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We spend most of our waking lives with our colleagues. In many cases, much more time than we spend with our loved ones. Support from colleagues can therefore be essential to employee happiness, satisfaction, and retention. Community is key, which is why these employee resource group examples are so effective.

Employee resource groups (ERGs) have been around since the 1960s. Today, more than 90% of Fortune 500 companies offer them. I find it hard to believe they’d be so popular in such large companies if they didn’t help employees and businesses achieve their goals.

In this post, we’re going to explore the most common employee resource group examples you’ll see in businesses. We’ll also explain why they’re important for your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

But first, let’s look at what an ERG is, and what its role in a business is:

What is an employee resource group (ERG)?

ERGs are employee-led groups, where employees who have something in common come together. This could be a shared value, passion, background, or culture. 

Employee resource group examples may include communities for women, people of color, differently-abled employees, parents, or veterans.

ERGs help to foster a diverse and inclusive working environment. Outcomes include supporting employees in their internal and external goals, helping them to network with potential mentors, and giving them an opportunity to socialize with colleagues.

As ERGs are employee-led, they’re often created informally. Over time, the business may offer them budget towards things like activities. Typically, the employee leaders of the ERG will manage these funds.

It’s worth businesses encouraging ERGs because they can help to drive inclusion goals. How better to show you support belonging than encouraging employees to network with those who have similar experiences to them? That’s why it’s so important to have a range of ERGs for team members to join.

That being said, it isn’t the job of ERGs to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives. They can be part of the strategy, but it’s up to business leaders to create and follow your DEI policy. 

Leaders set examples from the top down. If managers aren’t practicing what they preach, employees are less likely to care about your DEI efforts.

What are the benefits of ERGs for businesses?

The ERGs within a business can reflect the company’s values a lot more than a cookie cutter DEI statement. 

While it isn’t an ERG’s job to drive any DEI policy, they can set an example. They can help you identify where to focus your DEI efforts, and which areas are in need of improvement.

ERGs are great for celebrating your employees and underrepresented groups within your workforce. They can encourage other people from these groups to join because they know that they’ll have friends and allies within your business.

Allies can also use their existing privilege for good, both inside and outside of the workplace.

What are the benefits of ERGs for employees?

ERGs help employees connect with colleagues who share something in common with them. They provide a sense of community, which can help people find their purpose and confidence in the workplace.

The fact that they’re set up informally, or often have an informal atmosphere to them, can be refreshing. This is particularly true in businesses that are larger, more formal, or may be perceived as old-fashioned.

The most common ERGs

Companies often establish their ERGs in a predictable order. Most will start with a women’s group, to support and encourage women in the workplace. 

Next is likely to be a group for Black employees or people of color. Organizations may create an LGTBQ+ group around the same time.

The employee resource group examples after this point tend to vary based on the company’s demographics. Groups may include:

• AAPI
• Latinx
• Indigenous
• Veterans/military
• Parents/caregivers
• Mental health
• Dis/differently abled
• Faith-based (often interfaith)
• Age-based (e.g. young professionals, seasoned professionals, intergenerational)
• Region/location-based groups

As you can see, there are a wide range of employee resource group examples organizations can create to drive belonging.

Over time, some of these groups may break away to form smaller groups or related groups, depending on what their goals are.

Because ERGs are employee-run, and can require minimal business involvement at least at first, there’s no limit to how many ERGs a business can have. The more you have, the more it can reflect and support the diversity of your workforce. 

It may even attract more diverse employees if they see how diverse your workforce is already. 

After all, candidates are more likely to be attracted to roles in a business that demonstrates and encourages diversity, and where they can see people like them working already. They’ll feel confident the organization will welcome and support them, whether that’s as a cleaner or a manager.

Conclusion 

While it isn’t the job of an ERG to build any sort of diversity policy, they can reflect your policy. A solid diversity policy will attract a more diverse workforce, and therefore encourage a wider variety of ERGs. 

