Success Factors
How does an inclusive corporate culture work?
DisAbility Strategy
- DisAbility Management introduces a proactive approach to the issue of disability and inclusion. This requires specific resources and responsibilities.
- In order to change structures in the company long-term, it is recommended to use combined expertise for a comprehensive and targeted DisAbility Strategy, which, in turn, is entrenched within the corporate strategy. The topic of disability should not be seen as something additional, but rather as something integrated into existing processes and should, therefore, be always considered from the start.
- It is essential to raise awareness and to develop know-how among managers.
Employee life cycle
- Companies compete for the best talent. The war for talent is getting more competitive. The large talent pool of people with disabilities is often overlooked or not considered, despite their qualifications and commitment.
- For existing employees, it is important to create an environment which is as inclusive as possible, in which everyone feels comfortable and can work well. Talent Management plays an important role here. Equal opportunities, corporate health management and career advancement for all employees not only contribute to maintaining employees’ motivation and productivity, but also reduce employee turnover and sickness-related absences.
Communication
- Essentially, communication is a "reality shaper". Language creates reality and can contribute to an inclusive corporate culture. Using and avoiding certain terms has a significant influence on corporate culture.
- Internal communication inevitably influences external communication. Showing commitment and openness to the topic of inclusion, in turn, has a positive effect on the corporate image. Surveys demonstrate that millennials prefer companies with an inclusive corporate culture. Therefore, this makes inclusive communication a key factor in the war for talent.
Articles on inclusive communication:
In this article, you learn how to communicate in an inclusive way and talk about disability.
This happens automatically when people with disabilities naturally form part of the narrative.
Workplace design
- How the workplace is designed has a major impact on employee satisfaction. In the course of one’s working life, many things can happen and life circumstances can change. As a company, it is therefore important to respond flexibly to the needs of employees.
- With an inclusive corporate culture, adjustments to the workplace or job location can help to retain employees in the company despite changed circumstances. This includes, for example, different working time models, enabling remote work, or adapting the workplace.
- A proactive, well-designed space also has a preventive effect and a positive impact on employee health and well-being. Taking into account demographic change and the direct link between ageing and acquiring a disability, an inclusive corporate culture always ensures the creation of the best conditions for all employees.
Accessibility
- When people think of accessibility, they often have in mind ramps instead of stairs, wide doors and lowerable buses, but the term is much broader. Also, information and services in general must be designed in such a way that they are accessible to everyone without outside help.
- People with disabilities represent a large, but mostly unnoticed target group. However, in many cases, products and services offered by companies are not barrier-free.
- “Design for all” is a concept for the planning and design of products, services and infrastructures with the aim of enabling everyone to use them without individual adaptation or special assistance.
- An inclusive corporate culture helps ensure that the diversity of human beings is taken into account when designing new products or revising existing services.
