Accessibility is a serious responsibility for all businesses. This isn&rsquo;t simply a legislative requirement, though. There are various commercial imperatives for company leaders to adopt consistent, meaningful, and even innovative measures to support workers with disabilities and additional needs. Prioritizing accessibility can positively impact recruiting and retaining new talent.&nbsp;Your company policies can send a message to those living with disabilities about how effectively they&rsquo;ll be supported.&nbsp;However, it&rsquo;s vital to note that&nbsp;workers and candidates who may not appear to be navigating visible disabilities will also pay attention to how genuine and extensive your efforts are.
So, let&rsquo;s take a moment to explore how accessibility relates to recruitment and retention.
<h2>It Promotes an Inclusive Culture</h2>
One of the most important reasons accessibility can assist with recruiting and retaining talent is because it promotes an inclusive culture. The current workforce tends to prioritize meaningful inclusivity, among other elements of diversity.&nbsp;<a uw-rm-external-link-id="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/understanding-organizational-barriers-to-a-more-inclusive-workplace$onesurveyfoundthat39%ofrespondents" data-uw-rm-ext-link="" aria-label="One survey found that 39% of respondents - open in a new tab" rel="noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/understanding-organizational-barriers-to-a-more-inclusive-workplace">One survey found that 39% of respondents</a> reported resigning due to a perceived lack of inclusion within the company. The more inclusive and accessible your culture is, the greater the sense of belonging, positivity, and engagement can be.
True inclusivity is one of the key components of making an accessible workplace. This involves taking steps that ensure all workers feel supported at work. Provide equal development opportunities regardless of background and include diversity and inclusion as a core part of basic training. It&rsquo;s also vital that the physical environment meets Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance standards, which require that all spaces are easily navigable and practical for all contributors.
To maximize impact on recruitment and retention, your inclusive culture must be a core component of the hiring process and ongoing company development. During interviews, candidates' opinions and experiences of working in an inclusive workplace are worth discussing.<a href="https://askjan.org/articles/Incorporate-Reasonable-Accommodation-Practices-into-your-Onboarding-Process.cfm" rel="follow"> Ensure accommodations are&nbsp;available during onboarding</a> and the company&rsquo;s cultural standards are outlined in workers&rsquo; documentation. Importantly,&nbsp;employees should be involved in leading, cultivating, and influencing efforts throughout the business. This helps accessibility stay visible and keeps employees meaningfully engaged.
<h2>It Bolsters Workplace Safety</h2>
Safety in the workplace is a key responsibility for all business owners. After all, there&rsquo;s a clear duty of care to ensure you&rsquo;re not subjecting employees to conditions that negatively impact their wellness. In addition, maintaining a safe environment can impact recruitment and retention. After all, workers who feel at unnecessary risk are unlikely to be comfortable, happy, or engaged in their roles. Not to mention that a reputation for repeated accidents can disrupt your ability to attract candidates. Accessibility can play a role in ensuring your business is a safe and supportive space.
On the most basic level, accessible workplace layouts and features tend to align with high safety standards that support everyone, not just those living with disabilities.&nbsp;For instance, maintaining clear throughways in offices, warehouses, and production floors enables those who use mobility aids to navigate these areas. But this also presents fewer trip hazards for all workers. Having sufficient lighting not only helps those with vision impairments but also assists all employees in avoiding obstacles and reducing eye strain.
Nevertheless, it&rsquo;s important to understand that it&rsquo;s not just the physical components of accessibility that make a difference here. For instance, stress can negatively impact workplace safety. If workers feel under pressure, this may lead to dangerous errors, distractions that result in carelessness, and poor safety communication.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s important to adopt accessibility measures that support mental wellness.&nbsp;This may include flexible workplace schedules, stress management training, and providing access to mental health resources.
<h2>It Improves Employer Branding</h2>
Employer branding&nbsp;is increasingly important in the contemporary employment landscape. Particularly since the Great Resignation, workers are more discerning about who they&rsquo;re willing to work for. Good employer branding is a tool that promotes how positive an influence the business is both to potential candidates and current workers.&nbsp;Building a brand that demonstrates how accessible your business is can contribute to its strength.
Ensure that content is related to your accessibility efforts on your career pages and general website. This can include behind-the-scenes videos of your measures alongside blog posts on how inclusion fits into company culture. It&rsquo;s also important to ensure that this content and job applications can be adapted for easier use for those living with disabilities, vision impairments, or neurodivergent traits.
Another key component of solid employer branding is authenticity. While content made by your business can be impactful, these materials may still be treated with a little cynicism or hesitation. Therefore, it&rsquo;s wise to&nbsp;encourage employees to create content related to their experiences with the company&rsquo;s commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and diversity. Videos, blogs, podcasts, and even social media posts are impactful because they can be treated as social proof.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Prioritizing accessibility can impact your recruitment and retention in a range of ways. Firstly,&nbsp;your efforts promote an inclusive culture, which can prompt greater engagement among existing workers and candidates. High accessibility standards affect workplace safety, influencing worker satisfaction and longevity. You may find, too, that&nbsp;featuring your accessibility standards on company and employee-generated content can improve your brand.
Remember, though, that your first responsibility for accessibility should be ethical.&nbsp;Your efforts must be led by a genuine commitment to supporting and welcoming all workers and candidates. When this is at the forefront of your company&rsquo;s considerations, there are opportunities for everyone involved to thrive.
Content Contributor: Ainsley Lawrence is a freelance writer from the Pacific Northwest. She is interested in better living through technology and education. She loves traveling to beautiful places and is frequently lost in a good book.
<img iscopyblocked="false" alt="Ainsley Lawrence" src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/r6aM0g7QLO9diMekNNwT" width="237" height="237">

