Harmony Yields Productivity
Frank Acceptance of Differences Is the Key
Awareness Honors All Employees
What You Can Do to Create a Welcoming Work Environment
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Harmony Yields Productivity
The central goal of creating a positive environment
for a diverse workplace harmony, and harmony fosters
productivity. Period. While the normally stated goal
of "Doing the Right Thing" is all well and good --
and, Doing Right, by the way, often results in greater
harmony -- your responsibility is to your company's
bottom line. When people get along and act like a
team, they produce more, stay longer, and have fewer
gripes -- all of which favor effective and efficient
work.
When, on the other hand, staff members harbor
resentments or perceive inequities, they can build an
obstructionist interplay that handicaps everyone
involved. No one can perform at a peak level. Time is
wasted in foot dragging, absenteeism and higher
turnover. And time is money.
As a manager, supervisor or proprietor, you are
responsible for ensuring that your work environment is
amicable. If your department has poor performance due
to interpersonal friction, this performance deficit
will be attributed to you.
- Further, you can personally be held responsible
for creating a "hostile work environment" or simply
not preventing it. Consider this:
- "On occasion, reasonable accommodation of one
employee entails some inconvenience to that employee's
supervisor or to his co-workers, which, in turn, may
lead to resentment on the part of the inconvenienced
supervisor or co-worker. In some instances, the
unfortunate result of this resentment is harassment of
the disabled employee... The ADA, like Title VII,
creates a cause of action for hostile work environment
harassment".
- Fox vs. General Motors
There is no upside to ignoring tensions and no
downside to preventing or resolving them.
- In fact, neglecting to give conflict its due attention
will most certainly result in a greater negative
impact than that of any time taken to prevent that
tension. Observes Kriza Jennings, program officer
for Diversity and Minority Recruitment for the
Association of Research Libraries:
- "What do we have to do to create and foster a
workplace climate where everyone feels welcomed,
valued and respected. The response centers on
becoming more aware that each individual's behavior
towards others contributes to the climate or
atmosphere. The most common reason offered for why
more attention is not paid to these issues is that
'we're too busy.' To implement a successful diversity
program, however, these three practices--welcoming,
valuing, and respecting--must receive regular and
deliberate attention."
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Frank Acceptance of Differences Is the Key
Another underlying reason for inattention to fostering
a harmoniously diverse workplace, perhaps especially
in the case of disabilities, is discomfort about
discussing the differences between individuals and
between groups. It is natural to feel awkward about a
person's disability, but, in fact, that awkward
reluctance is what you must dispel in your employees.
One unique characteristic of disabilities (compared to
differences in terms to race, ethnicity or gender) is
that there is an obvious mechanical difference between
someone who is, say, blind, and others who are all
functionally sighted. Glossing over this fact can only
result in an uneasy atmosphere. Your staff will
conclude that open discussion about disability is
forbidden.
The key to fostering a friendly and, therefore,
productive work environment is recognizing but not
magnifying differences. Many supervisors unwittingly
cast a disabled worker in the role of child or sacred
cow by communicating to him and to other staff that he
is somehow "special" or better or to be protected. An
employee who has a disability is really no different
than others who are not disabled. He just has to do
his work with different tools or techniques. He is not
more emotionally vulnerable, not unable to do quality
work, not somehow more admirable nor not heroic
because he is disabled.
You set the tone. If you coddle a disabled worker, so
will other employees -- and still others will resent
the special treatment. If you are hypersensitive about
the individual's disability, you will make everyone
uncomfortable. If you treat the disabled worker as a
burden, that will be the view throughout your
department.
Instead, you must foster the recognition that every
staff member is equal but has individual roles,
responsibilities and work styles. The difference with
a disabled worker falls under work methods only and
refers entirely to what tools he uses to do the work
he shares with his peers.