Colleagues will find it easier to connect with and support each other. You may find that you attract more diverse candidates when they find out about your DEI efforts, too. 

Extra points if it’s your employees talking about how great your DEI efforts are. This will feel more genuine than if it’s coming from a faceless company.

Networking with colleagues who have things in common with us can make us feel more connected to our jobs, and therefore happier in our role. It can be a place to find guidance and make new friends. There really isn’t a downside to setting up and supporting ERGs, regardless of your business type or size.

If any of these employee resource group examples sound like a good fit for your business, we’d love to help you get started or grow your program. Workrowd offers an array of ERG support options including the Global ERG Network, a vetted consultant network, and of course, our software platform.

Our suite of tools makes it easy to launch, manage, and measure ERGs with templates and guides to support group leaders, user-friendly features to build transparency and connection, and automated data tracking and analytics. Drop by our site or ping us at hello@workrowd.com to learn how we can partner to drive real belonging at your organization.

5 tips for building workplace book clubs, plus 10 titles to start with

5 ways your return to office policy impacts employee engagement

Your return to office policy is hurting your DEI efforts - here's why

We’re wrapping up our series on bias at work, after covering gender bias, racial bias, disability bias, heterosexual bias, age bias, and trans bias. We hope you’ve found it informative. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Wanting to support employees from underrepresented communities and avoid implicit bias in the workplace is one thing. Knowing how to do it – and putting that knowledge into practice – is something else entirely.

It can be easy to feel bogged down and like you have too much to do. 

But if you were a member of an underrepresented group (or a different underrepresented group), imagine how you’d feel working somewhere that didn’t notice you experience the world differently. 

It’d make you feel even more excluded than you already did. 

You wouldn’t feel supported, meaning you’d be less productive in your role. It could impact your mental health, and you may decide to go work somewhere else instead.

So, with that in mind, here are some simple (often common sense!) ways that your business can take steps to counter bias at work, and show you really do support employees.

Listen 

Listening is one of those skills that everyone thinks they have, but that most people are actually pretty terrible at. 

If you interrupt people, you’re not listening. If you try to project your point of view on to someone, or tell them they’re wrong, you’re not listening. You’re trying to control the conversation.

Listening is about shutting up and paying attention to what the other person(s) has to say. 

You may not like what they’re saying. 

It may make you uncomfortable or even a little anxious. 

But it’s only through listening and challenging our own opinions and beliefs that we grow as people and business owners.

Even if we disagree with what we’re hearing.

So, the next time an employee from an underrepresented community comes to you with feedback, a query, or a complaint, listen. Then consider how you can take action against bias at work.

Change your hiring practices

The typical hiring process we’re all used to of submitting a resume, doing an interview or two, then getting a job offer (or not), is outdated and inaccessible. It also leads to biases against many underrepresented communities.

From blind resume screening to group activities that allow you to observe someone’s skills rather than asking them to describe their abilities, there’s more than one way to hire a new employee.

Have a reporting system

There has to be a way for employees to report any issues that they experience. This especially applies to instances of bias at work.

Ideally, you should give employees the option to report anonymously. Not everyone will want their name attached to an issue for fear of retaliation. That doesn’t mean the issue should go unreported, though. Journalists never give up their sources for a reason.

Believe your employees

It’s not unheard of for an employee to draw attention to issues of bias at work and get ignored. 

Or worse, the person who raised the issue gets punished instead of the person causing the issue.

Don’t be that business. Be the business that supports and believes your employees, punishing the person who committed the offense, not the whistleblower.

Send sensible surveys

Too many times, I’ve seen businesses ask employees to provide feedback on their jobs and employers via questionnaire…

…then require the employee to submit that questionnaire to their manager, who’ll forward it to HR.

If an employee is having issues with their manager, they’re not going to raise it somewhere their manager can see. And that manager may well delete what the employee has said about them, then go on to make their life even more difficult.

