Big Lots workers can request practical ADA workplace accommodations

Big Lots workers can ask for changes that make the job doable

A reasonable accommodation is not supposed to be a trapdoor of legal jargon. For Big Lots workers dealing with a disability, pregnancy-related restriction, or another work barrier, the process is meant to be practical: name the obstacle, describe what gets in the way, and ask for a change that lets you keep doing the job.

That matters in retail, where the work can mean long shifts on your feet, repetitive lifting, changing schedules, and fast-moving customer demands. A stool at the register, a lighter stockroom assignment, a schedule adjustment for treatment, or a different break pattern can be the difference between staying productive and being pushed out of the role.

What counts as a reasonable accommodation

Under Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance, a reasonable accommodation can be a change to the application process, the work environment, the way a job is usually done, or access to the benefits and privileges that come with employment. The ADA also reaches beyond the floor and the back room: it bars discrimination in recruitment, pay, hiring, firing, job assignments, promotions, training, leave, layoff, benefits, and other employment-related decisions.

That breadth matters because the accommodation process is not limited to one narrow kind of request. It can cover visual disabilities, hearing disabilities, telework, pregnancy-related limitations, and employer responsibilities. In a Big Lots setting, that could mean changing how an associate communicates with a customer, reducing a lifting requirement in the stock area, or adjusting when someone takes breaks so the person can keep working safely and effectively.

The ADA National Network describes accommodations as adjustments or modifications that allow a qualified person with a disability to perform the essential functions of a job. The point is not to erase the job, but to remove the barrier that keeps the worker from doing it.

How the process actually starts

The first move is usually simpler than workers expect. The ADA National Network says the employee has to disclose the disability because employers are only required to accommodate known disabilities. In practice, that means the request has to give the manager enough information to understand the problem and begin looking for a solution.

You do not need to use the perfect legal phrase. You do not need to turn the request into a formal brief. EEOC guidance says the process is meant to be interactive and practical, not formalistic, which means the conversation should focus on what is blocking you and what would help.

A straightforward request can sound like this:

• “I need a stool during register shifts because standing that long is causing pain.”
• “I can keep working if I am not assigned to repetitive heavy lifting in the stockroom.”
• “My medical treatment requires a schedule change on certain days.”
• “I need a different way to communicate during training or customer interactions.”
• “My pregnancy-related restriction means I need more frequent breaks or lighter duties.”

The manager’s job is to treat that as a workability question, not as a favor. The best accommodation conversations are about function, safety, and access, not blame.

Why retail workers should be specific

Big Lots stores are built around physical work. Employees may stock merchandise, move product, ring up purchases, and pivot quickly when staffing changes. That is exactly why a practical request should be specific about the job task that is creating the problem.

If lifting is the issue, say which weights or motions are difficult. If standing is the issue, say whether a stool, brief sitting breaks, or a different register assignment would help. If the problem is communication, say whether you need written instructions, a quieter training setup, or another adjustment that makes messages clear. The more concrete the request, the easier it is to identify a workable solution.

This is also where the interactive process matters most. An employee may suggest one fix, but the employer may propose another that works just as well. The ADA framework is built around finding an effective solution, not forcing workers to know every possible accommodation in advance.

Pregnancy-related limits now have clearer protection

There is also a newer layer of protection that Big Lots workers should understand. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act took effect on June 27, 2023, and the EEOC’s final regulation took effect on June 18, 2024. Under that law, covered employers with 15 or more employees must provide reasonable accommodations for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions unless the accommodation would cause undue hardship.

For retail workers, that can be especially important. Pregnancy-related accommodations often look a lot like the practical changes already common in stores: more frequent breaks, schedule changes, temporary relief from heavy lifting, or a different assignment that fits medical restrictions. The EEOC also says pregnancy itself is not automatically a disability under the ADA, but pregnancy-related impairments may qualify as disabilities, which gives workers another route to request changes.

That distinction matters because a worker does not need to guess which law applies before asking for help. The real starting point is the same: describe the limitation and the adjustment that would let the work continue.

Why this is especially important at Big Lots now

Big Lots and its subsidiaries filed voluntary chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions on September 9, 2024, and later disclosed that it had begun going-out-of-business sales at all remaining store locations. In that kind of environment, flexibility becomes more than a perk. It can affect whether a capable worker stays on the schedule, whether a shift is covered, and whether experienced employees remain through a difficult wind-down.

That makes accommodation requests especially consequential. When a store is under pressure, there can be a tendency to treat any adjustment as a burden. But the practical reality is the opposite in many cases: a modest change can keep a reliable associate in place and reduce turnover at a moment when consistency matters more than ever.

For workers, that means the safest approach is to be direct, calm, and specific. For managers, it means remembering that the law is not asking for a favor. It is asking for a practical conversation that keeps qualified employees on the job when a reasonable fix is available.

A simple path forward

If you need an accommodation, start with the barrier, not the statute. The process usually works best when you identify what part of the job is hard, explain why, and suggest a realistic adjustment that would help.

A useful sequence is: 1. State the limitation. 2. Point to the task or condition that is causing the problem. 3. Ask for the change you need. 4. Be ready to discuss alternatives if the first idea does not work.

That approach fits the way the EEOC and the ADA National Network describe the process: practical, interactive, and centered on keeping a qualified worker able to do the essential parts of the job. For Big Lots employees, that can mean the difference between struggling through a shift and finding an adjustment that keeps work accessible, productive, and sustainable.