An analysis of the duty to reasonably accommodate disabled employees: a comment on Jansen v Legal Aid South Africa

Abstract

Persons with disabilities are a historically marginalised minority, who have the capacity to make a valuable contribution in the workplace. Recent case law suggests that the duty to reasonably accommodate disabled employees remains a conundrum for employers in South Africa. In Jansen v Legal Aid South Africa (C678/14) [2018] ZALCCT 17 (16 May 2018) the Labour Appeal Court had an opportunity to make a definitive pronouncement on the meaning and reach of the employer’s duty to reasonably accommodate a disabled employee. Even though the duty to reasonably accommodate disabled employees is set out in our legislative and policy frameworks, there is a need to have a more detailed framework. The Constitutional Court is yet to hear a case on the duty of employers to provide reasonable  accommodation to employees with disabilities, and until we have such a precedent, more and more employees with disabilities will continue to suffer at the hands of their employers. Both the Code of Good Practice, as well as the Technical Assistance Guidelines ,  published by the Department of Labour, have gone “relatively unnoticed and unread” in the workplace. This article argues that employers should follow a broad interpretation of the guidelines contained in the Code, as well as in the Technical Assistance Guidelines. Employers need to undertake proper investigations, with the assistance of experts if needs be, to investigate an employee’s incapacity.