Is your office disabled friendly? If you haven’t already considered how you can make your workplace more disability friendly, you’re in luck!
Today, mobility scooter access alone is more important than ever, and as well as installing ramps in your office to improve movability, there are numerous ways you can help build disability awareness and friendliness in the work environment. Find out exactly how you can make your workplace more disability friendly below.
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Build Awareness
What better way to make your workplace disability friendly than by building awareness? You can help build disability awareness in several ways, including by investing in training. After all, an aware workforce is an empowered one! In order to ensure that all disabled employees are successfully integrated into a workplace, it is vital that all employees are aware that their organisation is disabled-friendly. Training sessions and classes will help employers gain greater insight to how they can help disabled colleagues, which is paramount for good workplace culture.
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Get The Right Equipment
The next step towards making your workplace disability friend is to get the right correct. Even though the term ‘equipment’ may be a little startling, there is no need to panic. In order to make your workplace disability friendly, you simply need to ensure that your office design accommodates everyone. Have a parking space that can be used and accessed by all employees is a great place to start. If your office has stairs, a great way to ensure your workplace is disability friendly is to fit a ramp. By fitting a ramp, you can rest assured that wheelchair users will have access. Other equipment that can help improve accessibility in your workplace includes:
- Height adjustable desks
- Easily accessible plug sockets
- Convenient adjustable monitor arms
- Cable management in order to reduce hazards
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Focus On Health & Well-Being
In order to promote that your workplace is disability friendly, it is paramount that businesses focus on the health and well-being of their employees. Ultimately, a workplace that offers invaluable support and encouragement to all employees will help disabled employees perform to the best of their ability, and equally be productive in what they do, which is vital for the success of the business – and you will certainly reap the benefits!
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Form A Support Group
As well as building awareness within the work place, a great way to ensure that your workplace is disability friendly is to form a support group for disabled employees specifically. During this support group, disabled employees will be able to voice their concerns and discuss any issues they may be experiencing within the work environment. With this information, your business can find the necessary solution.
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Modify The Work Day
In order to make your workplace disability friendly, you should allow modifications to the working day. When it comes to long working hours, disabled employees may require additional accommodation. Some modifications to the work day may include flexible starting times, frequent breaks and the opportunity to work from home from time to time. Whilst it isn’t always possible to alter start times and provide disabled employees with the opportunity to work from home, it is paramount that you try to accommodate all employees the best you can in order to help performance.
There are several ways you can ensure your workplace is disability friendly. Whilst getting the right equipment, such as height adjustable desks and installing ramps and railings, improves the movability of your office, it is paramount to remember that not all disabilities are visible. For this reason building awareness and providing disability awareness training to all employees is paramount. How do you plan to make your workplace more disability friendly?
