Disability at Work - A Different Approach
For nearly thirty years I, and many others have provided disability equality training designed for, and targeted at line managers, HR professionals and other interested individuals. Given that most people acquire their impairments during their adult lives an important emphasis has been placed on helping employers and managers become more confident when managing disability in the workplace.
Looking back I can see that this approach has provided some positive benefits and the workplace is no longer quite so problematic for disabled employees. Sadly I also think that this strategy has failed to deliver on two really important levels.
Firstly, the disabled employee has to rely on being part of an organisation that places real importance on equality policies and practices. Even when this is the case the disabled employee is often separated from the equality process and has to sit and wait while their manager gets trained or the organisation decides to treat disability as a higher priority.
Secondly, there is plenty of evidence from official government and employer statistics, to suggest that despite all these initiatives disabled people’s career progression opportunities, levels of engagement and employment rates remain stubbornly low when compared to those for non-disabled people.
Of crucial importance to all of this is the disabled person’s relationship with their colleagues, and the role and location of their line manager.
Managers are often very busy people who work under extreme pressure in order to meet deadlines and deliver the objectives set by the organisation. They rely on their team being self-motivating, effective and playing their part in the delivery of the targets set. Even more pressure is brought to bear when overall team performance is linked to remuneration, for example by way of bonuses. Disabled team members may be seen as a liability or as less effective than others but because of the sensitivities involved the issue is not tackled by either party. The disabled employee grumbles about a lack of understanding and career progression and the line manager resents being left to manage a situation they feel unsure about resolving and in any event don’t have the time to tackle. I believe it is now time for a radical rethink.
The time has come for a different approach so here’s my proposition.
Back in the seventies and eighties people with impairments came together and developed organisations whose purpose was tackle a world they felt was disabling them. The slogan “Nothing about us without us” epitomised the emerging disabled people’s movement. People with impairments demanded that where plans were being developed that affected their lives then they should be fully involved in the process.
Employers now need to develop an approach that places their disabled employees at the centre of their disability equality initiatives. After all, who has the bigger interest in disability, the individual who has the lived experience of it or their line manager or HR professional who may see it as problematic or as a low priority?
This changed methodology should provide opportunities for employees with impairments to identify strategies that will help them become more effective. By becoming experts on what helps and hinders them they are empowered to advocate on their own behalf. Thus equipped the employee takes control and is better able to help their manager understand what needs to be done in order for them to become an effective contributor to the team objectives.
My colleague Dave Rees and I have been running Personal Development Programmes (PDP) for disabled people for over twelve years. Many of those who attend have acquired their impairment during their adult lives; others have been living with an impairment for many years. Many have impairments that are not visible, and it is therefore sometimes assumed by others that they are non-disabled or in some extreme cases they are thought to be ‘faking it’. All the participants have a number of other things in common. They often feel isolated at work, they feel they are not being listened to; they are sometimes disillusioned or angry, they are coping with, rather than managing the disabling effects of their impairments.
The programme encourages participants to see their impairment as an asset rather than a problem. We urge them to become experts on managing their impairments, we make it clear that they need to take responsibility for knowing everything there is to know about their condition and the impact it has on them and those around them. They have to become better informed about the support services that are available or the kit they need and they have learn how to ask their managers for the adjustments they require in order for them to become as effective as possible. The programme examines the disabling barriers they face and encourages participants to explore ways of managing the interface between themselves and their social context.
Disability can be a really difficult subject to discuss, both for disabled and non-disabled people. Non-disabled people may worry about using the wrong language or being seen as patronising. The disabled individual may have real concerns about what will happen after they’ve talked about their impairment. The programme equips delegates with the necessary assertiveness skills, so they can take control and reassure their colleagues and managers that it is okay to talk about it. A couple of examples follow to illustrate the point.
