Let’s all entrench inclusive policies at the workplace

Persons with disabilities have a hard time securing gainful employment. Misconceptions surrounding their condition means that they are often side-stepped for roles despite having the necessary qualifications. 

The hearing-impaired have not been spared.

Although in recent years we have seen some deliberate effort in both the private and public sectors to integrate the deaf into the workplace, some employers still see them as incapable of delivering and fear the cost associated with setting up an enabling environment for them to thrive in the workplace.

For those who get employed, it is almost always not a seamless experience like for their counterparts.

On the International Week of the Deaf, under the theme reaffirming the human rights of hearing-impaired persons, it is a time of reflection, more so for employers, to ensure they are not left behind.

As a human resources professional, I have witnessed first-hand the benefits of having on board hearing-impaired people and being sensitive to their needs. But I have also seen how unconscious bias inadvertently locks them out of the workplace.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) principles of respect and promotion of rights, non-discrimination, equality of treatment and opportunities, confidentiality, attention to disabilities and collaboration emphasise the importance of diversity and inclusion at the workplace.

It is, therefore, imperative for employers to look beyond physical disability and make deliberate efforts in attracting, developing and retaining diverse talent.

Learn a new skillset

To get started, let us know and be cognizant of unconscious bias. This includes assumptions that due to disability; people are not fit to work or are only fit for certain kinds of work. Two, let us challenge ourselves to learn a new skillset — in this case, sign language. This could be basic signs such as greetings and how to say your name.

Three, let employers design workplaces to ensure inclusivity. With most companies having adopted the work-from-home concept, take advantage of this time to design workplaces for people with special circumstances so as to get the best out of them.

Finally, we need to facilitate employees with special needs to access assistive devices.

At Safaricom, for instance, we are continuously creating an enabling and inclusive environment by training our staff on sign language and using closed captions as well as sign language interpretation to ensure that communication is inclusive.

All our facilities are equipped with strobe lights, which help to signal to hearing-impaired persons in the event of an emergency.

We also have a flexible medical cover which allows our staff to access assistive devices such as hearing aids.

Besides, we are undertaking an audit of our retail footprint to ensure that all shops have sign language interpreters.

Our aspiration is to have sign language interpretation in all our shops to ensure that our customers who are hearing-impaired get the service and products they need conveniently.

First published on 25th September 2020 in the Daily Nation