Accessibility is a responsibility for all businesses. Boost recruitment, retention, and workplace morale by promoting an inclusive culture.

Prioritizing Accessibility When Recruiting & Retaining New Talent

Discover how prioritizing accessibility meets legislative requirements and boosts recruitment, retention, and workplace morale by promoting an inclusive culture, enhancing safety, and improving employer branding.

Taking care of ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally can be a challenge for anyone managing work and home life. For employees with disabilities, the aim to successfully manage disability-related needs amid other responsibilities, including work, can make self-care even more challenging.
Employers can play a critical role to support self-care for employees with disabilities.&nbsp;<a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/new_study_shows/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Research</a>&nbsp;proves employees are more productive and engaged when they&rsquo;re happy at work. Conversely, workplace stress generally produces higher turnover, higher healthcare costs, and lower productivity. As a result, employers who create a culture of self-care in the workplace are more likely to experience overall business growth as a result of having engaged, healthy employees.
Formal employee wellness/wellbeing programs are on the rise in businesses of all industries and sizes. In fact, they are consistently included as a part of some companies&rsquo; benefits packages. Strong programs provide tools, resources, support that can include activities focused on stress reduction, weight loss, and smoking cessation. Other common programs include health risk assessments, health screenings, exercise and nutrition activities, and vaccination clinics.
How can I establish an Inclusive Culture of Self-Care in the Workplace?
Whether you&rsquo;re planning to develop an extensive employee wellness program, or implement a few wellness strategies, here are a few ideas to help you establish and cultivate a culture of self-care within your workplace that&rsquo;s inclusive of employees with disabilities:
<ol>
<li>Encourage Mindfulness&nbsp;&ndash; Many companies are incorporating mindfulness into their employee wellness programs, as it has proven to help employees take a proactive approach to managing their mental health, stress, and emotions in the workplace. For some employers, this includes hosting mindfulness practices, such as meditation trainings, lunchtime chair massages, or yoga sessions, including&nbsp;<a href="http://www.yourowngentleapproach.com/what-is-adaptive-yoga/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">adaptive yoga</a>&nbsp;for employees with disabilities. Others encourage use of free meditation apps, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.headspace.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Headspace</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.calm.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Calm</a>. &nbsp;</li>
<li>Offer Flexible Work Schedules&nbsp;&ndash; Employees with flexible work schedules are often more satisfied, as this allows them to better control their overall schedules and manage emergencies. For employees with disabilities, there are typically even greater benefits. Opportunities for flexible work schedules eliminate the need for stressful commutes; allow the ability to plan around disability-related needs, including doctors&rsquo; appointments and medication; and provide freedom to live in locations that are more beneficial for their needs (i.e. warmer climates). &nbsp;</li>
<li>Promote Physical Health, Including Adequate Rest&nbsp;&ndash; Physically healthy employees, including those who get enough rest, generally experience less exhaustion, more productivity, and reduced healthcare costs. Employers can encourage physical health in a variety of ways, from providing healthy snacks in break rooms and vending machines, to offering in-house workout classes or discounts/reimbursements for gym memberships. Additionally, some employers host activity groups, such as exercise clubs. Employers should allow space for each employee, no matter their physical abilities, to participate in such groups in whatever capacity they are able. &nbsp;</li>
