Interactive process

What does “interactive process” mean?

The interactive process is the good-faith dialogue an employer must engage in with an employee who may need a disability accommodation, aimed at identifying an effective one.

It is a process obligation, which means an employer can be liable for failing to engage in it even where no accommodation would ultimately have been available.

It is also ongoing rather than a single meeting. Circumstances change, and a process that stopped a year ago may need to restart.

Why it matters to an employer

Document each step. The most common failure is not refusing an accommodation but letting the conversation quietly lapse.