A man with a serious and fluctuating mental health condition attended the programme; his manager although sympathetic had no idea what to do to help him or how to manage the impact on the rest of the team. During the programme the participant wrote a two page summary explaining his condition, how it affected him, what support he needed from his manager and colleagues in order to be as effective as possible. He distributed the document and offered opportunities for people to talk to him about it. One outcome was that he and his line manager were able to develop a reasonable adjustment package that took account of his situation. He was less stressed, took fewer days off sick and felt his self-esteem increased. He also made contact with others in the organisation who had similar issues and helped to start a support group for employees with mental health conditions.
A woman who was losing her sight coped by keeping quiet about it and as result her effectiveness at work decreased. Her appraisals reflected this and her promotion opportunities declined. At home she was aware that her daughter was having a tough time at school partly because she (the mother) didn’t socialise with the other parents in the playground when she collected her daughter from school. This was primarily due to the fact that she couldn’t see them and they were unaware of her sight impairment. As a result of the PDP she developed an action plan designed to tackle the issue. She spent time finding out what support was available via her employer and externally in order to resolve her issues at work. She wrote a description of her sight impairment and the adjustments she needed. She took the lead and shared the issue with her manager and between them they arranged for a work based assessment. She also discussed the situation with her immediate colleagues so that they could understand the things they could do to help her manage more effectively around the office. Although she didn’t need a white stick to get around she decided to use one when she went to school to meet her daughter. The other parents quickly realised that she had a sight impairment and began to include her in their conversations.
Experience has taught us that training has a limited effect over time so it is extremely important that disabled people who have been through personal development programmes have regular ‘top-ups’ by staying in touch with each other both formally and informally. Participants on our programmes are encouraged to circulate their contact details in order to facilitate these peer support networks.
A more formal but equally important approach is the formation of a network of disabled people, which is funded and supported by the employer. Not only does this provide opportunities for peer support and mentoring programmes etc. it also gives the employer access to in-house disabled experts. Having specialists available reduces the need for expensive external consultants, particularly when the organisation wants to review or revise its disability policies or needs to develop products and services specifically targeted at disabled consumers.
I believe the time has come for employers to place a much greater emphasis on empowering and equipping their disabled colleagues to take control of their lives at work. Employers should concentrate their efforts on removing the barriers that get in the way of staff with impairments being as effective as possible. Lack of appropriate access, discriminatory behaviours, ineffectual, inflexible reasonable adjustment processes are all examples of obstacles for the employer to tackle.
For their part employees with impairments need to take full responsibility for managing their impairments as effectively as possible. This will involve making sure that those around them understand the impact their impairment has and what needs to be done to help them deliver what is expected of them.
Evidence from employers shows that there are tangible benefits for both employees and employers in this different approach. For employees, barrier removal provides personal development opportunities, can stimulate the development of support networks and enhance promotion chances. For employers, the benefits include better staff retention rates, improved levels of engagement, higher productivity and a reduction in the cost of long-term absence. Being proactive also helps reduce the likelihood of litigation by getting in place early, with input from the employee, the most effective form of reasonable adjustments possible.
Forty years ago disabled people created organisations and campaigned on their own behalf for greater social inclusion, independent living and legal protection from discrimination. They were extremely effective campaigners and many of the entitlements that disabled people now enjoy came about because of their efforts.
So let’s focus our efforts on developing programmes that empower and equip disabled people to take control of their lives in work so that they can become really effective. Let’s now provide opportunities for disabled employees to share their stories and experiences with each other and where appropriate, with those around them who are most affected. Let’s continue to support line managers and non-disabled colleagues by helping them to understand their role in empowering colleagues with impairments. Most importantly let’s remember that people with impairments must be at the heart of any initiative that is likely to affect them.
Looking back I can see that this approach has provided some positive benefits and the workplace is no longer quite so problematic for disabled employees. Sadly I also think that this strategy has failed to deliver on two really important levels.
Firstly, the disabled employee has to rely on being part of an organisation that places real importance on equality policies and practices. Even when this is the case the disabled employee is often separated from the equality process and has to sit and wait while their manager gets trained or the organisation decides to treat disability as a higher priority.
