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November 17, 2008
Why Disability Is Irrelevant in the Workplace
What each of us brings to the table in an on-the-job teamwork situation creates an interdependency that makes disability irrelevant.
I’ll illustrate what I mean by that statement in this hypothetical situation:
Communication Dynamics LLC is a small, three-person advertising/marketing firm which has been quite successful during the last five years in serving startups in the electronics industry within the San Francisco area.As the firm’s owner, Mary manages the advertising department and oversees customer services and the firm’s marketing program.
Mary identifies another staff person, Bill, as the detail person. Bill presides over the public relations and publicity departments, both geared to print media. He can take an idea and develop it into a workable plan. He’s especially good at nailing down just the right tactics.
Bill turns to Mary for the long view. Mary turns to Bill to tell her if a plan is a good idea and how to pursue it.
The Internet expert for Communication Dynamics LLC is Tim, who, as the third member of the team, is a great deal more than an online guru. He heads online advertising, marketing and publicity, but he also is a catalyst for Mary and Bill. He regards each person’s job as important and supports that person in it. Tim is the reliable, willing team builder who helps the threesome work together effectively.
New clients come to Mary first, and, after, an evaluation of their needs, she refers them to either Bill or Tim, who become their day-to-day contacts. But, she still interacts with each client as the firm’s “big picture” person and often consults with Tim in that regard, even though an online presence may not be involved at all.
One of these individuals could be blind. But, visual impairment is not even part of the mix because the dynamics at work here transcend disability.
This team is thriving on the unique attributes of each member. It does not depend on whether Mary, Bill or Tim work on a client’s 2009 marketing plan with JAWS. Mary’s coordination, Bill's strategizing or Tim’s team building roles have nothing to do with the fact that all three may be blind.
Read “Workplace Interdependence and Employees With Disabilities.”
See “Balancing Your Team for Innovation.”
As job seekers, we need to show employers that disability really doesn’t matter in how people on the job relate to one another for getting work done.
How do we, as job seekers, help employers understand that disability is irrelevant in the workplace?
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Posted by Jim Hasse at November 17, 2008 02:11 PM
Comments
Unfortunately, have to disagree with Jim. Because of the economic downturn, the high unemployment rate (now 6.5% non-disabled workforce), insecurity in all facets of public/private sectors, manufacturing, sales, R&D, etc. disability is a relevant concern of Hiring Managers in all sectors of the economy.
Both the Wall St. Journal and Crane's Business estimate the cost of recruiting, hiring and orienting a new management employee, is at minimum, $15K! If, you add to the mix any need for accommodations based on disability, the HR professional knows, from documented case studies, their cost to employ the PWD adds to the cost for the bottom line.
Disability is only "irrelevant" if, the disabled employment candidate can come into the interview with a solid presentation his/her Knowledge, skills and abilities set (KSA's) can immediately be applied with the organizational structure and make the employer productive, adding to the bottom line of the organization.
In discussing the focus of perspective employees with a colleague of 25 years who, has a leadership role in the Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM), while organizations are concerned they maintain a diverse workforce, reflecting their community, that desire often has to take a back seat to the financial demands now being placed on the organization. She noted, those candidates being considered for the vacancies that exist must be prepared to come into the organization on less than ideal terms than in the past. Many organizations would rather scrutinize the individual as a total picture and, assess the cost of bringing the individual on-board (and, if flags are raised indicating unavoidable cost )pass the individual over) rather than risk litigation because the employee feels an accommodation is not being provided in an appropriate manner.
Yes, she acknowledged it sounds harsh however, it's a reality that HR professionals are dealing with because of the need to reduce organizational expenses when considering each and every perspective employee.
As we concluded our conversation, my colleague noted that KSA's, knowledge of the organization and its short and mid-range goals, financial health and how one can bring an added value to the position are critical to be considered for employment. . If a candidate is focused on the "Me", his/her wellbeing vs. the "we" that is the organization, you can be guaranteed we're not considering them a viable candidate.
Posted by: James J. Elekes, M.Ed, MPA, CPM at November 21, 2008 11:01 AM