Accessibility and inclusion: the workplace superpowers you didn’t know you needed

Why Build an Inclusive Culture?

I recently had an unexpectedly frank conversation with a new client that made me realise something important. Something must have happened that day or that week and we both let down our guard and we talked like we were two friends in a pub. It was really refreshing.

We talked about "masking", a term used to describe how we present a certain version of ourselves that we don't really feel inside. Masking is tiring and we both decided we didn't feel like it that day. This isn't a conversation that we could have had 10 or 15 years ago, but the world has changed and a lot of people feel like it’s fine to be ourselves at work and not pretend to be someone else for 8 hours of our day.

I've never been diagnosed but I almost certainly have ADHD, my colleague on the other side of the call said he was autistic. We both have senior roles in our organisations. We both have needs that we almost never talk about.

Nearly everyone masks to some extent. My kids often make fun of my telephone voice, the one that I put on when I’m talking to clients. I have a strong accent regardless, but as I get to know people better the more obvious it becomes that I grew up deep in the Welsh Valleys. For some people I work with, their level of masking is incredibly high. While they seem perfectly fine for the duration of an unscheduled meeting, I know they’ll be exhausted by it and need to spend some time in a dark room.

An inclusive work culture lets people be themselves, which lets them focus on getting a job done well and to have more energy to be more productive. Masking takes up energy and can leave some people feeling drained; not the best state of mind for getting things done.

Dig Inclusion, the company that I started with 3 other incredible individuals in 2012, has always been inclusive – it’s right there in the name, after all. The lengths that we go to to make sure people's needs are met used to be something of a rarity. Now, it's becoming more common, and people in other organisations I work with are happy to have conversations about personal challenges they face at work because of their neurodiverse or physical needs. I’m not certain exactly why this has happened. Maybe there's just a better awareness of things like this because of social media, maybe it's because the recent pandemic exposed people's awareness of their own needs.

My open chat with my colleague brought home how important it is to acknowledge that it must be the case that workplaces are packed with people with diverse needs and talking about them is no bad thing. Our needs were not physical, but for a lot of people they are, and if we want to build an inclusive culture where we work then there are things we need to do to make that happen. Increasingly, prospective employees expect better work conditions, and attracting a diverse workforce brings a mountain of benefits that you may have never considered.

When people feel included, they’re more engaged, innovative, and able to relate to customers’ unique needs. Employing people with disabilities brings valuable lived experiences, fostering greater awareness and empathy within the team.

Companies are better off when they focus on an inclusive culture – and they are fantastic places to work in.

The Disability Inclusion Imperative (PDF) study found that companies that have led on key disability inclusion criteria over a five year period enjoyed 1.6 times more revenue, 2.6 times more net income and 2 times more economic profit than other companies in the DEI. Further, leaders are more likely to outperform industry peers in productivity by 25 percent.

But even though these numbers are encouraging, 76 percent of employees with disabilities do not fully disclose their disabilities at work and only 4.6 percent self identify their disability status at work. The number of people with disabilities in our communities is 20 percent.

At Dig, I wanted to make sure that we built an inclusive culture that let’s people be themselves; a culture of care. I hope we’ve collectively done a good job of safe-guarding our work environment, it takes some effort but the benefits are felt by everyone.

Inclusive culture leads to better business

• Diverse perspectives lead to innovation: People with disabilities have different and often unique perspectives. Most of the Dig team have a disability, and I’ve learned so much about individual needs. Because the needs are so diverse, and the viewpoints so varied, we find it reduces groupthink and helps us look at things from new perspectives.
• Better customer experiences: It should be self-evident that a company that understands the needs of its own people – and has their needs high on its priorities – is also much better-placed to know how to offer better experiences to its customers.
• Increased satisfaction: Inclusion leads to a stronger sense of belonging, making people happier, more motivated, and more likely to stay. Retention at Dig is very high. People feel cared for.
• Meeting legal and ethical standards: Industries like finance and government, and (in the EU) even commercial services are subject to regulations which demand inclusive practices. Beyond this, your customers will trust you more if they can see the way you treat people is inclusive.
• Larger talent pool: Hiring people with disabilities means tapping into a talented pool of workers that may be overlooked by less inclusive employers.Businesses that embrace diversity perform better financially.

Steps to build an inclusive work culture:

1. Start with Leadership Commitment

I can't stress this enough! Leaders must actively champion inclusion. It’s not enough to roll out policies; leadership needs to show visible support, making inclusivity a business priority. You have to commit to it. It's not just about writing policies. If you are a leader in a business, you may need to check yourself to make sure you’re giving people enough space to grow and perform. Leaders are often guilty of causing huge disruption without even trying. All it takes is an unscheduled meeting, a call out of the blue or sometimes even just walking into a room unexpectedly. Without it even realising it, you’ve just lowered someone’s productivity for the day, maybe longer. It might feel like these situations are unavoidable and in many cases that may be true. But minimising disruption, acknowledging the impact of these actions and taking steps to limit these activities helps to keep productivity high.

Be sensitive to the needs of those around you and be an example of good leadership. Check in that people have what they need to be productive and comfortable. Make sure their physical, mental and emotional needs at work are met then give them space to get on with their work.

When leadership is engaged, inclusion becomes embedded in the company’s values, rather than just as an afterthought. People will notice the change.