A simple solution to this is to get employees to send their responses directly to HR.

Or make sure that HR is accessible enough for employees to feel like they can talk to someone if/when they have a problem with bias at work.

Be flexible

What works for one employee may not work for another. 

Some differently abled employees won’t be able to use the stairs, for example. 

Other employees may need a more supportive chair or a filter on their monitor. There are plenty of minor changes you can implement to support employees in the workplace.

Offering employees the option to work from home is another example. It opens up your talent pool, encourages homemakers back into the workplace (many of whom would consider a return to work if they could work from home, instead of needing to be in an office), and it can save you money on office overheads. 

Many businesses still assume they can’t trust employees to work from home. But if you feel you can’t trust your employees when they work from home, well, you have bigger problems…

Put policies in place

There are many areas where businesses don’t have to have policies in place, but where doing so can protect both the organization and its employees. 

Policies on issues like menopause and transgender rights aren’t required, but they mean that when an employee goes through menopause, they know what to expect from you. They mean that when a trans person considers applying for a role at your company, they can clearly see you’re going to support them – and what sort of support they will receive. 

The clearer and more accessible you make these policies, the more supported employees will feel.

Build a diverse culture

The more diverse your culture is, the more welcoming it will be to everyone. When a Black woman walks into a room full of white men, it immediately makes her the odd one out. When a wheelchair user is asked to meet his colleagues on the third floor of an office without access to an elevator, it makes him feel excluded.

The more diverse your company’s culture is, the more mindful everyone will be of these types of issues and the impact it can have on someone’s mental and physical health.

Diverse company cultures are also more productive, make more money, and they’re doing more about climate change.

So, tell me, what’s the downside to a diverse company culture?

Conclusion

Countering bias at work really boils down to two things: building a diverse culture and listening to every employee. 

Because you never know which employee will have an idea that could completely alter your business’s trajectory for the better. 

They may have the perfect way to solve a problem you’ve been stuck on for months. Because they aren’t a part of the “in” crowd though, they’ve never been given the chance to share their thoughts. 

Sometimes all it takes is a new perspective to remind you of what you could achieve.

Building a truly inclusive company culture is key to helping your team members counter bias at work. Creating opportunities for your people to get to know each other beyond the surface level will not only help them overcome their own biases, but will also ensure they feel comfortable calling out issues when they see them. If you want to drive real belonging at your organization, check out Workrowd’s platform, or send us a note at hello@workrowd.com to learn more.

5 tips for building workplace book clubs, plus 10 titles to start with

5 ways your return to office policy impacts employee engagement

Your return to office policy is hurting your DEI efforts - here's why

Welcome back to our series on systemic bias in the workplace. Over the course of several weeks, we’re spotlighting various categories of bias, including gender bias, racial bias, disability bias, heterosexual bias, age bias, and now trans bias and transgender discrimination in the workplace. Our aim is to add to the ongoing conversation and help everyone build more inclusive environments. We hope you find it informative. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

60% of transgender people have experienced some form of discrimination in the workplace. 38% have experienced it from colleagues, 25% from management, and 29% during job interviews.

Which really makes it unsurprising that 53% have felt the need to hide their trans status from colleagues.

But why, in 2022, is this still happening? And what can businesses do to prevent transphobia and transgender discrimination in the workplace?

The ugly stats

The unemployment rate for transgender adults is twice that of cisgender adults.

Even if they are in employment, cisgender adults make 32% more per year, regardless of whether a trans person has similar—or higher—education levels.

Not only do trans people earn less, but two-thirds of them remain in the closet at work. 

Sadly, they feel like employers support them less than their cisgender colleagues in the workplace. Given the stats we’ve already looked at, is that really surprising?

Overcoming transgender discrimination in the workplace to include more trans people could create a $12 billion boost to annual consumer spending. 

It would help businesses to really understand their market, and give them more diverse opinions to solve their customers’ problems. Which may also give them a competitive advantage.

