Accommodation requests at work: how to keep a clear record

Keep a dated record of an accommodation request from the first conversation onward: what you asked for, the general reason, who you asked, what they replied, what was offered or tried, and how it worked in practice. Save the emails, forms and meeting notes as they happen instead of reconstructing them later. A short written summary after each conversation does most of the work.

Share medical or personal information only as far as the request needs it, and keep a copy of exactly what you sent and to whom. In Canada, accommodation falls under human rights law and the duty to accommodate. In the United States, disability requests under the ADA involve what federal guidance calls an interactive process. The details depend on where you work, so official sources and a qualified reviewer are the place to get them.

An accommodation request is rarely a single event. It is usually a series of conversations spread over weeks or months: a first mention to your manager, a form from HR, a note from a health provider, a meeting, a trial arrangement, a review, and sometimes a second request when something changes. Each step may involve a different person and a different channel.

That spread is what makes the record hard to rebuild later. The first request may have been verbal, the reply may sit in a chat thread, and the trial arrangement may never have been written down at all. When someone later asks what was requested and when, people often find they can describe the outcome but not the sequence.

The same pattern applies whether the request relates to a disability, a religious practice, family or caregiving status, pregnancy, or another protected ground. The grounds differ, but the record you need looks similar: a dated sequence of requests, responses and changes.

If your first request was a conversation, a short follow-up email the same day turns it into something you can point to. Keep it factual and brief; it does not need legal language. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's guidance on reasonable accommodation notes that a request can be made in plain language without using particular words. A written summary simply helps everyone remember the same thing.

• The date and how the request was first raised: in person, by phone, by email or through an HR portal.
• Who you spoke with, by role: your manager, an HR advisor, a disability management or occupational health contact.
• What you are asking for in practical terms, such as a modified schedule, a different workstation, time for a religious observance, remote days or adjusted duties.
• The general reason, at the level of detail you are comfortable sharing, for example a medical condition, a religious practice or caregiving responsibilities.
• Any documents you attached or said you would provide, and by when you said you would provide them.
• A question about next steps, so the reply has something specific to answer.

A plain follow-up might read: 'Thank you for meeting with me today. As discussed, I am requesting a 10:00 start on Mondays and Thursdays for medical appointments, starting next month if possible. I can provide a note from my health provider confirming the need for the schedule change. Could you let me know what information you need and who will review the request?'

Accommodation requests often raise the question of how much to disclose. The Canadian Human Rights Commission's workplace accommodation guide, written for federally regulated employers, discusses asking only specific, necessary questions and using the least intrusive means. US federal guidance on the ADA also addresses when an employer may ask for documentation. Neither is a reason to over-share, and neither replaces advice about your own situation.

In practice, many requests focus on functional information: what you can and cannot do at work, for how long, and what would help. That is different from a diagnosis or a full treatment history. If you are unsure what a form is asking for, it is reasonable to ask HR or your health provider what level of detail is expected before you send anything.

• An exact copy of every form or note you submitted, as sent, with the date and recipient.
• Any request from the employer for more information, and your reply to it.
• A note of who said they would see the information, for example occupational health only, or HR and your manager.
• Your own health records kept apart from the work timeline, with the timeline referring to them by date or index number instead of repeating details.

Keeping the sensitive material in a separate folder and pointing to it from your timeline means you can later share the timeline with a reviewer without automatically sharing everything behind it.

Once a request is in, the part of the record that matters most is the sequence: what was proposed, what was tried, how it went and what changed. A simple routine keeps it consistent.

1. Log the request date and the channel, and save the message or form.
2. When a reply arrives, save it and note the date you received it, not only the date printed on it.
3. Before each meeting, write down what you want to ask or clarify. Afterward, write a short summary: date, attendees by role, options discussed, anything agreed and next steps.
4. If you send that summary to the other attendees, save the sent copy and any corrections they make.
5. When an arrangement is offered or put in place, record the start date, the terms as you understood them, and whether it is a trial or ongoing.
6. During a trial, add brief dated notes on how it works in practice, both what helps and what does not.
7. Record any review date, any change to or withdrawal of the arrangement, and the reason given.
8. If a request is declined or only partly granted, save the written response and note any alternative that was proposed.

