From Make It Safe for Employees to Disclose Their Disabilities by Laurie Henneborn, Harvard Business Review, June 28, 2021:
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I’ll start with the good news: Many organizations are employing a greater number of persons with disabilities than ever before. Many have committed to a deeper understanding of what inclusion means for persons with disabilities, subgroups therein (such as persons with neurological disorders), and other communities (race, gender, LGBTQ, and so on) and have been taking steps to create supportive business climates for all. Many are doing so because they’re aware that there is a proven business case for hiring persons with disabilities. Many believe they’ve made significant progress: In Accenture’s most recent global survey on the topic, 67% of the nearly 1,750 business executive respondents said they believe their companies support employees with disabilities, including having the right technologies in place to do so and the right environment.
Now here’s the bad news: Despite this clear progress, our survey also found that just 20% of the 5,870 employees in the survey who had a disability agreed that their workplace culture is fully committed to helping them thrive and succeed. Meanwhile, 76% of employees with disabilities in the survey report not fully disclosing their disabilities at work (e.g., to HR, colleagues, supervisors/managers). And 80% of C-suite executives and their direct reports who have disabilities are also not disclosing them.
It’s a debilitating circle. Business leaders need to learn more about what they can do to create a more inclusive climate for employees with disabilities in order to take effective action. Yet, as our research and related interviews revealed, employees with disabilities fear that disclosing will lead to outcomes such as retaliation, slower progression, and less meaningful roles. And for most, disclosing is a very personal and perhaps difficult decision even in supportive environments.
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It’s important for companies and for workers to change the way we think (and talk) about disabilities, permanently. Our research found that employees who do disclose their disability at work are 30% more engaged — in terms of career satisfaction and aspirations, confidence, and a sense of belonging — than those who don’t.
What are the best steps a business can take to create a culture in which employees with disabilities feel safe to disclose? The answers emerged from our survey, in which we also examined more than 200 workplace culture factors to see which impact employee engagement most. Eight stood out in particular for employees with disabilities. Interestingly, five of these eight also correlate significantly with a climate in which persons with disabilities feel safe about disclosing their condition.
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1. Bold Role Models
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2. Enterprise-Wide Training on Inclusive Practices
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3. The Space to Be Creative
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4. Formal Mental Wellness Policies and Programs
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5. Supportive and Supported Employee Resource Groups
Thanks to
Rebecca Cokley for calling attention to this article on Twitter.
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Title edited on author's request
05 Sep 2021, 1:01 am
the slippery slope, that's usually the goal, first "make it "safe"", then make it mandatory, what could go wrong 
