Four Ways to Show Empathetic Leadership to Disabled Workers
To be a successful leader in the workplace, being empathetic is a crucial characteristic. Whether you provide internet phone services to businesses or freshly made sandwiches to hungry locals, bringing more empathy to your management style can boost team motivation and create a better working environment.
Showing empathy as a leader is particularly important when working with disabled employees. Individuals living with a disability often have highly personal requirements in the workplace, so listening to and understanding their needs is essential.
But first, let’s establish what exactly is meant by the term “disabled”. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an individual living with a disability is defined as “a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.”
The above picture shows two women working at a desk. One of them is in a wheelchair. Free-to-use image sourced from Pexels
This definition leaves a lot of room for interpretation, and often whether or not someone identifies as having a disability is a personal thing. Therefore, it’s not something that’s safe to assume.
One thing is certain, however: by showing empathetic leadership to members of the workforce who are living with disabilities, we can create a better working environment for everyone.
With this in mind, here are four ways to show empathetic leadership toward your disabled employees.
1. Make your workplace physically accessible
According to the University of New Hampshire’s Disability Statistics Compendium, those living with disabilities have seen a consistent employment rate of between 30-40% since 2008, while non-disabled individuals have seen a consistent employment rate of around 70%.
Though there are many factors at play, this difference can be partially attributed to the physical accessibility of the workplace. This can make it impossible for an individual to work for a company, despite having the skills and capabilities needed to perform the job.
The above picture shows a group of people sitting around a long table with one of them taking notes. Free-to-use image sourced from Unsplash
To stop this from becoming an obstacle for disabled workers, it’s important to understand the needs of less able members of the workforce with regard to your workplace and its location.
For example, if public transport in your city doesn’t make it possible for a disabled team member to travel to the office every day, can they work from home? If an employee’s medication needs to be stored in a refrigerator, can you provide a fridge that’s only used for this so their drugs don’t get lost among everyone’s lunches? If a team member requires a lift and your office doesn’t currently have one, can this be installed?
For more advice on creating an accessible workplace, check out our must-know tips.
Of course, there are also many other factors that can stop disabled workers from accessing roles that they’re more than able to fill. One example might be that your recruitment team is looking to hire a very specific type of individual. By widening your talent pool definition, you may find that you open up the workplace to highly skilled disabled professionals—for example, by being open to considering remote applicants.
It’s important to not make employees or job applicants feel like they’re being difficult when asking for adaptations that are essential for them to perform their roles. You can build on this by creating a supportive environment where individuals feel comfortable requesting these measures.
2. Create a supportive working environment
On that note, it’s a sad truth that those living with disabilities often suffer from discrimination. Those who are able-bodied may not feel that this is a major problem in their workplace–but this isn’t necessarily the case.
According to data from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in 2020, disability-related discrimination claims were the most common kind, occurring more regularly than those pertaining to race, sex, or age.
As a result of this, many individuals living with disabilities may feel the need to hide their limitations while at work. This is, of course, not a situation that you as an employer want, but forcing an employee to disclose a disability unwillingly is neither a kind nor empathetic thing to do.
Instead, it’s good practice to create an open and supportive workplace where individuals are listened to and accommodated. By creating such an environment, it’s more likely that disabled employees will feel comfortable disclosing their conditions.
This then enables you as a leader to make any appropriate alterations, which can improve the work experience for your disabled staff members and, in doing so, enhance their productivity.
By creating a comfortable and supportive working environment, you may even see a boost in revenue equivalent to implementing specific money-saving measures, such as getting a toll free number or changing suppliers.
3. Understanding the context for each individual
The definition of empathy is ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings of another’. Therefore, when showing empathy toward a disabled employee, it’s essential to take the time to understand their feelings.
Two individuals may have the same disability on paper, but how it affects their lives and ability to work can vary wildly. This may result in you making different accommodations for different employees, even if they have the same medical condition.
It’s essential as an empathetic employer to bear this in mind and not to conflate the life experiences of two separate individuals because they’re living with the same diagnosis.
4. Remember that not all disabilities are visible
People often struggle to understand disabilities if there are no obvious visible signs of them. However, just because an employee isn’t in a wheelchair or doesn’t have hearing aids, it doesn’t prevent them from having a condition that affects their ability to perform at work.
The above picture shows four women sitting around a table with laptops open talking. Free-to-use image sourced from Pexels
There are countless disabilities, such as chronic pain, type one diabetes, and cognitive impairments, which aren’t immediately visually obvious to a third-party observer but can limit an individual in particular work situations. However, as a leader in the workplace, it can be easy to dismiss the limitations these conditions place on your employee’s life as the disability is invisible.
In situations like these, taking the time to be empathetic is a must.
Because we can’t see an invisible disability, it’s imperative to listen to and understand how the individual experiences their medical condition and to be empathetic and accommodating when they share how it affects their work.
Next steps
So, how can you factor what we’ve discussed in this article into your management style? Perhaps the most important first step is to stop and ask yourself: “Have I truly taken the time required to understand the individual needs of disabled members of my team?”
Be brutally honest with yourself here. If you haven’t, don’t beat yourself up—instead, take this as an opportunity to do better.
More generally, think about how you can make your work environment more supportive and welcoming. This might be through changes in the way conversations are had around individual needs, making your digital tools more accessible, or by making physical adaptations to your workplace.
Being an empathetic leader is a constant learning curve, so always be prepared to be challenged and, most importantly, to listen.