Let’s not forget that diverse companies are significantly more profitable!

A long way to go

Even though the UK’s Equality Act (2010) should protect LBGT people from workplace discrimination, a 2018 report found that 43% of businesses were unsure if they’d hire a trans person, and almost a third said they’d be “less likely” to hire a trans person.

The retail sector had the highest number of businesses unlikely to hire a trans person, at 47%. IT was close behind with 45%. 

Construction and engineering were the most agreeable to the idea, but even then, 25% of businesses reported they’d be unlikely to hire a trans person.

That’s still a large percentage of the industry that’s closed off to the idea of hiring someone because of their gender. These businesses are just perpetuating transgender discrimination in the workplace.

The trouble with ‘culture fit’

Unsurprisingly, only 3% of businesses have an equal opportunities policy that welcomes transgender people to apply for roles. Which could be off-putting for potential candidates because they’ll have no idea whether their colleagues will welcome and support them if they join.

Only 8% of that small group of businesses that have a trans hiring policy believe trans people deserve the same rights to a job as everyone else. 

This stat seems odd to me, but it came from the same survey as the industry stats. It seems to suggest that even the businesses with a trans hiring policy in place may only have it as a form of lip service. I really hope that’s me being cynical, but then, it gets worse.

Only 4% believe they have a diverse enough workplace culture where trans people can “fit in.”

If you hire someone purely based on cultural fit, you end up with a culture of zombies. Everyone thinks, looks, and acts the same way. Innovation becomes harder and groupthink becomes more common.

Hiring someone based on cultural fit alone isn’t an option anymore. 

You want someone who’s different because they’re the very skills, opinions, and attitudes that your business lacks. If you embrace them, they’ll be the ones who help you to outperform your competitors.

There really isn’t a downside to avoiding employing the same person over and over again.

What can employers do?

Leaders within a business need to set an example. If they’re active supporters of the trans community, and they hire trans employees, the rest of the company will follow. And if someone doesn’t support these decisions, they don’t belong in the new environment.

Creating a diverse workforce requires a mindset shift from those at the very top of the business. That mindset will trickle down over time.

If leaders don’t set an example, employees will believe they can get away with discriminatory attitudes, policies, and hiring processes because they either don’t know that they’re doing it, or they’re still full of prejudices and don’t see a reason to change. 

Many people don’t have the right language to talk about transgender experiences, or they worry about offending someone. Meaning that transgender experiences get ignored or erased.

The transgender community has a lot more visibility now than it did a few years ago, but onscreen representation takes time to trickle down into everyday society.

Education, support, and community are important here. Documentaries like Disclosure explore how trans people have been depicted in film over the years and how that’s impacted American culture. It shows that we’ve come a long way, but there’s still a long way to go.

There are also plenty of online resources that can help employers to educate themselves on how to best support trans employees.

When it comes to the hiring process, a blind process only goes so far. It won’t change the prejudice that can come from an in-person interview. 

And the prejudice is big—44% of trans people feel an employer has turned them down for a job because they were trans. Clearly, transgender discrimination in the workplace is still a very real and pressing problem.

Conclusion 

One thing I noticed when doing my research for this blog post is that all of the stats are high. Higher than they are for any other underrepresented group. And the odds are really stacked against trans people in ways we need to talk about more.

20% have been, or are currently, homeless. Trans people are also four times as likely to live in poverty. Businesses can play a role in changing these stats. Your business can play a role in changing these stats.

The trans community is heavily discriminated against. The workplace is just one of the places where they have to deal with transphobia just to pay the bills.

Employers have an obligation to set an example to their employees who may be responsible for transgender discrimination in the workplace. They also have a responsibility to educate themselves.

They can then use that education to start meaningful conversations within the business to develop more inclusive policies, and help to create a more supportive workforce for trans employees.