Secondly, there is plenty of evidence from official government and employer statistics, to suggest that despite all these initiatives disabled people’s career progression opportunities, levels of engagement and employment rates remain stubbornly low when compared to those for non-disabled people.
Of crucial importance to all of this is the disabled person’s relationship with their colleagues, and the role and location of their line manager.
Managers are often very busy people who work under extreme pressure in order to meet deadlines and deliver the objectives set by the organisation. They rely on their team being self-motivating, effective and playing their part in the delivery of the targets set. Even more pressure is brought to bear when overall team performance is linked to remuneration, for example by way of bonuses. Disabled team members may be seen as a liability or as less effective than others but because of the sensitivities involved the issue is not tackled by either party. The disabled employee grumbles about a lack of understanding and career progression and the line manager resents being left to manage a situation they feel unsure about resolving and in any event don’t have the time to tackle. I believe it is now time for a radical rethink.
The time has come for a different approach so here’s my proposition.
Back in the seventies and eighties people with impairments came together and developed organisations whose purpose was tackle a world they felt was disabling them. The slogan “Nothing about us without us” epitomised the emerging disabled people’s movement. People with impairments demanded that where plans were being developed that affected their lives then they should be fully involved in the process.
Employers now need to develop an approach that places their disabled employees at the centre of their disability equality initiatives. After all, who has the bigger interest in disability, the individual who has the lived experience of it or their line manager or HR professional who may see it as problematic or as a low priority?
This changed methodology should provide opportunities for employees with impairments to identify strategies that will help them become more effective. By becoming experts on what helps and hinders them they are empowered to advocate on their own behalf. Thus equipped the employee takes control and is better able to help their manager understand what needs to be done in order for them to become an effective contributor to the team objectives.
My colleague Dave Rees and I have been running Personal Development Programmes (PDP) for disabled people for over twelve years. Many of those who attend have acquired their impairment during their adult lives; others have been living with an impairment for many years. Many have impairments that are not visible, and it is therefore sometimes assumed by others that they are non-disabled or in some extreme cases they are thought to be ‘faking it’. All the participants have a number of other things in common. They often feel isolated at work, they feel they are not being listened to; they are sometimes disillusioned or angry, they are coping with, rather than managing the disabling effects of their impairments.
The programme encourages participants to see their impairment as an asset rather than a problem. We urge them to become experts on managing their impairments, we make it clear that they need to take responsibility for knowing everything there is to know about their condition and the impact it has on them and those around them. They have to become better informed about the support services that are available or the kit they need and they have learn how to ask their managers for the adjustments they require in order for them to become as effective as possible. The programme examines the disabling barriers they face and encourages participants to explore ways of managing the interface between themselves and their social context.
Disability can be a really difficult subject to discuss, both for disabled and non-disabled people. Non-disabled people may worry about using the wrong language or being seen as patronising. The disabled individual may have real concerns about what will happen after they’ve talked about their impairment. The programme equips delegates with the necessary assertiveness skills, so they can take control and reassure their colleagues and managers that it is okay to talk about it. A couple of examples follow to illustrate the point.
A man with a serious and fluctuating mental health condition attended the programme; his manager although sympathetic had no idea what to do to help him or how to manage the impact on the rest of the team. During the programme the participant wrote a two page summary explaining his condition, how it affected him, what support he needed from his manager and colleagues in order to be as effective as possible. He distributed the document and offered opportunities for people to talk to him about it. One outcome was that he and his line manager were able to develop a reasonable adjustment package that took account of his situation. He was less stressed, took fewer days off sick and felt his self-esteem increased. He also made contact with others in the organisation who had similar issues and helped to start a support group for employees with mental health conditions.
