EEOC Sues Paycom for Disability Discrimination

OKLAHOMA CITY — Paycom Payroll, LLC, an Oklahoma software company specializing in payroll and human capital software, violated federal law when it failed to provide effective reasonable accommodations to an employee with a life‑threatening food allergy and fired her instead, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

The EEOC’s suit said that shortly after being hired, an employee with a severe allergy repeatedly suffered anaphylactic reactions from exposure to food brought in by coworkers. Although she promptly informed supervisors and human resources of her condition and submitted medical documentation recommending she work in a secluded space or from home, Paycom provided only limited temporary workspace adjustments which failed to provide an effective accommodation. It did not notify nearby employees to avoid bringing the allergen to the workspace and declined to allow her to work remotely despite having established policies permitting the practice.

The employee continued to experience multiple allergic reactions — including two requiring ambulance transport to the hospital — when exposed to food in nearby breakrooms and hallways. The day after her most severe reaction in June 2024, the company terminated her, stating it could not accommodate her disability, according to the EEOC’s complaint.

“Employers have a legal obligation to explore and provide reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities — especially when the potential consequences of inaction are life-threatening,” said Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC’s St. Louis District. “No employee should be forced to choose between their health and their livelihood.”

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires the accommodation of disabilities absent undue hardship, and prohibits employers from discharging an employee because of their disability or because they requested an accommodation. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Paycom Payroll, LLC, Case No. 5:26-cv-01622-R) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

David S. Davis, director of the EEOC’s St. Louis District, said, “Federal law requires employers to engage in an interactive process and consider reasonable solutions. The EEOC will continue to enforce protections ensuring that individuals with disabilities are not excluded from the workplace because of unsupported assumptions or insufficient effort.”

For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination.

The EEOC’s St. Louis District Office has jurisdiction over discrimination charges and agency litigation in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and a portion of southern Illinois.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.