If you’re looking to break down biases and drive real belonging at your organization, Workrowd can help. Check out our suite of tools for ensuring that every team member can get fully immersed in your company culture from day one, alongside real-time analytics. Drop us a line at hello@workrowd.com to learn more.

5 tips for building workplace book clubs, plus 10 titles to start with

5 ways your return to office policy impacts employee engagement

Your return to office policy is hurting your DEI efforts - here's why

Welcome back to our series on systemic bias in the workplace. Over the course of several weeks, we’re spotlighting various categories of bias, including gender bias, racial bias, disability bias, heterosexual bias, and now age bias and ageism in the workplace. Our aim is to add to the ongoing conversation and help everyone build more inclusive environments. We hope you find it informative. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Society is full of contradictions. It values both the wisdom that comes with age and the looks that come with youth. (And probably the cheaper pay, too.) 

Which is how businesses end up writing job descriptions that require three years of experience for an entry-level position.

There comes a point where that wisdom is no longer valued, though. 

The National Bureau of Economic Research found in 2020 that someone 40 or older was half as likely to get a job offer as someone younger if an employer knows their age.

In the UK, 50-year-old job seekers are up to three times less likely to be chosen for interviews than younger job seekers with less experience.

Age discrimination laws in the US protect anyone 40 or older. But only 9% of Americans know this, even though 49% are aware that age discrimination laws exist.

So, let’s dive into what these laws cover, the responsibility businesses have to protect and celebrate their more seasoned employees, and what the consequences of ageism in the workplace are.

What does ageism in the workplace look like?

A study in 2020 done by SeniorLiving found that 41% of workers reported they were passed up for raises or promotions because of their age. And 45% felt they were passed up for other opportunities.

27% had been on the receiving end of unwanted jokes, and 27% had also experienced harassment or bullying.

This means a significant portion of people over 40 have experienced some sort of negative reaction to the natural (and uncontrollable) process of aging.

Some people also believe age discrimination is going to increase because the number of older Americans is going up, too. 

The US risks missing out on almost $4 trillion of economic contributions provided by older Americans because of age discrimination.

Companies often want to hire younger workers with the goal of training them up and promoting them within the company. But most people don’t stick around long enough for this to really matter. 

The overall average length of time someone stays in a role is 4.1 years. For employees aged 55 to 64, that number is 10.1 years. Employees aged 25-34 stay just 2.8 years.

All this raises the question: what do companies really want from an employee? Do they want youthfulness or experience? Are they looking for someone to stick around long-term?

And if they know someone isn’t going to stick around for a decade or more, why does age really matter?

What are the laws?

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects people over 40 from ageism in the workplace. Some states also have laws that protect employees under 40.

According to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:

“The law prohibits discrimination in any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoffs, training, benefits, and any other term or condition of employment.”

It’s not illegal to favor an older employee over a younger one. However, it can still be age discrimination if both people involved are over 40.

The law also states:

“Harassment can include, for example, offensive or derogatory remarks about a person’s age. Although the law doesn’t prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that aren’t very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).

“The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer.”

Ageism in the hiring process

Both of my parents found themselves unemployed on the other side of 50 through no fault of their own. 

And, when my partner and I suggested they get part-time jobs to stave off boredom and keep money coming in, they both had the same response: “I’m too old. Nobody will hire me.”

It gets worse, though.

Not only did they think nobody would hire them, but they also believed that age discrimination laws wouldn’t protect them.

And I totally get their point. Because how do you prove that someone didn’t hire you for a role because of your age? It’s really hard to do. 

Which means businesses can get away with ageism in the workplace, as well as the contradiction of requiring experience for an entry-level role that probably doesn’t even pay what someone with that level of experience is worth.

Studies show that when the hiring process is age-blind, older people are just as likely—sometimes even more likely—to get invited to interview.

But, of course, to interview someone, we have to see/meet them. Meaning that ageism is still likely to kick in at this point.

Even when someone older had superior qualifications and experience, they were 46% less likely to be offered a job.

