Aspen Digital

From Accommodation to Belonging

Creating a New Way of Work

A photograph of a young woman holding a clipboard in a warehouse.
July 31, 2024

Building a genuinely inclusive environment goes beyond simply offering flexible work options. Nicole Cuellar-Lopez, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Etsy, emphasized the importance of keeping work human and celebrating differences. Flexible work fosters inclusivity by focusing on individual strengths and contributions rather than physical limitations.

Creating a safe space for self-identification of disabilities is crucial. Experts say that the data we have on disabilities at work are far underreported, and a deficit of trust in the workplace is to blame. Companies can achieve more trust by encouraging open communication between employees and managers regarding accommodations and best practices for remote work with disabilities. What data is being collected, who will have access to it, and how the employees will be able to benefit from the data are critical parts of the communication about data collection and self-ID internally. 

Ensuring the data reflects the experiences of employees is crucial in demonstrating shared values. This could look like allowing for a level of disaggregation and breadth of options: the Tech Accountability Coalition’s equity framework gives a starting point for this work.  Finally, employees must be clear on the follow-up actions from the data collected to avoid compounding survey fatigue. Employees want to know the time it takes to give their input will not be used against them, will be stewarded responsibly, and will create the change they seek. This fosters trust and allows for a collaborative approach to building a successful work environment.

Beth Wiesendanger highlighted the need to shift focus from simply meeting ADA compliance requirements to a more human-centered approach to disability inclusion. Flexible work options present an opportunity to move beyond legal requirements and foster a culture of belonging and trust. 

Shifting from the bare minimum of ADA compliance to the human-centered approach that Wiesendanger discusses can put disability inclusion at the forefront of innovation and workplace culture instead of as an afterthought. Leading with disability inclusion ensures that workers with disabilities are not seen as edge cases and that a company is truly building for everyone from the inside out. 

Considering disability accommodations creates an opportunity to move beyond just legal requirements and foster a culture of belonging and trust.

Read On

Keep reading to learn how you can get involved.

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