A woman who was losing her sight coped by keeping quiet about it and as result her effectiveness at work decreased. Her appraisals reflected this and her promotion opportunities declined. At home she was aware that her daughter was having a tough time at school partly because she (the mother) didn’t socialise with the other parents in the playground when she collected her daughter from school. This was primarily due to the fact that she couldn’t see them and they were unaware of her sight impairment. As a result of the PDP she developed an action plan designed to tackle the issue. She spent time finding out what support was available via her employer and externally in order to resolve her issues at work. She wrote a description of her sight impairment and the adjustments she needed. She took the lead and shared the issue with her manager and between them they arranged for a work based assessment. She also discussed the situation with her immediate colleagues so that they could understand the things they could do to help her manage more effectively around the office. Although she didn’t need a white stick to get around she decided to use one when she went to school to meet her daughter. The other parents quickly realised that she had a sight impairment and began to include her in their conversations.
Experience has taught us that training has a limited effect over time so it is extremely important that disabled people who have been through personal development programmes have regular ‘top-ups’ by staying in touch with each other both formally and informally. Participants on our programmes are encouraged to circulate their contact details in order to facilitate these peer support networks.
A more formal but equally important approach is the formation of a network of disabled people, which is funded and supported by the employer. Not only does this provide opportunities for peer support and mentoring programmes etc. it also gives the employer access to in-house disabled experts. Having specialists available reduces the need for expensive external consultants, particularly when the organisation wants to review or revise its disability policies or needs to develop products and services specifically targeted at disabled consumers.
I believe the time has come for employers to place a much greater emphasis on empowering and equipping their disabled colleagues to take control of their lives at work. Employers should concentrate their efforts on removing the barriers that get in the way of staff with impairments being as effective as possible. Lack of appropriate access, discriminatory behaviours, ineffectual, inflexible reasonable adjustment processes are all examples of obstacles for the employer to tackle.
For their part employees with impairments need to take full responsibility for managing their impairments as effectively as possible. This will involve making sure that those around them understand the impact their impairment has and what needs to be done to help them deliver what is expected of them.
Evidence from employers shows that there are tangible benefits for both employees and employers in this different approach. For employees, barrier removal provides personal development opportunities, can stimulate the development of support networks and enhance promotion chances. For employers, the benefits include better staff retention rates, improved levels of engagement, higher productivity and a reduction in the cost of long-term absence. Being proactive also helps reduce the likelihood of litigation by getting in place early, with input from the employee, the most effective form of reasonable adjustments possible.
Forty years ago disabled people created organisations and campaigned on their own behalf for greater social inclusion, independent living and legal protection from discrimination. They were extremely effective campaigners and many of the entitlements that disabled people now enjoy came about because of their efforts.
So let’s focus our efforts on developing programmes that empower and equip disabled people to take control of their lives in work so that they can become really effective. Let’s now provide opportunities for disabled employees to share their stories and experiences with each other and where appropriate, with those around them who are most affected. Let’s continue to support line managers and non-disabled colleagues by helping them to understand their role in empowering colleagues with impairments. Most importantly let’s remember that people with impairments must be at the heart of any initiative that is likely to affect them.
Disability at work
ReplyDeleteInteresting Phil but surely you need to come at this from both sides. More assertive and confident disabled people need receptive organisations in order for them to prosper and you can't get that without some sort of development of managers and changes to organisational culture. Sadly we have both worked in organisations which don't get it and no amount of confident and assertive engagement from disabled employees will change that. I recently worked in an organisation where a highly active disabled staff network who sought to engage had simply alienated the senior staff who, for whatever, reason then failed to engage. They had the policies but not the interest or skills or understanding. Surely then it is important to come at this from both ends of the argument.
DeleteDisability at Work
Fair point Rick. I mention in the article the need to continue to upskill managers and others but I'm arguing that we should make disabled employees the focal point.
Experts
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Phil, disabled people are the experts on their condition and must be included at the heart of any training/development about including them properly in the workplace. By making training and development disabled people centric, only then will we reach the inclusiveness in the workplace disabled people desire. As far as career progression goes, leadership training with a coach and/or mentor can reap great divedends; as can networking with disabled peers in the workplace.
