimes end up needing to call out sick, as I have epilepsy, mental health stuff, and ehlers danlos which causes significant joint pain, or genuinely just got sick. I was primarily taking the extra shifts as I felt pressured to pick up shifts. When they wrote me up, they put in there that I needed a sick note every single time I called in. When asked if there was a date that this rule ended, there is not. This is not the same for other employees. It wasn’t as much of an issue before to get a drs note, but I recently had to switch insurance which causes my copays for appts to be high ($260).

My question is, are they actually allowed to require a drs note for every single call out? I can’t afford that and I feel like it’s unfair to me, when I genuinely don’t feel well and I’m now forced to go to work.

Also, I have plenty of sick time to use.

For context, I work in a transitional living home for people with mental health and developmental delays

Thank you

I'm looking for advice on what to do next regarding an ongoing situation with my supervisor and HR. Ironically, I work in HR myself.

I'm actively looking for another job as a precaution and have contacted employment attorneys. However, I'd much rather stay with my current company, just in a different role under a different supervisor. I'm also not particularly interested in a legal battle with a large company.

Recently, I submitted a formal complaint to the HR Director regarding my supervisor's treatment of me. I provided several months of documented examples, primarily emails and Teams messages, showing unprofessional communication, unanswered requests for assistance, unclear or inconsistent expectations, and what I believe is differential treatment compared to my coworkers.

I also requested an independent review of the corrective action I received, as I disputed most of the allegations. Shortly afterward, I received another email warning that continued performance concerns could result in a final written warning and potentially termination.

For context, my supervisor has a history of high turnover and complaints from current and former employees. Several people who have worked under her have described similar issues involving poor communication, intimidation, inconsistent expectations, and singling out certain employees.

I identified nine employees who could potentially support my concerns, including people within and outside HR. Four HR employees were interviewed, including two of my supervisor's direct reports. All four supported and elaborated on my concerns, while also speaking positively about my contributions to the department.

However, none of the three employees outside HR were interviewed. One of them was directly involved in an incident referenced in my corrective action and had personally told me that the allegation involving them was inaccurate

I also raised concerns about possible retaliation. My supervisor's behavior toward me noticeably worsened after I expressed dissatisfaction with my annual raise and requested a compensation adjustment. I was earning approximately $10,000–$12,000 less than coworkers performing similar work, despite having taken on significantly more responsibilities. EDIT: I knew this going into the comp review meeting, I did not bring it up in the comp meeting with my supervisor. I also briefly raised the possibility of sex-based discrimination based on differences in how my supervisor responds to similar situations involving female coworkers.

Separately, I requested a change in supervisor as a reasonable accommodation because the supervisory relationship has aggravated existing mental health conditions and affected my ability to concentrate and work effectively.

I recently met with the HR Director and my supervisor's boss to discuss the investigation's findings.

HR concluded that no wrongdoing had occurred and that my corrective action was valid. My requested accommodation was also denied on the grounds that there was no alternative supervisor available for my current position, although other accommodations were offered and the interactive process is ongoing.

Their proposed solution is to have my supervisor's boss attend meetings between my supervisor and me to identify communication problems.

I pushed back because I believe the problem goes beyond miscommunication. I reiterated that I wanted to report to someone else, even temporarily, to determine whether the alleged performance issues continued under different supervision. I also asked whether someone other than my supervisor's boss could attend the meetings. Both requests were denied.

The investigation's written findings provided almost no explanation for why my complaints were dismissed or why the disputed corrective action was upheld. There was also no explanation for why certain witnesses weren't interviewed, including someone who could directly contradict an allegation against me.

I want to emphasize that I'm not trying to get my supervisor fired or disciplined. I genuinely enjoy working for this company, and my coworkers have repeatedly expressed how much they value my contributions. I simply want to continue working here under a different supervisor, even if that means moving into another position.

The HR director seemed annoyed that I was involving so many parties to speak positively on my behalf and validate the concerns I’ve raised.

At this point, I'm concerned that the corrective action and threat of further discipline could eventually lead to my termination, despite my efforts to resolve the situation.

My questions are:

1. Should I challenge the investigation's findings, particularly when relevant witnesses weren't interviewed and the written explanation was so limited?
2. Would it make sense to escalate through the company's ethics hotline or request another review?
3. Would it make sense to go to my current supervisor and request a transfer after a certain period of time, and after demonstrating to them corrective action improvement?

