Essential Job Functions According to the American with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Employers are free to design their own jobs and teams, but many leaders struggle to document the essential and marginal functions of each position correctly. This 60-minute ADA essential job functions webinar explains what the Americans with Disabilities Act and the EEOC require.

You'll learn the difference between essential and marginal job functions, why each matters in a job description, and how to run a job analysis to identify them. The session also clarifies who decides which functions are essential and applies these ideas to case studies.

Well-documented job functions protect the company, give employees clear expectations in new roles, support them during leave or health challenges and give managers basic tools to manage their teams.

• Describe employer requirements under the ADA and EEOC
• Differentiate essential from marginal job functions
• Explain the role of each type in a job description
• Conduct a job analysis to identify job functions
• Clarify who determines essential functions
• Apply these concepts to case studies

• Employer requirements under the ADA and the EEOC
• Essential vs marginal job functions
• Why each type matters in a job description
• Conducting a job analysis to identify each type of function
• Who determines the essential functions of a job
• Case studies applying these concepts

Getting essential and marginal functions wrong can leave your job descriptions and processes out of step with the ADA. This session gives practical guidance for deciding the functions of different roles while supporting employees and applicants.

It suits HR professionals at all levels, leaders, managers and supervisors, and owners of small and medium-sized businesses.

• HR professionals, all levels
• Leaders, Managers, and Supervisors
• Small- and medium-sized business owners

Melveen Stevenson is the CEO and founder of M.S. Elemental, LLC, a human resources and business advisory firm. As a certified HR professional with a background in accounting and finance, she helps companies to navigate the human resources “jungle” of compliance, human capital, and leadership challenges. In doing so, she empowers companies to strengthen their infrastructure from the inside out, specifically through leadership development, operations, training, employee engagement, and executive coaching.

Melveen speaks on key topics to empower companies with the latest research and best practices for increasing engagement, enhancing leadership presence, and optimizing diverse workforce groups.

Over the last 20 years, Melveen has held leadership positions in human resources operations, supply chain, and talent management at international companies in food manufacturing, medical devices, and consumer products. She has spent most of her career in California, and has expertise in the state’s complicated employment regulations.

Melveen is certified through the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP) and the Human Resources Certification Institute (SPHR).  She is also a faculty member at California State University-Dominguez Hills.