In this guest post, Evelyn Long shares the importance of remote work and how it can create disability inclusion that benefits everyone.
The job landscape experienced many changes over the past few years, especially regarding remote work. There has been a 159% increase in virtual positions since 2005, and employment experts only see this category continuing to expand in the coming years. It’s a significant improvement for anyone with a disability — and their potential employers. These are a few reasons remote work is important for disability inclusion, but changes are still needed to accommodate all employees.
Remote Work Improves Disability Employment Options
Many people with disabilities find remote work a better option than traditional employment. They enjoy these significant benefits that make working full time and developing their careers easier.
1. Environmental Control For People With Sensory Disabilities
A crowded workplace can be a loud, busy environment. Neurotypical people feel stressed in their offices even during the best days, but noise can be an even more stressful issue for those with certain sensory disabilities. Disability inclusion via remote work options can create more opportunities for people to control their environment to fit their needs.
For example, employees with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or other neurodiverse conditions can make their home office more comfortable by adjusting their lighting, setting electronics on silent, or choosing their desk chairs or carpeting based on the material’s texture. Ultimately, minimizing sensory triggers makes people happier and more focused. This is an advantage that can benefit any employee and help them tap into a work environment that makes them feel the most comfortable and productive.
2. Commuting Doesn’t Complicate Daily Life
A daily commute is often the least-ideal part of a traditional work day, and eliminating it is widely considered a positive for remote workers. For some workers, that commute is even more of a hindrance, which means remote work opportunities provide much needed inclusivity.
Employees with movement disabilities or health conditions that cause chronic fatigue or joint swelling may find commuting unsustainable. Getting in the car — which may include packing mobility assistance devices — and maneuvering into an office building can be an exhausting and even painful experience.
Working in a living room or home office removes the burden of commuting entirely and offers the disability inclusion that many workers need. This helps employees save their mental and physical energy for the actual tasks of the workday rather than expending it on the journey to a physical office.
3. Remote Work Promotes Independence
Recent research shows that 16.6% of Americans over the age of 18 require in-home caretakers. Health care professionals may assist them with making meals and personal care, which makes the more stringent schedule of commuting and traditional office work challenging at best.
Remote work gives those adults more independence by providing them the opportunity to make a full-time income and support themselves while getting the care they need. Bright, driven employees can more easily access work opportunities that might have been inaccessible in a traditional, in-office setting.
Remaining Challenges With Remote Work
Even with the incredible rise of remote work, some challenges still keep disabled workers from feeling fully at home in workplaces. The following explain some of their most pressing needs and how businesses can work to accommodate them.
More Accessibility Improvements Needed For Hybrid Workplaces
Some people might require more assistance to make remote work tenable and affordable. Companies can accommodate more of their workers by offering to pay for speech recognition software, install computer monitor magnifiers or allow more flexible deadlines for people who need more time to complete projects. All great examples of disability inclusion measures that can be provided easily by employers.
Businesses with both a physical and a remote work option also need to build systems that make the most of employees who prefer hybrid work arrangements. Although working from home full time is an excellent option for some neurodiverse and/or disabled people, others like the structure and support of a physical space. Since everyone has unique needs, creating flexibility can help individuals reach their full potential.
Diversity Training Is Still Necessary
Diversity and inclusion initiatives are still important for teams that may never meet in person. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found that one-third of Americans experienced virtual harassment targeting their protected characteristics, which includes disabilities. The anonymity of the web has created new opportunities for bullying and harm.
Now, it’s not likely that coworkers will practice anonymous bullying. But the need for training is critical to build productive, inclusive virtual workplace interactions. Part of the reason is that communicating via chat can be faster-paced and less considered than in-person conversations. Employees might inadvertently say hurtful or insensitive things to disabled coworkers without thinking before typing. Diversity training is necessary even for entirely remote teams to prevent this conscious and subconscious discrimination from team members and those in leadership positions.
Flexible Schedules Are Crucial
Some team members may need to visit doctors or therapists frequently for their health conditions or disabilities. Employers should allow those workers to adjust their weekly hours as necessary to accommodate their appointments.
Vocalize this disability inclusion support during the hiring process and someone’s ongoing employment. Otherwise, they may feel guilty about waterfalling their hours into the coming days or taking time off based on societal pressure to never leave work.
Virtual Opportunities Also Benefit Employers
Inclusion isn’t a one-way street. Employers will also benefit from offering more remote work opportunities and extending options for hires with a wide range of disabilities. These are the most immediate changes that improve conditions for management teams and business owners.
Companies Save More Money
Hiring people to work in an office costs employers money. The workspace rent may increase to accommodate more people in addition to expenses related to onboarding and training. There are also daily necessities like electricity consumed by each employee’s computer.
Ultimately, reducing or eliminating this fixed expense adds up fast. Businesses that hire people remotely save $11,000 per person on average, which gives companies more funding to invest back into growing their business and their people.
Businesses Can Expand Their Diversity
The workforce is also changing due to shifting generations. Research shows that millennials will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025, and 74% of them want their employers to seek and hire diverse team members. It stands to reason that companies will experience more job applicants and long-term hires by proving their commitment to diversity and disability inclusion in the workplace.
Expanding diversity and inclusion initiatives for disabled people is good for the organization’s culture and growth, too. People with diverse life experiences and needs can open up more perspectives and business opportunities. Plus, so much great talent may have been sidelined in more traditional industries, and these workers can bring new and valuable skills to the table.
Employees Become Happier
People with jobs in places that support their fundamental values and accommodate their disabilities are happier in their roles. Less stress, more job satisfaction and feeling valued leads to productivity increases of 12% and makes companies more successful. Everyone benefits from workplace changes that make everyone happier, especially surrounding the topic of diversity.
Support Disability Inclusion With Remote Work
Employers, business owners, and team members should learn how remote work is important for disability inclusion. Companies that do this get to draw from a larger and talented labor pool. Creating virtual opportunities leads to so many benefits for employees and companies, so it’s worth looking into as more people seek at-home employment.
Do you think remote work could help inclusivity at work? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to share your thoughts and tips. We’d love to hear from you!
Author Bio
Evelyn Long is a Baltimore-based writer and editor with extensive experience covering workplace design for business and real estate publications. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Renovated.
