Job Accommodation Network

Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders affect millions of people of all ages - men, women, and children. Examples of GI disorders include Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, spastic colon, and diverticulitis. Symptoms of GI disorders range from very mild to debilitating. Just as symptoms may vary from person to person, so may the need for job accommodation.

Accommodation ideas for individuals with GI disorders:

Using the restroom as needed: An individual with a GI disorder may benefit from a flexible schedule to incorporate restroom breaks, a workstation closer to the restroom to reduce break time and deal with urgency, a change in job assignment to a job that allows flexible breaks, and work from home during flareups.
Working while undergoing treatment: An individual with a GI disorder may benefit from flexible use of leave time to seek treatment, flexible scheduling to make up time missed for treatment, and part-time work or work from home while recovering from a flareup.

Meeting the physical demands of the job: An individual with a GI disorder may benefit from job restructuring to remove marginal job functions that are physically demanding, equipment or other accommodations that reduce the physical demands of the job, and transfer to a vacant position that is less physically demanding.

Dealing with workplace stress: An individual with a GI disorder may benefit from reduction or elimination of stress in the current position, transfer to a less stressful position, flexible schedule to recover from any effects caused by workplace stress, and work at home to avoid workplace stress.

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