Kwik Trip pays $35K in EEOC settlement

Dive Brief:

• Kwik Trip agreed to pay $35,000 to a former employee in a settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to a Wednesday press release from the federal agency.
• The settlement comes after the commission accused Kwik Trip of not making proper accommodations for a worker who had medical restrictions. The EEOC said the financial settlement will cover the employee’s back pay and compensatory damages.
• Kwik Trip says it will improve training and reporting to prevent a similar problem in the future as part of the agreement, according to the press release.

Dive Insight:

According to the EEOC, Kwik Trip hired the employee for a full-time position in October 2021. In March 2022, the employee submitted a reasonable accommodation request to Kwik Trip asking the company to modify the individual’s work schedule and duties due to medical restrictions. 

“While Kwik Trip initially intended to accommodate the employee’s medical restrictions, it misinterpreted the reasonable accommodation request and reduced the employee’s full-time work schedule to about nine hours per week, forcing her to resign,” according to the press release. 

Kwik Trip agreed to hire a consultant to improve education for supervisors, managers and human resource workers about their responsibilities and employees’ rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which outlaws discrimination against people with disabilities.

In addition, the La Crosse, Wisconsin-based retailer agreed to provide compliance-related reports to the EEOC, which will monitor Kwik Trip for the next two years.