I’m about to return to work after my one year mat leave and am needing to adjust my working hours from 8-4 (with an hour long unpaid lunch break) to 8:30-4 or 8:15-3:45 only taking a 30 minute lunch) to accommodate daycare drop offs. Is this a reasonable request?
I’m returning to work under a different manager that I don’t know as well as my previous manager and am apprehensive as they are insisting on looping HR in (I work for a small non-profit and the HR is more corporate).

Hi. I am currently being investigated due to a grievance raised by a member of my team. This person has a protected characteristic and requires time off on Friday for religious purposes. I have made reasonable adjustments and allowed them to take an extra unpaid break so they could go to their commitment. There are no company policies that cover such scenarios so I had to use my discretion and it was rolled out to the whole team, however no one else needs to take these extended breaks.

Everything was working well until this person decided to raise the grievance saying they could accrue the required time during the week by arriving 15 minutes earlier on workdays then using the accrued time off in lieu to go to their commitment instead of having to take it as unpaid leave.

HR took the grievance on and decided to investigate, after the investigation they informed me they will proceed putting me on a disciplinary process on the grounds of indirect discrimination, claiming that I implemented a blanket policy for time-offs that did not account for this person's special request.

Despite I am yet to be heard during the disciplinary process, I strongly believe the company will find me guilty of some sort of misconduct judging by the way they are handling the process.

My question is: in case I am found guilty of misconduct, what would be the worst consequences for me? Is indirect discrimination considered gross misconduct?

TIA

I work at a very popular fast food chain and one of my coworkers came up to me after her break and confessed to me that another employee suddenly grabbed the straps from her tank top to check if she was wearing a bra. That employee also proceeded to touch her back and check if there was a strap there too. My coworker was wearing an oversized sweater and you cant really tell that she wasn’t actually wearing one. But the employee told her she should wear one if she doesn’t want to get in trouble. I told my coworker she should report it as I’m pretty sure that counts as sexual harassment but she’s pretty hesitant to since she doesn’t want to get in trouble about not wearing a formal uniform or a bra. But the only thing she was missing was her apron and our workplace allows sweaters and she still had her uniform t-shirt over her tank top. I want to report it myself but am I allowed to? I also do that want to go behind my coworkers back and make it uncomfortable for her if they investigate it further.

Has anyone successfully gotten full-time telework approved as an ADA accommodation?

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to hear from people who have successfully requested continued telework as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA, especially those working in government or office-based positions.
I have diagnosed anxiety and depression, along with migraines. When I previously worked in an office, I experienced significant anxiety, difficulty concentrating due to noise and constant conversations, sensory sensitivities, and migraines triggered by fluorescent lighting. I’ve also tried noise-canceling headphones, but they caused discomfort and sometimes triggered migraines.
I’ve been working remotely for several years, and my symptoms have improved significantly. I’ve also been able to successfully perform my job duties, including attending necessary in-person appointments.
My employer is requiring us to return to the office next year, and I’m considering requesting an ADA accommodation to continue teleworking.
I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has successfully gotten this approved.
What conditions or functional limitations were relevant to your request?
What kind of documentation did your healthcare provider submit?
Did your employer initially offer alternatives like headphones, special lighting, or a private office?
If you were approved, what do you think helped your request?
Did you have to go back and forth with HR before getting approved?
I obviously understand that everyone’s medical circumstances and workplace requirements are different, and I’m not looking to copy and paste anyone’s documentation. I’m just interested in learning what the process looked like for others, particularly what their providers documented and how they explained why telework was necessary rather than simply preferred.
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, whether your request was approved or denied. Thank you!

