Do employers have a duty to accommodate volunteers?

[Conner Lantz]

#81220

We are currently developing our Accommodation Policy and Process, and I have run into the questions surrounding volunteers, and I am looking for clarification. Do employers have a duty to accommodate volunteers?
I have read cases on how the BC Human Rights Tribunal defines employment, when it comes to deciding if a volunteer is justified in requiring accommodation from the employer, but if you have clearly defined a volunteers role (following the BC Human Rights Tribunal guides) in the organization where is the limit for extending accommodations?
Thank you.

[Conner Lantz]

#81219

Being a volunteer is NOT one of the personal characteristics protected from employment discrimination under BC (or any other jurisdiction’s) human rights laws. Accordingly, there’s no obligation under that law to provide accommodations. However, a volunteer IS protected from discrimination and entitled to accommodations to the extent he/she has one or more of those protected characteristics–race, religion, sex, family status, religion. So, for example, a volunteer who’s Muslim may be entitled to religious accommodations so he/she gets equal opportunity to serve as a volunteer. In other words, the protection stems from the person’s religious status not his/her status as a volunteer.
Hope that helps and I’ll try to be a little quicker in responding next time. Glenn

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