3 Ways to Push Diversity Forward in the Workplace

Management and training conferences constantly embrace the idea of diversity. Many often get stuck on the idea of diversity as racial ethnicity, religious or gender identity. But what many professionals don’t often think of is the diversity of accepting eager professionals willing to work harder than most due to various physical or mental limitations.

These individuals have strength beyond comprehension as they have fought fights some could only imagine. Professionals with physical limitations often have extreme attention to detail and an enhanced sense of creativity to work through – take Sir Isaac Newton for example who founded the three laws of motion while managing Epilepsy. Individuals silently fighting mental illness have the ability to drive passion into award-winning projects like JK Rowling and her creative masterpieces while fighting depression, or Leonardo DiCaprio fighting OCD between sets.

According to U.S. Census data, nearly  57 million Americans have some type of disability, with more than 13 million reported difficulty finding a job or remaining employed because of a health condition.

During the hiring process, sometimes these limitations are viewed as visual cues or reviewing resumes as applicants check the “Disability” box. Other times, you may never discover hidden disabilities revolving around mental illness unless otherwise revealed. The fact that so many hard-working, driven professionals report difficulty finding and keeping a job because of these limitations should be appalling.

Senior leadership has come a long way to encourage diversity, but there is so much more that must be done to promote disability diversity and engage these wonderful minds in the workforce. Here are three things you should do today to allow employees beyond your team to feel stable in their current position while boosting morale and workplace enjoyment.

Open Your Environment

In a recent poll conducted with a group of over 1000 individuals with some form of “disability”, when asked why they decided to leave their profession completely and rely solely on social security, more than 26% shared a feeling of guilt when asking others for help. Is it because our society has been so built on strength and independence? Or is it because people can easily feel more dispensable when they require assistance?

Teamwork is critical to the success of any organization for optimal productivity. You can help promote an open and honest environment but setting a solid example and continuously offer to provide assistance. Maintaining an open environment allows individuals to feel comfortable sharing constructive thoughts and asking for assistance without the feeling of guilt or shame.

Check out this article, Build an Environment for Success on Forbes or 11 Strategies for Achieving a More Diverse and Productive Work Environment.

Build Trust

An open environment starts with trust. As a Manager or Supervisor, your team should feel comfortable approaching you. If you see a staff member get frustrated and you haven’t approached them to find out why you may need to work on building trust. In the same poll conducted above, participants released an overwhelming amount of concern regarding stress in the workplace. Effectively managing this stress begins with an understanding and trustworthy boss.

One of the best methods for a trusting, open environment, is to always keep your office door open to show your availability to your team for support and constructive discussions. Management is much more than chaos control – it requires rolling up your sleeves and digging in to support and coach your team… not strategize and dictate.

To learn a few easy ways to start building trust with your team today, check out 8 Simple Ways to Build Trust with Your Employees published by Drew Hendricks on Inc.com.

Control and Eliminate Stressors

Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the cause of stress on overall wellbeing. It’s not surprising that stress triggers relapse in chronic illness. An overwhelming 46% of disabled professionals shared that stress was a primary trigger to their reasoning for leaving the workforce for good. The stress may have triggered a relapse or further damage to health.

Some tips to controlling stressors include promoting stress management through monthly lunch lessons or weekly checkpoints with your team. To learn more ways to control staff stress, read 10 Cheap Ways to Reduce Employee Stress, written by Marla Tabaka on Inc.com.

More than 13 million US citizens have a hard time finding a job or remaining employed because of a health condition.

Everyone has a role to play... What can you do to help?

Some of the world’s most brilliant individuals have fought physical and mental disabilities and it’s been difficult to break existing stigmas that we face each day. It’s up to us to accept and coach all beautiful minds, encouraging the professional growth of more incredible humans like Stephen Hawking (ALS) and Albert Einstein (Speculated Asperger’s).