Disability at Work
ReplyDeleteThanks, Phil. What you're proposing in part mirrors the (theoretical) core ethos behind the public sector equality duty, namely including disability considerations and the views of disabled people at the design stage of any organisation's policies, procedures and strategies, rather than - as so often happens - having management trying to retro-fit the policies, etc. (which is what often causes the lack of buy-in as it's seen by managers as a hassle. I agree with Rick's point about tackling this from both ends and I'd also suggest that there should be more focus on the commercial argument for getting disability right: in the current economic climate organisations need to gain every competitive advantage.
Disability at work
ReplyDeleteThank you Mark and David very helpful contributions. The Equality Act point is particularly relevant for the public sector and the commercial benefit are particularly relevant for businesses.
Disability at Work
ReplyDeleteAgree that this type of initiative works at its very best when an organisation simultaneously tackles both the organisational barriers and the empowerment and development of disabled colleagues side-by-side.
And as a former purchaser (and massive fan) of Phil and Dave's services, I've seen some pretty amazing colleague transformations, so can't emphasise just how valuable these interventions are.
I guess the main question it raises, is given a 12 year solid track record, with the offering/benefits freely shared via conferences; networks; disability, diversity and HR press etc why are so few organisations undertaking this kind of targeted development intervention??
Analysis shows the courses more than pay for themselves through the results they achieve (reduced attrition, fewer grievances, increased productivity etc).......so what more should (or could) be done to make this type of intervention part of the mainstream corporate offering?
Disability at Work
DeleteThanks Andrew great question! As you say there is plenty of evidence to suggest that resourcing disabled people to take control of their own lives at work has benefits all round. Why then aren't more organisations putting much greater emphasis on this approach? Perhaps the disability networks that now exist should argue more vociferously for this change of emphasis. As I mentioned in the piece the major changes that we have seen regarding disability rights have come about first and foremost because disabled people decided things had to change. It is also true that non-disabled people were important partners in the change process. What do others think?
Disability at Work
DeleteVery much agree with this Phil and trying to tackle this on a number of fronts as we have discussed recently and as a past participant on your PDP course I know how powerful that was and if we can get more Line Managers aware of what to look out for an do then it will multiply the effect - something that just struck me about one of the comments on involvement made me think that we need to get some of our mental health sub-group involved in the design of our new Line Manager training and publicise that involvement - we are now making much greater use of our Enablement network in terms of user testing for accessibility but this is another great area for involvement
Disability at Work
DeleteThanks Keith really interesting to hear about your work with your Enablement network. I'm convinced there is a greater role for disability networks within companies and other organisations. The benefits are clearly worth the investment.
Disability at Work
ReplyDeletePhil, I think you are spot on. Having only recently attended your PDP course in January, I am really trying hard to keep hold of the many positives which I gleaned from an invaluable few days. As you say there is a tendancy once formal training has been completed for the organisation to view that as 'another box ticked' and particularly with non visable impairments, that focus can be lost/forgotten. I agree that there is a responsibility on both sides to keep the emphasis going....most likely the disability will not just 'disappear' so this is a moving piece, and with organisational change comes the need to revisit barriers to being effective etc. I am sure the benefits would be massive.
I am still working out the best way to keep all the things I learned from the course alive. The completion of a document about my condition, how it affects me and the adjustments required to be more effective has been extremely useful in sharing with colleagues, as has the support from you, Dave and those I have kept in contact with whom I met on the course. I am also incredibly fortunate to be able to seek advice from a colleague who has recently retired, really understands the issues faced in the organisation, and has the capacity/willingness just to listen - something that in the busy routine of the workplace (rightly or wrongly) management do not appear to have that time available to set aside.
Disability at Work
DeleteHello Jane and thanks for the comment. The point you make about the continual organisational changes meaning a reappraisal of the barriers disabled people face is well made. It is vitally important that the employer ensures that as things change operationally that they keep open good communication channels between their managers and disabled employees.
