Nearly 30% of the US population has some type of disability, which makes offering a disability employee resource group more important than ever.
The dictionary defines a disability as:
noun (plural disabilities)
1. A physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities.
2. A disadvantage or handicap, especially one imposed or recognized by the law.
If someone has what the dictionary refers to as a disability, it will inevitably impact their ability to work, too.
That’s why having a disability employee resource group can make such a huge difference to your employees’ productivity and your company culture.
It shows your team that you really do support everyone and you’re committed to helping them overcome workplace barriers—whatever they may be and whatever may be causing them.
It’s also a strong way to show current and future employees that you’re committed to creating a diverse, welcoming work environment where people’s differences are celebrated, rather than used as a way to create divides.
What are the benefits of a disability employee resource group?
There are lots of benefits to supporting your disabled employees with an ERG. Here are some of them:
Highlight needed accommodations
For a business to be truly inclusive, it has to consider everyone’s needs.
Yet so many seem to think they’re disabled-friendly without an elevator for employees to use. They’re not just for wheelchair users. If you’re on a high floor, if your employees have a lung condition like asthma, or even if they’re just tired, an elevator is a lifeline that can save them wasting energy that will chip away at their ability to do their jobs.
And make no mistake—it does have an impact.
I’ve had to traipse upstairs to an office before because the elevator was out. As an unfit asthmatic, I needed my inhaler at the top because the old building had incredibly steep stairs. I couldn’t start working right away, or even get up to make a hot drink because I literally couldn’t breathe.
That could’ve easily been avoided if the company had been willing to make accommodations like remote working. Or even just working from a cafe around the corner.
Having a disability employee resource group ensures needs like these get both a face and a voice. With dedicated advocates, issues are more likely to get addressed sooner rather than later. Which in turn saves everyone time and energy and reduces any impacts to productivity.
Gather feedback on your current practices
It’s not just that, though. It’s things like insisting employees stay at their desks all day without considering the benefits of walking meetings or taking a five-minute break.
The longer we stay sitting at a desk, the worse it is for our mood, physical health, and productivity. That’s true whether we’re disabled or not.
The members of your disability employee resource group can offer feedback on plans to make your business more accessible to existing and future disabled employees. This could come in the form of:
- Remote and/or hybrid working policies
- Flexible working hours
- Meeting buffers
- Meeting length caps
- Providing meeting agendas in advance
There are so, so many more things you could do. And the thing is, making your business more accessible for folks who have disabilities doesn’t have a downside. Everyone becomes disabled eventually, whether that’s through chronic illness, injury, or age.
What works for disabled people will also work for, and likely benefit, those who don’t have a disability.
For example, working parents can benefit from flexible working hours. This also opens your talent pool up to even more potential candidates.
Beyond that, you get to benefit from the extra skills people have when they’ve got children or a long-term health condition. With your disability employee resource group to support them, everyone on your team will be set up to thrive from day one.
Get their insights on new products, updates and innovations
Sometimes a product simply isn’t as inclusive as you think.
As an example, if to close the trunk on a car you have to reach the top of it and slam it down, how is that suitable for shorter drivers? Or for wheelchair users (many of whom can and do still drive)? How about for people who don’t have the strength in their arms/hands?
Little things like this affect how usable your product is. They’re things that your team may not consider if your designers are all from the same backgrounds.
Including a wider variety of people helps avoid these pitfalls. And you get a wider customer base as a result, meaning you make more money.
Connect colleagues
Working with a disability can be tough and isolating. A disability employee resource group enables colleagues with similar conditions to find each other, listen, and offer support.
For new employees who may feel intimidated or not want to ask their boss about what accommodations they can access, they can also speak to fellow ERG members to find out what support is available to them.
What do you need to know when setting up your disability employee resource group?
Here are some important things you should consider when setting up your disability employee resource group:
Create a knowledge base
Alongside information like group etiquette and contacts, your disability employee resource group should also include documentation around:
- Employee group contacts, like the group leader
- Who to contact at work if they have a suggestion/request/need help
- Union representation
- Internal support that’s available, like therapy
- External support like organizations offering advice on different conditions
The more information you include in your disability employee resource group, the more members will know about where and how to get support. This will save them time, energy, and stress that would otherwise impact their workload and mental health.
Consider the language you use
What some disabled people find offensive, others don’t. For instance, some people dislike the term “people with disabilities”, while others prefer it. There’s no right or wrong answer here, so long as you listen to your employees and follow their lead.
You could create a guide to include in your HR/onboarding documentation and/or in your disability employee resource group to explain the type of language you use to talk about disabilities.
This can be a useful reference for people to ensure they don’t step on toes or unintentionally upset colleagues. It also removes the need to ask awkward questions because the answers are already there.
Remember not everyone will want to disclose their health issues
Some people, particularly those with invisible illnesses or who are neurodiverse, may not want to share their health conditions with the organization they work for.
They may not want to share this information with their colleagues either, for fear of discrimination.
And it’s a valid concern. According to the Business Disability Forum:
- 40% of people with disabilities have felt “put down” or patronized at work
- 38% of people with disabilities have been harassed, bullied, or discriminated against at work
Those are numbers from 2023. In the 2020s, society should be doing far better than this. Your disability employee resource group can help drive the change.
Conclusion
Employee resource groups of all kinds can benefit your organization not just by making it more inclusive, but more profitable, too.
By supporting employees with disabilities you improve the wellbeing and productivity of all employees, simply by taking steps to make their lives easier. A disability employee resource group sets everyone up for success.
Want to make your employee groups even better?
Workrowd helps you organize your employee groups so that they’re simple to use and employees want to be a part of them.
You can keep all your initiatives in one place so that employees never miss out on the next great opportunity to grow their career or network.
Plus, with automated feedback surveys and real-time analytics, you never have to wonder whether your ERGs are adding value. Get in touch today to find out more.
