5 Leadership Strategies to Embrace the Differently-Abled Community

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 1 in 5 people have some form of "disability". Research has shown that leading practices on inclusion in the differently-abled community by hiring people with mental and physical challenges is good for the bottom-line. Case studies from companies such as 3M, PepsiCo, Merck and AT & T have reported the many benefits and importance of hiring people with disabilities. So what can we do, as leaders, to promote the well being of all our employees and build a supportive community? 

ONE. Open Door Policy: Employees shouldn't be afraid to bring up their needs at work

Disability doesn’t mean a service animal or a wheelchair. Some are invisible. Employees shouldn’t feel shameful for having a mental or physical challenge (i.e. disability). Each individual should feel respected and encouraged to bring needs and perspectives forward.

An “open door policy” is becoming a trend in the corporate world – companies are priding themselves on having an open door policy – but what does that really mean? Are you actually putting this open door mentality into practice? Having an open door policy doesn’t just mean you are available to listen-it also means you are committed to open communication.

Claire Petrie has worked for an organization that had what they considered an “open door policy” but when employees would knock on their manager’s door, they would get a dismissive response, such as “I’m busy right now”. Then, they would approach Petrie as their Human Resources representative, and she would listen to their needs. Human Resources is not the catch-all for listening to employees’ needs. Human Resources is ingrained at every level of the business. In fact, all managers are HR managers in some respect.

It’s understandable to get an “I’m busy right now” with demanding workloads, but dismissing team members in inappropriate. How is that approach promoting an environment where bringing information forward is valued? How is that an environment where employees believe that management cares about what they have to say?

A more helpful response would be, “thank you for coming to me. I’m in the middle of something, but I can talk in 5 minutes.” Thank the employee and set a realistic time frame for when you can get back to them. Try to pause and give them your full attention when they approach you, even if you’re going to let them know you can’t talk right now.

Then, follow up! It’s too easy to let this fall to the bottom of the to-do list when other tasks are piling up, but always remember that your employees are the most important part of your job as a manager. Listen carefully to the individual during the conversation while giving employees your full attention. Listen to understand, not just to respond. It takes a lot of bravery for someone to bring forth a challenge they are having or a new idea they have. Managers should embrace the fact that everyone comes from a different background and perspective, and that everyone brings value to the workplace.

TWO. Encourage Conversation and Open Communication: A strong support system comes with an open and supportive community based on communication

Encourage conversation and do not jump to conclusions. Employees need to be able to discuss how they are doing their jobs and bring forward what could improve the workplace and make them more productive and successful. Listen to employees when they bring forward their concerns and challenges.

Before responding, do not “react” or make assumptions. Employees need to know that we as business leaders listen, care, and understand. An action doesn’t always need to be taken right away. One reason managers defer employees to HR is that they believe they will have to do something and they “don’t know how” so they just don’t want to deal with it. This is not the case...

Managers need to build rapport and relationships with their employees on their own. Sometimes employees simply need someone to talk to or bounce an idea off of. If action is required and you are unsure how to proceed, loop in your HR partner. HR needs to be involved in any accommodation requests, so if employees need something in order to perform, listen to their suggestions and ask why their suggestions would benefit them. Ask them if they would like to share any other information with you before you review.

Create a comfortable environment for the conversation to take place by being open-minded and asking open-ended questions. Let the employee know that you will review and get back to them within a specified timeframe.

THREE. Nurture Your Most Valuable Assets: Management should care just as much about their people as their own tasks

Many companies treat different levels of employees differently. The front line employees are just as important as management. Everybody is human. Everybody is trying to meet their needs – emotionally, financially, etc. Everybody has a life going on outside of work. No one person’s tasks are more important than someone else’s and all roles in the company work together to reach company goals. Even the lowest level employee needs to feel that their opinion matters. The most successful environments involve managers that encourage conversation and ask people how they’re doing or if they need anything. They genuinely asked for input on work processes because they care. It takes a lot of bravery for someone to bring up an idea, concern or challenge – make this easy for your employees by showing them that you care.

FOUR. Distribute Gratitude: Managers must take an interest in their employee’s lives outside of work

Thank your employees for contributing their time and talents every day. Thank them when things are going well, and during trying times. Recognition is a huge driver of employee engagement and productivity at work. Thank the employee for a specific behavior they exhibited that supports the company goals/contributes to the positive work culture. Employees will know that their inputs are valuable and are more likely to repeat the behavior. Recognition also leads to increased loyalty and employee retention. One of the hottest topics in HR right now is how to retain top performers – and it’s nurturing them, distributing gratitude, having a manager that cares and listens, everything we are talking about here. It’s not rocket science, it’s being a human and treating people how they would like to be treated.

FIVE. Educate The Importance of Diversity: Lead the discussion on reasonable accommodations if necessary and provide a safe place for open communication, support, and encouragement

Gone are the days where HR is a compliance-driven/tactical function. HR should be at the forefront of ensuring workplaces are inclusive and celebrate differences among employees. One of the biggest strengths of a successful manager is being open-minded. A myriad of situations is brought to our attention daily as HR Managers. HR professionals should look at the situation and take a moment to process it from other angles before moving forward. HR should always be a safe space for employees to go when they need support.

Employees have approached HR after receiving difficult news about a family members’ health condition, who’s roommate decided to move out and now they’re struggling to pay their rent, and other more work related issues where they just dealt with a difficult customer and were upset.

SUMMARY

Everyone processes challenge differently and need different levels of support and the differently-abled community isn’t an exception. It’s critical to give your employees the support they need in order for them to feel comfortable enough to approach you without judgment. Your employees will leave your office feeling better than when they arrive. They will be able to go back to their desk and get back to work because the stress they carried with them to the office will have been relieved.

Your Human Resources representatives cannot always provide answers everyone wants to hear and he or she may not always “take action” on every piece of information received. But what HR and Managers can do is listen, be empathetic, and provide encouragement. This is how we get our employees best selves when they come to work... by caring about them.

Conditions considered to be a disability as defined by the Equality Act of 2010 include: Cancer, HIV Infection, Multiple Sclerosis, Severe Disfigurement, Visual or Auditory Impairment, Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, ME, Motor Neuron Disease, Muscular Dystrophy, Dementia, Heart Disease, Asthma, Strokes, Learning Disabilities including Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, Autism, Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Eating Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and other impairments due to injury or to the body or brain.

ABOUT CLAIRE PETRIE

Claire is a seasoned Human Resources Manager that has worked with many organizations providing support and resources to employees. Petrie strives to make a difference in lives by giving career advice, helping with resume development, interview coaching and mentoring those entering new careers. Petrie loves to listen, coach, network, volunteer, learn, present, and make people smile. Her passions lie in talent acquisition and organization development, where she can find perfect matches between people and companies and find win-win solutions.

ABOUT CHANTEL SOUMIS

Chantel is a communications expert, a professional storyteller, a top LinkedIn creator, and a host of the (Un)Lean Show on the social networking platform. As an advocate for the differently-abled community, Soumis spreads awareness, hope, and inspiration to those fighting for acceptance and those fighting to understand the hidden struggles of community members. Soumis has overcome severe personal and professional obstacles. Today, Soumis coaches – with inspiration, generosity, and love – to fully accept what others may perceive as personal weakness, to embrace challenge as opportunity, and to convert it into strength.