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TIPS FOR CREATING
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
The Americans With Disabilities Act
(ADA) requires ASU to identify the essential functions for all positions.
Essential functions:
- are the core or critical duties
of a position which, in effect, define the job
- are used in helping determine
whether a requested accommodation for a disability is appropriate,
and
- are used in assisting the determination
of whether an applicant can or employee is performing the job, with
or without accommodations.
The following are the federally defined
criteria for determining essential functions of a position:
- the reason the job exists is to
perform a particular function (e.g. clean rooms for a custodial position),
- there are a limited number of
employees available among whom the performance of a job function
can be distributed (e.g. perform medical examinations for a physician
position),
- function may be highly specialized
so that a person is hired for his/her expertise or ability to perform
a particular function (e.g. conduct DNA testing for a research specialist
position),
- employer’s judgement that
a function is essential (e.g. answer phones for a receptionist position),
- the amount of time spent on the
job performing the function makes it essential (e.g. provide programming
to create reports for a computer programmer position),
- the consequences of not requiring
the incumbent to perform the function make it essential (e.g. landing
planes for a pilot position),
- the work experience of past incumbents
in the job make a function essential (e.g. maintain budget information
for a program coordinator position), and
- the current work experience of
incumbents in similar jobs (e.g. provide wordprocessing for an office
assistant position).
Examples of essential functions, which
may be appropriate for some positions, are listed below. Note the essential
function begins with a verb. Also note, ideally there should only be
from three to five essential functions per position. Essential functions
must be appropriate to the position and may vary for the same position
from department to department.
Administrative Assistant:
- schedule appointments and maintain
calendar for director
- monitor budget expenditures for
the department
- initiate confidential correspondence
on behalf of the director
- develop "services provided" reports
Materials Handler:
- order, receive, and stock material
- operate forklift, hand trucks
and dollies to move materials
- lift up to 50 lbs. of merchandise
without assistance
- use computer to track orders,
receipts, stock, and transfer of materials
Office assistant/receptionist:
- answer phones
- direct callers to appropriate
departmental staff
- maintain call-in log
- provide backup wordprocessing
support for the wordprocessing specialist
Program Coordinator:
- supervise the work of subordinates
- prepare funding proposals
- develop program goals and objectives
- evaluate program effectiveness
and compliance with funding agency requirements
- develop and facilitate workshop
logistics, scheduling and communication with participants
Research Specialist:
- conduct lab tests using appropriate
equipment and protocols
- maintain tissue samples in appropriate
and secure manner
- analyze and report results of
tests conducted
Office of Diversity, Human Resources
Mail: PO Box 875612
Tempe, Arizona 85287-5612
Phone: (480) 965-5057
FAX: (480) 965-6827
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