Marginal function

A marginal function is a job-related task that is not an essential aspect of the job. Because this task is non-essential, it could be removed from an employee’s job responsibilities if the employee were unable to perform the task due to a disability. In fact, removing a marginal function could be a reasonable accommodation. For example, consider a person who works as a housekeeper at a hotel. This person can walk well but cannot walk up and down stairs. If a small part of the job is to clean the stairwell, the hotel could reassign that responsibility to another housekeeping staff member as a reasonable accommodation.

Marginal functions are different from essential functions—essential functions are tasks that are core aspects of a job.

[ Compare to: Essential function ]


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Marginal Job Function
Social media image that says: What is a marginal job function under Title I of the ADA? It's a job-related task that is not an essential aspect of an employee's position. The photo shows a person working in an office environment while wearing a hearing aid.