HBR Management Tip of the Day

Do Your Employees with Disabilities Feel Safe to Disclose?

For an employee, deciding whether or not to disclose a disability at work is complicated. But, as a leader, you can create a culture in which people feel safe to bring their full selves to work. First, make sure you have accessible, enterprise-wide training programs in place to help employees with disabilities thrive and advance in their careers. For example, you might offer introductory sign language courses to help people communicate with non-hearing colleagues. Second, start a disability-focused Employee Resource Group (ERG). The best ERGs foster open dialogue and networking not only among their own members but also with members of other ERGs. Lastly, encourage leaders with disabilities to serve as role models. Seeing someone at the leadership level disclose will convey that it’s safe to be open. Ultimately, you want to do what you can so your employees with disabilities feel seen, heard, and included.

This tip is adapted from?“Make It Safe for Employees to Disclose Their Disabilities,”?by Laurie Henneborn