Welcoming workplaces for persons with disabilities

Approximate number of employees in your organization:

Question 1.

Are you confident that you are complying with the legislation that governs accessibility and disability inclusion within your operation(s)?

Each jurisdiction (federal, provincial, territorial) has a set of regulations. They generally include: employment standards, human rights acts, and regulations that are specific to accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Question 2.

Does your company have a diversity and inclusion plan that includes disability as a dimension of diversity?

Naming disability alongside other priority areas in your diversity and inclusion efforts is a key practice at leading inclusive companies.

Question 3.

Do your company references to disabilities explicitly include both visible and invisible disabilities?

Historically, disability in the workplace has often been pigeonholed into conversations about accessibility and accessible spaces for persons with visible disabilities, such as access to ramps, designated parking spaces, elevators, etc. Invisible disabilities however should also be part of the conversation. An invisible disability is any disability or health condition which may not present outwardly or is not immediately obvious such as mental health disorders, hearing impairments and learning disabilities.

Question 4.

Do managers and staff receive learning supports for disability inclusion?

Employers in many jurisdictions (federal, provincial or territorial) are required to provide awareness training on topics such as accessibility, human rights, and harassment prevention. Ongoing access to formal training, team discussions, and user-friendly resources can help companies not only meet their legislative requirements but also help to build awareness, challenge unconscious bias and increase confidence in interactions.

Question 5.

Does your company have connections with an organization(s) that provides expertise or support for disability inclusion?

Connecting to experts outside your company can give you valuable access to talent, training, resources, funding, and support.

Question 6.

Do your supervisors and managers show that they believe it is beneficial to hire and retain employees with disabilities in your company?

Leaders who are inclusive create an expectation for the type of culture the company wants, which sets an example for others.

Question 7.

Does your company regularly review workplace policies, practices, systems and spaces to ensure that they work for people with disabilities?

Looking carefully at each aspect of your business helps to identify a range of possible barriers to inclusion. Consider all of your business areas – from your HR practices, IT systems, workplace environments, to the meetings you host.

Question 8.

Are persons with disabilities, and their various situations, explicitly considered in your company’s policies (e.g. personal leave, paid medical leave, substance use etc.)?

Disability aspects such as mental health, invisible disabilities, episodic disabilities, and intersections with other characteristics should be clearly reflected in your policies.

Question 9.

Does your company clearly reflect the needs of people with disabilities within safety practices?

Integrating safety considerations with disability inclusion can help ensure no one is overlooked and simultaneously optimizes safety for the company’s entire workforce. This might include, for example: minimizing mental health risk; improving the accessibility of important safety information or providing ergonomic adjustments for staff.

Question 10.

Are the staff involved in recruitment (i.e., HR and managers) aware of, and consistently using, disability-inclusive attraction and hiring practices?

Inclusive recruitment efforts can help to ensure qualified candidates who have a disability see your company as a possible employer and are considered for employment. Inclusive recruitment practices can include using “welcoming” language in your job posts, having images that represent a variety of demographics in your hiring material and providing reasonable accommodations throughout the selection process.

Question 11.

In the last calendar year, did your workplace hire any persons with disabilities (who have disclosed)?

Monitoring your company’s hiring outcomes is an important step to improving your practices.

Question 12.

Is your onboarding process intentionally designed to be inclusive of new hires with disabilities?

Providing an effective orientation and understanding how the employee can be supported contributes to making an employee feel welcome and sets them up for successful work performance.

Question 13.

Do your company’s practices for managing performance and career development consider the possible challenges faced by employees who have disabilities?

Assessments of performance and potential can be subtly influenced by unconscious bias. Some traditional learning and development processes can present barriers to persons with disabilities.

Question 14.

Does your company have an effective Wellness policy and program?

Wellness programs reduce absenteeism, decrease benefits costs, increases job satisfaction and more. To reap these benefits, company wellness programs go beyond minimum legal requirements for workplace health and safety and include best practices for physical and mental health and wellness.

Question 15.

Do you offer an Employee Assistance Program to support mental health?

Employee assistance programs offer access to anonymous counselling services, referrals to mental wellness programs and support after a critical incident. They can offer tele-health that can meet the needs of drivers on the road.

Question 16.

Do you have employee networks, committees or informal groups that explicitly consider disability inclusion?

Safe spaces for employees to come together can build awareness, identify opportunities for improvement, and raise everyone’s comfort to discuss disabilities.

Question 17.

Does your company track metrics that help you to improve your company’s inclusion practices for hiring and retaining employees with disabilities?

Knowing the representation of employees with disabilities helps to focus and monitor your efforts. It is also required input to Employment Equity reporting for federally regulated employers.

Question 18.

Are employees with disabilities asked to give feedback about your work practices, customer-facing processes, or company culture?

People with disabilities, whether employees, clients or suppliers are uniquely qualified to give feedback on your inclusion efforts, which will result in a better working environment. For federally regulated employers this type of consultation is a requirement through the Accessible Canada Act.

Question 19.

Does your company have a stated commitment and clear process for providing accommodations for employees with disabilities, including documenting the plan?

Research shows that employers with a proactive approach to accommodations are more successful at hiring and retaining employees with disabilities. Everyone (managers, employees and job applicants) should know what is considered a disability and how accommodation requests are submitted, reviewed and addressed.

Question 20.

Are there active efforts to help your employees feel comfortable to disclose a disability and seek accommodation if needed?

It is important to provide ongoing opportunities for employees to self-identify as having a disability. Many employees and job candidates will not identify they have a disability. In addition, employees can acquire disabilities that they did not previously disclose.

Question 21.

Do you offer flexible work arrangements as an accommodation for employees?

Flexible work arrangements are a top request from employees with disabilities. Flexibility might include work location, schedules, routes, equipment, work activities, etc. In many cases, flexibility can be informally arranged at little or no cost.

Question 22.

Are managers well-equipped to have accommodation discussions with employees?

For example, do they know the process? Are managers familiar with various accommodations that can be useful to employees with disabilities? If not, do they know where to go for support?

Question 23.

Does your company have a clear process for accommodating an employee with a substance use disorder?

Working with an employee who has a substance use disorder can be complex. Employers in safety-sensitive industries such as trucking must have clear policies related to substance use, with reasonable accommodation in place for employees who are identified as having a disability due to addiction or a substance use disorder.

Question 27.

Do you have an accommodation budget or dedicated line item to fund requests?

Accommodations often don’t cost money. However, having a line item set aside shows your organization’s commitment. Even a small budget signals to managers and staff that accommodations are a normal, expected part of the business.