What, exactly, does society have against people over a certain age?

What can we do about ageism?

The real problem is identifying ageism. Because nobody really talks about it.

Many people assume that, as a society, we’re not ageist. But just look at the stats. Look at how people treat female celebrities as they age, compared to their male counterparts. We view male actors as silver foxes, getting more attractive with age. Female actors find their work drying up because there aren’t as many roles for women over 40.

There’s no denying that ageism exists throughout the western world. 

Society places value on both youth and experience, traits that can’t coexist in one person. 

Yet many businesses still strive to find that magical candidate, even though, if you spoke to any hiring manager, I’d guarantee they’d tell you they got wiser with age. Who doesn’t?

So, if we all know we get wiser with age, why do we hold age against other people? Age is a privilege that not everyone gets to experience, and we should value and honor that.

If you’re looking to counter ageism in the workplace and drive real inclusion, it’s crucial that employees have a chance to connect with each other as whole people. A platform like Workrowd can help, ensuring that employees participate in groups and events together. If this sounds like a fit for your workplace, send us a note to hello@workrowd.com to learn more.

5 tips for building workplace book clubs, plus 10 titles to start with

5 ways your return to office policy impacts employee engagement

Your return to office policy is hurting your DEI efforts - here's why

Welcome back to our series on systemic bias in the workplace. Over the course of several weeks, we’re spotlighting various categories of bias, including gender bias, racial bias, disability bias, and now heterosexual bias and homophobia in the workplace. Our aim is to add to the ongoing conversation and help everyone build more inclusive environments. We hope you find it informative. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

7.1% of American adults identify as LGBT, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Nearly half of LGBT employees have experienced workplace bias at some point in their careers. One in ten have faced discrimination within the last year.

On the flip side, 91% of Fortune 500 companies prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

So, many big businesses are being proactive and putting policies in place to try to protect these individuals, even though the actual experience of LGBT employees might not reflect it.

What does homophobia in the workplace look like?

Homophobia in the workplace can come in many forms. It could be someone not getting a job, being looked over for a promotion, or being on the receiving end of snide comments or so-called jokes, all because of their sexual orientation. 

While that may sound like it wouldn’t happen in the modern world, a McKinsey study spoke to one employee who found a client wouldn’t work with their employer unless they were taken off the team because the client didn’t want to work with someone who was gay. Thankfully, their employer backed them up and refused to work with the client.

That doesn’t always happen, though. 

Another person had bible verses recited at them in their cubicle by a senior colleague when said colleague found out they were gay. They didn’t feel they’d be believed if they reported that person for their behavior because of their colleague’s seniority.

(Not) coming out at work

Based on those stories, is it any wonder that 31% of people are afraid coming out will negatively impact their relationship with their colleagues? Or that 23% think it’ll negatively affect their ability to advance in their role?

Even employees who do come out to their colleagues find that isn’t the end of it. They often have to come out repeatedly. 

The McKinsey study found that one in five employees came out to their colleagues weekly, while one in ten had to do it daily. Daily!

Could we just stop making assumptions about people’s lives, please? It’s really a very simple solution.

You wouldn’t assume someone who doesn’t talk about their partner is single. (Or you shouldn’t; they may just be private.) So why assume someone who doesn’t talk about their love life is heterosexual? And why does it matter, anyway?

If you really want to ask about someone’s dating life, ask about their partner rather than boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife. It’s much more inclusive language and means you’re not making assumptions about someone’s love life.

How can businesses support LGBTQ+ employees?

It all starts with kindness and common sense. Don’t make assumptions.

Studies have shown that if you think you’re not prejudiced about something, you probably are prejudiced about it. Remaining open-minded is an important part of being an ally and identifying your own—and other people’s—detrimental attitudes and actions.

If you want to foster an inclusive workplace, hiring people who are onboard with this mission, and who follow through on their commitments to diversity, is a good way to show LGBT employees that you really do support them.

