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Accessibility in the Workplace: Ways to Make Your Office More Inclusive
With many people slowly returning to the workplace, at least on a part-time basis, it is important that employers are doing all that they can to make offices inclusive for disabled people. Whether this is to accommodate staff that require the use of a wheelchair or clients, customers, suppliers or anyone else that has a disability, there are a number of ways that this can be done.
A good place to start is with education and training. You should be educating yourself on disabilities, inclusion and the Equality Act and then using training to raise awareness across the entire organization. Training will allow all staff to know how they can help and support those that have a disability, which will help to take the company forward and create the right kind of culture.
It is then important to assess your current workplace to identify areas that could be issues. You need to make the work floor accessible for all, which means that you might need to have ramps and lifts installed, use height adjustable desks and to use cable management to reduce hazards. It is also worthwhile looking to see what tech can be used to make the workplace more accessible for those with a disability.
Transport is another area that your business may need to address. Having a wheelchair accessible vehicle for your company is smart with places like Allied Mobility providing high-quality, adapted vehicles that can safely and comfortably transport those that require the use of a wheelchair. This is particularly important if your staff have to travel a lot for work.
It is important to build a diverse workforce and this is for a few reasons, but you might find that you need to be flexible when it comes to employment. For those with a disability, you may need to provide flexibility with their schedule, allow for remote work and a phased return to work. Additionally, you may need to provide specialist training and support for staff too.
It is important for businesses to be inclusive and a diverse workforce can bring a multitude of benefits to the business. Hopefully, this post will help you to make necessary changes to your workplace so that you can create an inclusive environment for anyone with a disability whether this is a staff member, job applicant, supplier, client or anyone else that is visiting the business.
Education & Training
A good place to start is with education and training. You should be educating yourself on disabilities, inclusion and the Equality Act and then using training to raise awareness across the entire organization. Training will allow all staff to know how they can help and support those that have a disability, which will help to take the company forward and create the right kind of culture.
Assess Potential Issues
It is then important to assess your current workplace to identify areas that could be issues. You need to make the work floor accessible for all, which means that you might need to have ramps and lifts installed, use height adjustable desks and to use cable management to reduce hazards. It is also worthwhile looking to see what tech can be used to make the workplace more accessible for those with a disability.
Transport
Transport is another area that your business may need to address. Having a wheelchair accessible vehicle for your company is smart with places like Allied Mobility providing high-quality, adapted vehicles that can safely and comfortably transport those that require the use of a wheelchair. This is particularly important if your staff have to travel a lot for work.
Flexible Employment
It is important to build a diverse workforce and this is for a few reasons, but you might find that you need to be flexible when it comes to employment. For those with a disability, you may need to provide flexibility with their schedule, allow for remote work and a phased return to work. Additionally, you may need to provide specialist training and support for staff too.
It is important for businesses to be inclusive and a diverse workforce can bring a multitude of benefits to the business. Hopefully, this post will help you to make necessary changes to your workplace so that you can create an inclusive environment for anyone with a disability whether this is a staff member, job applicant, supplier, client or anyone else that is visiting the business.
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Any facts, figures or references stated here are made by the author & don't reflect the endorsement of iU at all times unless otherwise drafted by official staff at iU. This article was first published here on 4th July 2021.