Can HR do anything about our hours being cut this badly, even though we’re a corporate-owned store?
I recently had to go back to a fast-food job after getting laid off from my previous job. I returned to the same location I used to work at, where I was averaging around 40 hours a week and making $700+ before taxes. When I came back, I was hired as a full-time employee, and I specifically asked if getting my usual hours was still possible. I was told yes, so imagine my surprise when I found out that pretty much everyone’s hours had been cut.
I’m talking about people who used to get 40 hours a week now getting 10. We’re supposedly full-time employees, but some people can barely get enough hours to pay their bills. From what I’ve heard, our district manager is cutting hours because of labor costs, but what confuses me is that our store is VERY profitable. Just two weeks ago, our assistant manager told me we had even earned 45-hour weeks, yet our hours are still being cut like crazy.
On top of that, our GM has been here for around 30 years, but we constantly have issues with inventory, ordering, and scheduling. The schedule is always changing, and nobody seems to communicate those changes to the employees. Meanwhile, our GM is salaried and still gets around 50 hours a week.
I experienced this myself recently. I was scheduled for only 13 hours that week, which I had already worked. Then I got called in to cover a morning shift, came in 30 minutes later, and found out I was also scheduled to work that evening. Nobody had told me anything about the second shift. This kind of thing seems to happen all the time, and it’s getting ridiculous.
I understand that labor costs are a thing, but how does it make sense to cut employees’ hours this badly at a store that’s supposedly doing so well? I came back expecting to have a stable, full-time job, and now I’m barely getting enough hours to make it worth staying.
I’m honestly at a loss about what to do. Is this something HR could actually look into, or are these decisions basically entirely up to the district manager? Since our location is corporate-owned and not a franchise, I’m hoping there might be someone higher up who could do something about it.
Has anyone dealt with something similar? Would going to HR actually accomplish anything, or would I just be wasting my time

Male
Looking for advice from anyone who’s done something similar.
I need a second hernia repair (new location, no mesh on the first one). First time around I felt pretty good by 2.5 weeks, started lifting heavy around the 1-month mark, and it came back within days. Surgeon is planning to write me out for 6 weeks this time.
Surgery is looking like mid-November. Baby is due December 5. I have roughly 2 months of FMLA and short-term disability left. I’d rather use the STD + FMLA on the surgery recovery so I’m already home when the baby arrives, instead of saving it just for bonding leave.
I already spoke with benefits about FMLA for the birth. Now I need to pivot and tell them I want to use it for the surgery instead.
Questions:
• Has anyone run into pushback from HR/benefits when medical leave (STD + FMLA) lines up conveniently with a baby’s arrival?
• Anything I should make sure is in the doctor’s note to support the full 6 weeks (especially with the previous quick recurrence)?
• Better to email benefits now or wait until the surgery is actually scheduled?
Appreciate any experiences. Trying to do this the right way and not get surprised later.

I'm currently a college junior, and I'm in the process of interviewing for internships for next year. 

I did a remote, unpaid internship at a very small startup this summer, but I was unexpectedly let go around end of July(partly my fault and I've taken responsibility for what happened). 

I had the internship listed on my resume as May - July since May was when we set up the first meeting and I signed the NDA and everything. That was supposed to be my original start date, but I didn't start any actual coding work until July 1 since I was still finishing up my courses. I reached out to the founder who hired me to sort this out, but I haven't gotten any response so I don't know which start date they have on file.

My resume already has May as the start date for the companies I'm interviewing with right now and I'm worried that the employment verification might flag a discrepancy during a background check.

1. Are unpaid internships even required for background check forms?
2. What would happen if a date discrepancy were to actually happen?
3. How should I bring this up to recruiters if asked?

Long story short I work as a pest controller for small company the director is stingy as it is. pay is shit it is. His policy is the first hour of travel time isn’t paid I leave my house at 5:00 every morning and get home around 2pm which total 9 hours but we’re only paid for 8 hours. Is this lawful? If not please can somebody direct me to a government policy so I can push for the pay.

So I had called in sick and said I wasnt able to work the next day as I had stomach cramps and diarrhea (which was completely true. I work as a drayman so being on the road all day lifting between 3-5tonnes worth of weight isnt ideal with diarrhea).

The day I was off i attended a driving test in the afternoon. My employer learned this information and has now told me to resign or be sacked as they believe I called in sick purely to attend the test, which isnt true. Does anybody have any advice for me?

the company I work for has less than 30 employees. our “company“ policy is that we are supposed to use our pto as maternity leave.
what if I have no PTO by the time I give birth? They just technically have the right to fire me if I don’t return the next day?

Hey everyone! I’ve been doing some TPM work for my uncle’s small company in the USA as a volunteer (unpaid), and I have it listed as "TPM - Volunteer" on my resume. Since there’s no formal contract or payroll history for unpaid work, how do background check companies usually handle this? Will a quick confirmation email or letter from the company owner be enough if they reach out? Thanks!