2. Educate and train your people

Inclusion and accessibility are huge areas of learning. They are personal and ever evolving. I've been working in accessibility for a long time and feel like I've only scratched the surface with my own understanding.

Offer regular training on diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Ensure everyone understands the importance of accessibility and how their role contributes to a more inclusive environment. Encourage discussion about topics related to inclusive culture and get people engaged. Inclusion is a fascinating subject that people often know little about.

Training creates awareness and empowers change. An informed team is much more likely to champion accessibility themselves.

3. Audit your policies and environment

Evaluate current practices to identify barriers to inclusion. This includes recruitment, team dynamics, physical workspaces, and digital accessibility. You really want to understand the needs of people in your organisation and make it easy for people with diverse needs to work with you. The environment bit takes time, but you're aiming to have an outstanding awareness of where your policies and environment aren't meeting needs and where they need to be improved.

Without understanding the current gaps, efforts to improve might miss the mark. Regular audits ensure inclusivity isn't left to chance.

Make it easy for people to make requests and give feedback. You may believe yourself to be approachable, but don’t assume that people are going to talk to you when something’s up. Due to power dynamics  raising workplace problems is impossible for a lot of people. You need to know people’s concerns. Find ways of making sure that everyone’s voices are heard.

4. Hire diversely and build inclusive teams

Actively recruit people from underrepresented groups, including those with disabilities. It’s important that your team reflects the diversity of your customers. I know that Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) policies can be tricky as you'll always want the best person for the job. Just keep in mind that very often the best person has a disability but you never got to meet them. Maybe they weren't able to fill out your form because it isn't accessible, or maybe the language used in the job ad or interview stage wasn't inclusive. In these cases you're missing out on a huge pool of talent. Review your employment process and make sure you're reaching everyone who might be a good candidate.

Remember, diverse teams are better positioned to create solutions that resonate with a wide range of people, which strengthens your business. Also to give my experience as an employer, diverse team members are incredibly loyal and hard working. You'll be doing yourself a huge favour and your whole team morale will improve.

5. Establish accessibility champions

Create a network of accessibility champions across teams who ensure inclusivity remains a priority. My first exposure to this line of work was when the company I worked for asked me to champion accessibility for them. It was 2002, and accessibility wasn't talked about at all. It was poorly understood. I’ll confess that I didn’t have a clue what it was. I was given responsibility for including accessibility in the discussion and checking work before it went out. I probably made a lot of mistakes as the learning curve is steep, but I was able to drive initiatives, share useful resources, keep everyone informed, and offer support where needed and it’s been my chosen career for all those years.

Champions keep accessibility on the radar and make it part of the company’s day-to-day operations, rather than a one-time project.

How you can practically build an inclusive culture

1. Benchmark your current state

For your digital products, you might already be familiar with website audits which check the accessibility of your output. Please keep doing this as it's absolutely critical. Take a measure of where you are and know where you need to get to.

For your inclusive culture, begin by conducting a thorough assessment of where your organisation currently stands on inclusivity. This should include surveys, policy review, and taking a look at workplace dynamics.

2. Develop Clear, Measurable Goals

Set realistic and actionable goals for improving inclusivity. It's going to take some time as attitudes may need to change and that doesn't happen overnight, but make progress measurable. Measurable activities could range from increasing recruitment of people with disabilities to creating a fully accessible digital platform. Work towards making sure that all of your internal and external digital services can be used by people with a wide range of disabilities. Use WCAG audits to benchmark progress and use an accessibility testing framework like HUGR to continually monitor success.

3. Invest in Accessibility Training

Offer tailored training on digital and physical accessibility. These sessions should be ongoing and evolve as the organisation grows. Remember that accessibility test results and audit playbacks are an excellent way for you to learn about how to make more inclusive applications and content.

4. Create Accessible Communication Channels

Ensure all communications – internal and external – are accessible. This includes website content, internal documents, employment processes and customer communications.

For example, when it comes to employing people, make sure you've thought about things like:

• the  job application process is inclusive (how accessible are your application forms?)
• making sure any documentation is accessible. PDFs are notorious for not being accessible so make sure you check these
• your interview process is accessible. People might need help to attend a physical interview or if the interview is online, that the process of logging in and using tools is easy.
• make sure the onboarding process is inclusive, and that your software and processes work for everyone.

I don't want to focus on the legal nature of this too much as I think that the main motivations for doing this are already very clear and much more wholesome, but it's definitely worth mentioning at this point that having an accessible application for work isn't just a moral obligation, it's a legal requirement. Just so you know.

5. Reward Inclusive Practices

Acknowledge and celebrate those who make efforts to foster an inclusive culture. Highlight their contributions publicly to encourage others. However, be mindful that some of your people may not like being in the spotlight, so get consent from individuals and let them know what you would like to do beforehand.

Final Thought:

This year I started growing my own food. It's a phase of life I wasn't really that interested in until I started learning about how rewarding it is to be self-sufficient. My point is that building an inclusive culture is a bit like starting a garden – it takes time, effort, and constant care. And like starting a garden and reaping the benefits down the line, the payoff for creating and maintaining an inclusive culture is well worth it: a happier team, loyal customers, and a business that stands for something bigger. And don’t forget: making your workplace accessible isn’t just good for business, it’s the right thing to do. As we like to say, "things work better when they work for everyone", also, inclusion is everyone's business, so let’s all roll up our sleeves and get stuck in!