Office for National Statistics figures show that 53.5% of disabled people of typical working age (16-64) are in employment in the UK, this does not compare favourably with the 81.6% of non-disabled people in employment who are in the same age range. These figures are a stark reminder, if one is needed, of the imbalance in our working population and the importance of workplace accessibility for all.
What is workplace accessibility?
In general, accessibility is the concept of whether a product or service can be used by everyone—however they encounter it. When this concept is applied in the workplace there are a number of factors to consider, some of which are more obvious than other.
Physical accessibility
Physical accessibility in the workplace is often the first thing that comes to mind when considering this subject. A 2020 YouGov poll found that 27% of offices do not have sufficient access for wheelchair users and that 30% of 18 to 24-year olds also think their workplace doesn’t cater for people with varying physical abilities. Employers are therefore potentially missing out on a large pool of employees if their workplace is not physically accessible. Physical accessibility though goes way beyond ramps, doors and lifts. Employers should consider the furniture within their office environment, is it flexible and ergonomic, is storage at various heights and in addition do you have quiet spaces for those who need to work in a calmer environment? And what about other considerations? Are switches at a height everyone can reach, can the lights come on automatically and can adaptive technology and aids be used to assist staff?
Training and education
Training is a great way to increase accessibility. Older workers often feel that they are at a disadvantage in terms of new technology as it isn’t something that has been part of their everyday life, as opposed to younger workers who have grown up using technology at school and at home almost non-stop. Through effective training, staff can gain skills that will help your business to grow and these will also be skills that they can deploy outside of work. Training can be a mix of hands on learning but also shadowing and shared learning are really beneficial as you can mix younger and older workers together to learn from each other and share their differing knowledge and experience. This builds a more cohesive team who value their colleagues. Educating staff about the needs of others can also improve workplace accessibility. Some small steps and considerations can make a world of difference. If you have a large team meeting then reserve seats at the front for anyone who has mobility issues and can’t easily squeeze along a row of chairs or for a colleague who has hearing difficulties. If important information is being shared is it accessible for all staff? Companies should consider using images as well as words on signs or if they are sharing video content then adding subtitles makes the video more accessible. A survey by OECD found that 16.4% of adults in England, which equates to over 7 million people, have literacy levels at or below Level 1 which is classed as being “very poor literacy skills” or being “functionally illiterate”. Adults are often reluctant to admit that they have issues with literacy and this leads to them not talking about it and developing their own coping strategies. If you think that a member of your team is struggling with literacy then talk to them, offer them support and help to boost their self-esteem as this will engage them and help to create a bond of trust and then hopefully you can put interventions in place to develop their skills.
Economic accessibility
One area of accessibility that is often overlooked is economic accessibility. Put simply economic accessibility is a measure of someone’s ability to pay for something without incurring financial hardship. In the workplace this may seem irrelevant as staff are earning a wage but depending on individual circumstances those earnings may only be sufficient to cover an employee’s essential outgoings. Employees may struggle to buy clothes if their employer specifies a certain dress code, they may not be able to afford transport costs if they are regularly required to work at different locations and even if staff are working from home it could be the case that they are unable to afford reliable broadband to allow them to perform their duties to the best of their ability. Employers should consider economic accessibility as a barrier and review relevant policies and procedures to make sure that staff aren’t potentially excluded or put in a vulnerable financial position.
Other considerations
Employers can also consider enhancing accessibility and removing barriers for their staff in other ways. Offering flexible hours and working arrangements opens up a wider pool of talent for an organisation to recruit from. This enables people who might be unable to work in more traditional ways on a typical 9-5 day an opportunity to access work. Some companies will have staff who would benefit from prayer rooms, some could make their workplace more accessible by having gender neutral toilets and some may also have a private space in which mothers who are breast feeding can express milk when they return to work.
The potential costs of improving workplace accessibility can be off putting to some companies but many of the measures are relatively low cost and improving accessibility can have a positive effect on things like recruitment, retention and sickness absence levels and so ultimately investing in accessibility can be beneficial. For staff who have a disability or health condition the government’s Access To Work scheme can also provide financial support through grants to help employees and their employers to pay for practical support.
Do you have any questions about todays blog, need help in becoming legally compliant with contracts/policies or can we support you in taking away any people pains to give you peace of mind?
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Why not also check out our blog on a similar topic Accessibility – Beyond The Physical Barriers
We also have a YouTube channel with loads of handy videos outlining various HR related scenarios.
