Houston HR presents revised accommodation and civility policies; training planned for this year and early 2026

Human resources officials for the City of Houston on Sept. 18 told the City Council Labor Committee they have revised the city's reasonable-accommodation procedure and issued a new standards-of-conduct executive order that centralizes accommodation work within HR and clarifies when discipline up to indefinite suspension may apply.

"The policy statement shows the city's commitment to employees, applicants, job candidates with disabilities, limitations due to pregnancy, and our sincerely held religious beliefs by ensuring they have equal access to all employment opportunities," said Alisa Franklin Brocks, chief of staff for the Human Resources Department, as she summarized Administrative Procedure (AP) 3-34 during the committee briefing.

The changes, HR said, align city practice with federal requirements including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA/ADAAA), the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. HR also described operational changes intended to standardize how accommodation requests are handled and where medical records are stored.

Under the revised AP 3-34, HR reorganized named roles: a citywide accommodations coordinator position will be housed in HR's civil service and EEO division, and the departmental accommodations coordinator role will now be filled by an HR employee-relations staffer who facilitates the interactive process. HR stressed that the ultimate decision on any accommodation remains with the relevant department director or their designee. Examples listed in the presentation of potential reasonable accommodations included adjusted breaks, reduced-noise work areas, flexible hours, redistribution of nonessential duties, temporary exceptions to dress code, extended unpaid leave or intermittent leave, and providing materials in alternative formats such as large print or braille.

HR said the revisions also introduce standardized forms and a central repository for accommodation types and associated medical documentation to streamline handling across departments.

The committee also received an overview of Executive Order 1-20, "Standards of Conduct, Professionalism and Civility," which HR described as an enhancement to the city's existing positive corrective action program (AP 3-7) and a consolidation of elements from prior mayor's policies that the executive order rescinds. "All employees will conduct themselves in a positive, cooperative, respectful, and professional manner at any location where city business is conducted," Brocks said. The policy, HR said, applies to conduct on-duty and off-duty and covers expectations for communication, customer service, professional conduct, cooperation in investigations, compliance with lawful orders, and confidentiality.

Council staff and members asked clarifying questions. Councilmember Davis asked, "What's the difference between indefinite suspension and termination?" Brocks explained: "An indefinite suspension is the way we separate our employees who are civil service protected... For those employees who are not civil service, we call those terminations." Director Cheeks added that the city reviews potential disciplinary matters with the legal department and the Office of Inspector General when complaints arise.

Committee members also asked whether remote-work rules had changed. Director Cheeks said the city's previous remote-work policy was repealed by the administration and is not currently available to employees, but noted that telework can still be considered as a reasonable accommodation when supported by appropriate medical documentation and processed under AP 3-34.

HR told the committee it is preparing training materials to help directors, supervisors and employees apply both policies. The Office of Talent and Organizational Development is developing e-learning and instructor-led training that HR expects to release "at the end of this year and in early 2026," the presentation said.

There were no formal votes or motions related to the policies during the Labor Committee meeting. Committee members thanked HR for the overview and asked for follow-up materials and a list of rescinded policies so employees and managers can see what changed.

The HR presenters recommended that departments route accommodation requests through the new HR-managed coordinator roles and that department directors continue to document essential job functions when evaluating requests. The committee requested that HR share the final forms and the planned training schedule with council offices when available.