<li>Celebrate Employees&rsquo; Work&nbsp;&ndash; Simply taking time to acknowledge employees work and accomplishments can significantly boost morale. Whether it&rsquo;s hitting a big milestone or managing a customer conflict, managers should seek out opportunities to affirm their employees for a job well-done. Not only does this prompt greater employee loyalty, but it also helps employees view their supervisors as trustworthy and feel more satisfied in their jobs. Even still, some employers set aside specific celebration days, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2017/02/27/5-ways-to-celebrate-employee-appreciation-day-friday-march-3rd/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Employee Appreciation Day</a>&nbsp;in March or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iaap-hq.org/page/AdminProDay" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Administrative Professionals Week</a>&nbsp;in April, to purposefully plan something for their employees. &nbsp;</li>
<li>Encourage Breaks, Including PTO&nbsp;&ndash; Taking regular breaks, ideally away from the work environment, can provide much needed rejuvenation. This includes taking a full lunch break away from the computer, along with mid-morning/afternoon breaks to refocus. Additionally, employers should foster a culture that encourages employees to take time off. Whether this is a longer vacation that&rsquo;s been planned, or a &ldquo;mental health day,&rdquo; employees should feel comfortable taking earned leave, and expectations regarding checking email and phone messages while taking leave should be communicated. &nbsp;</li>
<li>Set Realistic Expectations Around Technology Use&nbsp;&ndash; Constant access to technology often creates unspoken expectations regarding employee response times to emails and other messages. Employers should clearly communicate expectations about the types of circumstances that should warrant immediate response (i.e. an emergency), especially after work hours. Ideally, employees should be given opportunities to set their own communication boundaries that support their work styles. For some, this may mean immediately responding to emails at any time to help reduce their overall tasks. For others, this could mean setting strict time boundaries around when they will and will not respond to messages. This is especially helpful for employees with neurocognitive disabilities that perform best with structure and schedules. &nbsp;</li>
<li>Provide Social Support&nbsp;&ndash; Employees who are a part of a supportive work environment also prove to be happier and more productive. Employers should facilitate opportunities for employees to build relationships among their coworkers, including creating collaborative work spaces, hosting in- and out-of-office bonding activities, and developing internal mentorship programs. Workplace mentoring proves especially beneficial for employees with disabilities. Among other benefits, receiving guidance and support from mentors can help employees with disabilities navigate new work environments and relationships, identify and request appropriate accommodations to help ensure their success, and provide ideas to help with career growth. </li>
</ol>
In addition to incorporating wellness programs, some companies are partnering with consulting firms like&nbsp;<a href="https://theenergyproject.com/about/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Energy Project</a>&nbsp;to help them assess their practices and support employee growth through a scientifically-based approach to energizing people, ultimately helping employees perform at their best.
Companies that desire to retain employees and ensure overall employee satisfaction should make employee self-care a priority. For more ideas on how to incorporate self-care practices for employees with disabilities in your workplace, or to learn how you can better support your own self-care,&nbsp;contact the Getting Hired team.
Contributions to this blog were made by Andra&eacute;a LaVant of Solutions Marketing Group.&nbsp;

Support self-care for employees with disabilities to boost productivity and engagement. Learn how to create an inclusive culture.