Disability at Work
ReplyDeleteHi! I've been reading these comments over the last few days and wondering what I could add that hasn't already been said. We know the added value of the PDP course, which has proven results. Even with the best possible policies and procedures in place there will surely always be a need to influence/train everyone touched by the issues raised; it's the people that make the difference, whatever their role within an organisation, disabled or not. Might it be worth trying to talk to specific corporates, to gauge their stance and viewpoint? Could it enhance understanding and help with moving forward?
Disability at Work
DeleteHi Carolyn very helpful. I'd certainly be interested in discussing with employers how they shift resources etc towards disabled employees so they can develop their own strategies for helping those around them understand their issues. The emergence of disabled people's networks in some organisations is to be welcomed and they provide a great opportunity to explore the issues I and others have raised via my article. Enjoy Easter!
Disability at work
ReplyDeleteHi I have just read this article and everyone's comments. For me, the problem is that employees and employers cannot put themselves in the shoes of a disabled person. They cannot imagine that the disability faced by the individual they work with, or who would wish to be employed by them, could be something that they themselves may experience if luck is not on their side. Until people realise that disability can happen to anyone things are not really going to change And however good I am at my job as a disabled person, I will always feel that I'm not as good as my able-bodied peers Because I will always need assistance that they don't!
My other point is that For those who are in work, there are real problems. However, the biggest problem is how to get More disabled people into jobs. Economics as you say, must play a huge part in the decision as to whether to employ a disabled person and If you don't understand how able a disabled person actually is, why would you employ them! So much more needs to be done to promote capabilities of disabled people as well as the schemes available to support us in work. And more needs to be done to change legislation so that employers cannot state things like "you must have a driving license."
Disability at Work
DeleteThanks Penny. As you say acquiring some form of impairment makes the issue somewhat different from other equality issues. We are born men or women, black or white and mostly we're born without an impairment. Our status as disabled people is generally acquired and for many not very welcome. Whilst I accept your point that many disabled people may need some kind of additional support at work ie reasonable adjustments, in fact research suggests that most adjustments are fairly minor and inexpensive. I would also contend that being disabled may provide an individual with new skills, new understandings and a new perspective on life. These can be seen as assets both by them and their employer.
Employees
ReplyDeleteYes: we have to make ourselves as attractive as possible to employers in terms of maximising the chance of their wanting to work with us. So Phil is right in that this involves taking responsibility; even so, we need to take on board that though we may be positive, friendly, competent, keen and bloody good and not combative and alienating, it will continue to be tough, contradictory, inconsistent and frustrating. I know exactly what Ricky Anthony means when he says no amountof positive engagement will stop employers from disengaging. There does need to be a fresh look at how we make work accessible and fruitful: indeed adjustments may not be financially expensive, but they can't half take ages to get done, so they can be very expensive in terms of other resources, time and effort. My experience in the public sector was that the culture of reasonable adjustment and access to work was a superficial thing: absent was the full understanding and appreciation of just how futile it was to be a blind employee in what was a sighted environment. It's hard to expect people to understand, but I'd have been pleased if they'd managed to stop regarding my situation as just a nuisance to them which they had to pretend to tolerate. And, of course, employers will choose to employ who they want: a big part of selection is finding out who will fit into their organisation: how easy is it for a disabled person to fit into the status quo? Not impossible, but bloody hard, and statistics no doubt reflect this. How do you force employers to take us on? And of course all the public discourse on all this between governments of both recent persuasions and the media operates on the superficial statistical level to do with getting people off benefits and into work, but nothing about the barriers that come up when we apply for the work. People need to find themselves, find out what it is that drives them so they can find their voice, their niche where they can function, play to their strengths: find a way of being self employed: being employed sucks at the moment, but could it change?
Hi Liam I broadly agree with sentiments you've expressed. I guess I need to re-emphasise the point that employers are responsible for barrier removal and clearly there is still a long way to go. Nonetheless programmes that place disabled people as the primary focus are crucial in order to ensure that they are able to be their own change agent. I guess the perfect position is one where employers and disabled people work together to agree what needs to be done to ensure that disabled employees are as effective as they can be.
Delete