Sensitivity training may also be beneficial, particularly for team leaders and above. We’re often not aware of our own implicit biases, so this training can help to point them out so that people can be more mindful of their biases going forward.

When it comes to any sort of training, make sure it’s as engaging as possible. Don’t just tell people what they should or shouldn’t do. That’s asking for them to feel lectured to and fall asleep halfway through.

Get them to understand why something might hurt another person’s feelings, or why it’s inappropriate in the workplace. 

The more concrete you can make the examples, and the more engaging you can make the training program, the more likely employees will be to remember the lessons and implement them at work.

And also remember that you should take the training, too. Being in charge doesn’t make you immune to enabling homophobia in the workplace.

Show, rather than tell

The more open you are about your business’s diversity policies, the more likely you’ll be to attract employees who support an inclusive, diverse workforce. 

This goes beyond copy-and-paste equal opportunity statements at the end of a job description. Or even asking people what their sexual orientation is on a job application. (I’ll save those rants for another blog post.)

Instead, it’s about showing how you support LGBTQ+ employees. 

Don’t just change your brand logo to include the Pride colors in June—do something to show your support instead. 

Communicate with employees about LGBTQ+ rights, and if they need to travel abroad to less accommodating countries, talk to them about it beforehand. This will show them that you take their wellbeing seriously.

You can also offer parental or adoption leave for both parents. After all, regardless of someone’s sexual orientation, or the gender of their partner, you never know who’s going to end up being the primary caregiver.

Conclusion

Managers are your employees’ role models. It’s imperative that they set a strong example of countering homophobia in the workplace. A big part of it is just being open, honest, and supportive. Managers shouldn’t force anyone out of the closet, nor should they make assumptions about anyone’s sexual orientation or gender.

Inclusive language goes a long way towards demonstrating that your company is inclusive, too.

Small things like offering Mx alongside Mr, Ms, Miss, and Mrs, or asking if someone has a partner rather than a boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife, can impact the atmosphere within your business.

The more work organizations do to identify and challenge assumptions about gender and sexual orientation, the more secure employees will feel being themselves in the workplace. And the less likely they’ll be to have to come out to their colleagues on a daily basis.

If you’re committed to reducing implicit bias in your organization, it’s time to go beyond trainings. Drive deep belonging and help employees see their colleagues through a lens of commonality rather than difference. Workrowd helps your people find their people, giving them the opportunity to build real, sustained connections with team members across the organization. Write us at hello@workrowd.com to learn more.

5 tips for building workplace book clubs, plus 10 titles to start with

5 ways your return to office policy impacts employee engagement

Your return to office policy is hurting your DEI efforts - here's why

Welcome back to our series on systemic bias in the workplace. Over the course of several weeks, we’re spotlighting various categories of bias, including gender bias, racial bias, and now disability bias and ableism in the workplace. Our aim is to add to the ongoing conversation and help everyone build more inclusive environments. We hope you find it informative. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

15% of the global population—that’s 1 billion people—experience some form of disability. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 19.1% of US disabled people were employed in 2021, up from 17.9% the year before.

However, I do wonder if this number is actually a lot higher. 

The difficulty with disability disclosures

Some people who have conditions such as depression, anxiety, autism, or ADHD don’t class themselves as disabled. Others whose health conditions have improved may not class themselves among this group either.

As someone with chronic pain, I have days where I feel disabled and days where I don’t. 

And, while I’m open about my health issues, I wouldn’t discuss them with an employer unless I really had to. 

Just because I’m comfortable talking about my health issues, that doesn’t mean I don’t notice the common reaction of the person I’m talking to. It usually involves squirming, frowning, or an abrupt change of subject. It doesn’t exactly make me feel listened to.

Many of my friends with disabilities feel the same. They wouldn’t ever check the box on those “equality” questionnaires to say that they are differently abled. 

Especially not when 1 in 3 employers won’t hire someone with a disability. Even though not hiring someone because of a health condition is illegal.