7 Tips for Employers to Support Self-Care for Employees with Disabilities

November marks&nbsp;<a></a><a href="https://www.military.com/military-family-appreciation-month/president-proclaims-november-as-military-family-month.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Veterans and Military Families Month</a>, a time dedicated to honoring the significant contributions made by American service members, their families, and their loved ones. It&rsquo;s also a great time to assess progress and areas for improvement around veteran employment, including employment of veterans with disabilities.
According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://adata.org/factsheet/employment-data-veterans-disabilities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ADA National Network</a>, 29.6 percent of working age veterans (those 21 to 64) have a disability. In 2018, the unemployment rate of veterans with disabilities was 5.2 percent, compared to 3.5 percent for veterans without disabilities. While more and more organizations are working to increase employment opportunities for veterans with disabilities, many employers still express concern about hiring and retaining veterans with disabilities.
One&nbsp;<a href="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/5057002/GettingHired_November2019/Pdfs/Beyond%20Yellow%20Ribbons%20JVR.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;determined that when it comes to supporting veterans with disabilities, employers:
<ul>
<li>Struggle with accommodating veterans with the signature disabilities of PTSD, TBI and depression.</li>
<li>Are confused about resources related to recruiting or accommodating veterans with disabilities and therefore are not using these effectively.</li>
<li>Do not understand the disability disclosure rights of veterans with disabilities.</li>
</ul>
Service-connected vs. non-service-connected disability employment rates
There are not only disparities between the unemployment rates of veterans with disabilities compared to those without disabilities, but there is also a distinct difference in the&nbsp;<a href="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/5057002/GettingHired_November2019/Pdfs/vet.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">employment rates</a>&nbsp;of veterans with and without service-connected disabilities. Of working-age veterans with disabilities, 10.5 percent have non-service-connected disabilities. However,&nbsp;<a href="https://adata.org/factsheet/employment-data-veterans-disabilities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">69 percent</a>&nbsp;of veterans with a service-connected disability are employed, while only 37 percent of veterans who report having a non-service-connected disability are employed.
What&rsquo;s the difference between a service-connected and non-service-connected disability?
Service-connected disabilities&nbsp;are defined as injuries or illnesses that are incurred in or aggravated by active military service. Examples include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and depression. A non-service-connected disability is any injury or illness that was not acquired as a result of active military service. For example, a veteran who acquires diabetes or has a stroke at some point after active military service could be considered one with a non-service-connected disability.
When it comes to employment, veterans whose disabilities are acquired or aggravated during active military service prove more likely to obtain jobs than veterans who have non-service-connected disabilities.
Why is the employment rate higher for veterans with service-connected disabilities than those without?
There are two likely reasons that veterans with service-connected disabilities experience higher employment rates:
<ol>
<li>Higher prevalence of organizations focused on hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities&nbsp;&ndash; Today, many organizations have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.va.gov/careers-employment/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hiring programs</a>&nbsp;and initiatives designed to help veterans with service-connected disabilities find and retain employment. Veterans without service-connected disabilities can often be overlooked in these programs. Instead, they must rely on non-profit organizations that provide a wider scope than assisting with finding employment. This means they can get lost in the pipeline of competing priorities and services.</li>
<li>Greater incentives for hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities&nbsp;&ndash; Employers who hire and accommodate veterans with service-connected disabilities can receive tax incentives under the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/work-opportunity-tax-credit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Work Opportunity Tax Credit</a>&nbsp;(WOTC) program. Employers can receive tax credits when they hire veterans who have completed or are receiving rehabilitative services through the state or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). They can also receive credits for hiring veterans who are members of families who are receiving or recently received food stamps.</li>
</ol>
Hiring and supporting veterans with disabilities
Employers that focus on hiring and supporting veterans with disabilities yield countless benefits, as veteran employees prove to be strong leaders, great under pressure, detail-oriented, and much more. For ideas on how to recruit and hire veterans, check out our webinar,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF3PwT6hTz0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Top Challenges Veteran Employees and Jobseekers Face</a>.
Have more questions on recruiting and retaining veterans with disabilities? Contact the CareerCircle team at gettinghired@careercircle.com.
Contributions to this blog were made by Andra&eacute;a LaVant of Solutions Marketing Group.&nbsp;

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Veterans with Disabilities: An Employment Outlook

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141 Articles

Prioritizing Accessibility When Recruiting & Retaining New Talent

7 Tips for Employers to Support Self-Care for Employees with Disabilities

Veterans with Disabilities: An Employment Outlook

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