Employing and supporting workers with disabilities is an essential aspect of corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts; and it’s one that pays off. Studies report increases in revenues of 28% when companies include workers with disabilities. Despite this, 66% of people with disabilities experience negative workplace biases.
CEOs, HR professionals, managers and all other employees can coordinate to ensure a business is doing everything possible to break down the barriers that workers with disabilities face. Here are a few tips for promoting inclusion at each corporate level.
The CEO: Building an Inclusive Culture
Leading a company means demonstrating what is important to the business’ leadership. If the CEO and upper management strive for inclusivity3, employees will know to prioritize it as well.
Listen to employees
A recent study indicated that company leaders are disconnected from their employees regarding issues like flexible work arrangements. Allowing remote work and flexibility5 is one way that some businesses are helping people with disabilities. For instance, people with mobility disabilities often face challenging and exhausting commutes, and those with severe allergies can face workplace exposures that put them at risk.
CEOs should listen to their employees when it comes to remote work policies and understand why workers may need or want more flexibility. Of course, when offering flexible work arrangements, it’s also necessary to ensure that employees have the tools they need, which could include captions for video conferences or screen reading capabilities.
Lead by example
Many employees have disabilities but don’t feel comfortable disclosing them. That fear can often translate to lower workplace aspirations6. When members of the C-Suite open up about the topic of disabilities or their own if they have them, their employees are more willing to do the same. Unfortunately, 80% of executives with disabilities do not disclose that information. The lack of disclosure is a missed opportunity to destigmatize disabilities and ensure employees have a chance to open up about their need for support at work.
Create a plan
CEOs can create policies aimed at hiring people with disabilities. Microsoft’s initiative to hire neurodiverse workers for positions where they can excel is an example of one of these policies. By removing the traditional hiring process and looking at skills, the company finds talented, qualified people to fill roles.
The HR Director: Hiring Inclusive Teams
When it comes to recruiting and hiring, there are ways to identify qualified candidates with disabilities. HR professionals can use the following strategies to locate the right people for the job while improving workplace inclusivity.
Ensure applications are accessible
One survey indicated that 46% of job applicants with disabilities found filling out online applicants “difficult or impossible” because of accessibility challenges. Ensuring that websites and applications offer tools like screen readers can avoid situations where qualified applicants give up because of inaccessibility.
Post jobs in the right places
Job boards like the Workforce Recruitment Program and the Talent Acquisition Portal10 focus on job seekers with disabilities. National organizations that advocate for people with disabilities, like the National Association of the Deaf, can also offer assistance.
Focus on abilities
Unconscious biases can make it challenging for people with disabilities to find jobs. Putting a strong emphasis on skills that a position requires is an excellent way to avoid these issues from impacting the interview process. Sometimes an accommodation might solve any difficulties, so HR professionals should make tools like captions or sign language interpreters available.
Create an internship program that invites students with disabilities
Internship programs aimed at finding students with disabilities increase a company’s likelihood of hiring people with disabilities by 5.7 times. The Workforce Recruitment Program and the Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities are two organizations that can help with this effort.
The Manager: Communication is Key
Managers have more direct contact with their employees and should maintain open lines of communication to ensure accessibility and fairness.
Discussing accommodations
One of the most critical factors for complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is discussing possible solutions with workers. Luckily, some accessibility obstacles have solutions that only require a little creativity. For example, moving office furniture may be all an employee with physical disabilities needs to navigate the workplace, and adding captions to Zoom meetings can allow employees who are Deaf or hard of hearing the opportunity to participate.
Equitable investments in career development
Managers should be mindful of how they discuss professional goals11 and paths with employees with disabilities. These employees deserve the same access to career development opportunities as anyone else. One way to promote such access is to proactively provide live captions for webinars and captions and audio descriptions on all training and continued education videos. Such steps allow employees who are Deaf or hard of hearing and those with vision-related disabilities the chance to participate and benefit.
Stay up-to-date on helpful tools
Technology is offering new ways to help people with disabilities. Learning about collaborative tools like Asana that allow the person to work remotely or Verbit’s innovative captioning solution will help managers suggest useful accommodations.
The Coworker: Lifting Up Peers
Employees can support co-workers with disabilities by educating themselves with these etiquette tips related to working with employees with disabilities.
Ask first before assisting the person
Never assume a person with disabilities wants assistance. If a co-worker appears to need help, the correct approach is to ask, “Can I help you with that?” This approach is not overly formal, which could make the individual uncomfortable. It’s also much better than jumping in based on the assumption that the person is incapable of carrying out a task.
Never patronize or pity the co-worker
Making well-intentioned statements praising a coworker with disabilities for their bravery or overcoming so many challenges can send the message that their peers think they can’t perform their job at the same level as everyone else. Instead, treat employees with disabilities with the same expectations as other people in similar positions. Also, remember that there are ways to remove perceived obstacles, for example, captioning tools can bypass many communication struggles workers may experience when interacting with an employee who is Deaf or hard of hearing.
Don’t allow discomfort to cause avoidance
Unfortunately, there are times when employees might feel uncomfortable navigating their interactions with people with disabilities. This apprehensiveness can cause them to avoid or exclude that co-worker, which is hurtful and unnecessary. Co-workers should make an effort to include the person with disabilities and get to know them as an individual. If co-workers are going to lunch, they should invite the person, initiate small talk and ask them the same questions they would ask others about their hobbies and interests.
Overall, employees should focus on what their co-workers bring to their team, not whether they have a disability. Being mindful of workplace disabilities and avoiding biases will benefit the company and the employees. Remember that technology can help accommodate workers, break down barriers and allow individuals with disabilities to reach their professional potential. Verbit provides captioning, transcription, audio description and translation services that promote inclusivity in the workplace. Contact us to learn more.