Notes made at the time are easier for a reader to follow than recollections written months later, because they show what you knew and said at each point. Keep them short and descriptive, and avoid guessing at other people's motives.

Here is a neutral timeline entry for a meeting partway through a request: 2026-04-14, video call with my manager and an HR advisor, about 30 minutes. HR said the note I sent covered the schedule change and asked whether the 10:00 start was needed every week or only some weeks. I said every week for the next three months, then to be reviewed. My manager said Mondays were difficult because of the team call and asked whether Tuesdays would work. I said I would check with my health provider and reply by Friday. Linked records: R-04, R-05.

• R-01, 2026-03-30: email I sent to my manager requesting a schedule change, one page.
• R-02, 2026-04-02: HR accommodation form, submitted through the HR portal, with a screenshot of the confirmation screen.
• R-03, 2026-04-06: note from my health provider describing functional limits, stored in the separate medical folder.
• R-04, 2026-04-14: my summary email sent after the meeting with my manager and HR.
• R-05, 2026-04-10: calendar invitation from HR for the 2026-04-14 meeting.

Each index row says what the document is, when it is dated and where it lives. A reviewer can follow the timeline and pull up one specific record without reading every page in the folder.

In Canada, accommodation is part of human rights law. The duty to accommodate applies across protected grounds, and the federal, provincial and territorial human rights commissions publish guidance for the workplaces they cover. Which body applies depends on whether your employer is federally or provincially regulated.

In the United States, disability accommodation at work is addressed under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the EEOC's guidance describes a request as the first step in an informal, interactive process between employer and employee. Religious accommodation is addressed separately, and the EEOC's page on religious discrimination covers it. State and local laws may add to the federal picture.

This article does not describe what any of these rules require in your situation. Knowing which framework applies is useful for a practical reason: it tells you which official guidance to read and which kind of reviewer to ask.

Most accommodation files have holes: a conversation in a hallway, a phone call nobody summarized, a reply that never came. Writing those gaps down honestly is more useful than smoothing them over.

• A verbal request with no written follow-up: note the approximate date and what you remember, and mark the entry as written later.
• A promised reply that did not arrive: note the date it was expected and any reminder you sent.
• An arrangement that changed informally: note when you noticed the change and who, by role, told you about it.
• Records you can no longer reach, such as messages on a work system: list them as known but unavailable instead of guessing at their content.
• Open questions, such as whether a trial has an end date, to raise with HR or a reviewer.

Do I have to make an accommodation request in writing? US federal guidance says a request does not need special words or a written form, and practices in Canada vary by workplace. A written follow-up still helps your own record because it fixes the date and the content of what you asked.

Should I give my employer my diagnosis? That is a decision to make with care, and ideally with advice. Official guidance in both countries discusses limiting medical information to what the request needs. If you are unsure what a form requires, ask what it is for before you send it.

What if the arrangement offered is not what I asked for? Record what was offered, how it differs from your request and your response. If you try the alternative, keep dated notes on how it works. Whether it is adequate is a question for a qualified reviewer, not for the timeline.

Can I keep my accommodation notes on a work laptop? Personal notes about your own situation are usually better kept on your own device or account, since access to work systems can end without warning. Do not copy confidential employer information to keep alongside them.

How long should I keep these records? Keep them while the arrangement is in place and for some time after it ends. If something is unresolved, a qualified lawyer or advisor can tell you whether any time limits matter.

SteadyFile is a private file you can start in your browser at app.steadyfile.com, on phone or desktop, without an account. For an accommodation request, a work file lets you add each step as a dated entry: the request, each reply, each meeting with attendees by role, each trial and review. Supporting documents go into a records index with their own IDs, so an entry can say 'see R-03' instead of repeating medical details. A gaps list holds the replies you are still waiting for. When you need to share the file, it exports a chronological packet a reviewer can read in a few minutes. Your employer has no access to it, and it organizes your record without giving legal advice.