It’s also illegal for an employer to ask someone if they’re differently abled in a job interview. 

But they can ask them in those questionnaires. 

And you can tell me they’re anonymized or not attached to job applications or any other excuse you like. 

But I’ve never yet found evidence of them being used in someone’s favor, or purely for data. And stats like the ones in this article just prove my suspicions.

38% of people believe someone who’s disabled is a burden on society. Only 7% believe that mental illness counts as a disability. 

Two thirds of people don’t see being hard of hearing as a disability. Which really shows that most people don’t know what a disability is.

What is a disability?

Let’s go back to basics for a moment. A disability is, according to the CDC:

Any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions).

They go on to explain that a disability includes anything that impacts someone’s:

• Vision
• Movement
• Thinking
• Remembering
• Learning
• Communicating
• Hearing
• Mental health
• Social relationships

Considering the stereotype is someone in a wheelchair, this list demonstrates that a disability goes much further than that and also includes conditions you can’t always see or easily define.

That means that discrimination laws in the workplace go further than you may think, too.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that:

To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability, which is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments they cover.

(Bold text my own.)

Disabled or differently abled? Which term should you use?

This one really depends on who you speak to. 

Some people dislike the word “disabled” because the “dis” implies that they’re not able to do something or that there’s something inherently wrong with them.

When really, the main reason someone who fits the criteria above can’t do something is often because of society, not their condition.

Differently abled is more inclusive and is less “othering” than “disabled.” 

Personally, I don’t have a preference and flit between the two. But that’s just me.

If you’re unsure, I’d talk to the person(s) you know who are affected so that you can make an informed decision. You may find that different people have different preferences.

Disability in the workplace

Unfortunately, a third of differently abled employees have experienced disability bias and/or ableism in the workplace. 

This can include people insulting, excluding, or underestimating them because of their disability. It can also involve people seeming uncomfortable around them solely for that reason.

Unsurprisingly, only 39% have disclosed their condition to their manager, and just 24% to colleagues.

Fear of discrimination is definitely a reason I’ve seen hold people back from disclosing their health issues. And, given the stats, discrimination is sadly pretty likely. 

However, 65% of those who’ve disclosed their condition are more content at work. 

I think it really depends on the culture. If somewhere is truly inclusive, the whole company will be supportive and take the right steps to help someone succeed in their role. Regardless of their disability status, gender, race, sexuality, religion, or anything else. Bias of any kind, including ableism in the workplace, has no place at these organizations.  

What can employers do to support disabled employees?

It’s up to employees to ask for accommodations that they need in the workplace so that they can do their job. 

Employers don’t always have to do exactly what the employee requests. They do need to come up with a similar solution that achieves the same outcomes, though.

For example, if a wheelchair user can’t get to their floor, you could install an elevator. 

Or move their department on to the ground floor so that they’re still around their colleagues.

Somewhere I used to work moved a whole department on to the ground floor for a wheelchair user, making sure there were ramps in as many places as possible. 

This person become a respected part of the company and happy in their role because their employer had taken steps to accommodate them, rather than giving in to ableism in the workplace.

Conclusion

This may seem like a lot of work. But we’ve all seen that meme asking different animals to climb a tree. 

A fish can’t climb a tree, but does that make it useless? No. They do other important things in the world instead. And none of those things require them to climb trees.

So, the next time you’re hiring, or talking to a newly disabled employee (since any of us could become disabled at any time), remember to keep your bias in check. 

And remember to ask what accommodations you could make so that they can succeed in their role, instead of wondering how they can work around you.

If you’re looking for new ways to counter bias and specifically ableism in the workplace, a platform that fosters real inclusion can help. With Workrowd, employees can join programs, groups, and events that highlight their intersectionality, and ensure that peers see them for more than any visible disabilities. If you’d like to learn more and explore how Workrowd can drive belonging at your organization, send us a message at hello@workrowd.com.

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