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Awareness Honors All Employees
One benefit that has been cited for bringing employees
back quickly after they become disabled is the
positive impact it has on morale. Other workers see
that the individual's contribution is valued, that he
is not disposable and that they can count on being
similarly valued. Ultimately fostering harmony for a
new or returning worker who has recently become
disabled is the same.
A work environment in which each person is, as
Jennings describes, "welcomed, valued and respected"
does not only benefit the employee who is "different."
Companies that, in essence, see all positions as
necessary to the bottom line and all workers as co-
workers bring out the best in people. Creating an
atmosphere of collaboration rather than assertion of
status encourages high performance and a sense of
responsibility for results from the CEO to the
mailroom clerk. An atmosphere that honors diverse
(and, in particular, disabled) employees as equal
contributors to the common goal allows each worker to
recognize the collective talents of the group instead
of a new employee's deficits.
Basically, it is your responsibility to prepare other
staff people for inclusion of a disabled worker -- and
it is up to that worker. Showing him and the other
staff that you regard him as the chief educator on the
subject of how he works and how to relate to him both
empowers him and shows him that you expect him to take
responsibility for dealing with his peers. He cannot
wait for you or others to guess at what he needs. He
must speak up.
By insisting on this forthright candor, you are
supporting your other workers, too. They see, from
your attitude, that you require equal effort from them
as well as the employee with a disability.
However, it will be ultimately up to you to step in
when miscommunication or inappropriate behavior on
anyone's part is not prevented or resolved on a peer-
to-peer level. If, for example, a new visually
impaired employee has asked politely and repeatedly
that other staff members not change the location of
important tools or supplies (but they forget), you
may need to emphasize to them the practical reasons
for consistency. If, on the other hand, you discover
that the disabled employee has not communicated this
need but expects others to "magically know" (and is
becoming contentious when they can't), you will need
to make it clear that everyone, not just that
employee, deserves courtesy.
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What You Can Do to Create a Welcoming Work Environment
Jennings lists and explains what she regards as the
three essential aspects of a friendly and accepting
work environment: welcoming, valuing and respecting.
Welcoming. Jennings stresses that "welcoming" goes
far beyond the introduction of a new worker. It
persists throughout a person's presence in the
workplace. In the simplest way, it means a workplace
where everyone greets everyone.
I used to work in an organization where the executive
director never said hello to me. I enjoyed making a
point of introducing new volunteers to her just so she
would have to condescend to greet us. In the case of a
blind or visually impaired worker, staff members need
to be aware that a simple hello is insufficient. I ask
colleagues to say, "Hi, Nan! It's Dorothy."
Welcoming goes farther though. Welcoming in one sense
means discouraging cliques or confederacies that tend
to push others away. In an affirmative sense, Jennings
encourages creating space and time for "cross-
pollination" between individuals, departments and
levels. This provides needed social interaction as
well. Make sure these activities or locations are
accessible to the disabled employee. Often, in that
same organization where I worked with the aloof
executive director, staff members would plan parties
off-site, and that would force me to wrangle with
transportation alternatives which were not always
comfortable for me.
Valuing. "Valuing is demonstrating to others that
their presence and contributions are noticed, make a
difference, and matter in the organization," Jennings
points out. She goes on to discourage empty gestures
such as once-a-year recognition events. Rather, she
recommends, get to know the individual, listen to his
ideas and be aware of and support his efforts to
overcome challenges in the work.
Instill in your staff a regard for courtesy: expressing
thanks, respecting others' time and seeking to
reciprocate help. "A certificate may be less effective
than sharing a break with someone to discuss their
work and their contributions," Jennings explains.
"A salary increase may have more impact, if someone
in a leadership role shares how much the (individual's)
contributions have helped the organization accomplish
its goals."
Workers who have a disability need to be valued for
their work -- not treated as if they were somehow
defying the odds by showing up at all. Encourage staff
not to include the disability in praise:
- As a qualifier, such as: "You present very well for
a blind person!"
- As a superlative, such as: "Wow! I couldn't do as
well, and I'm not blind!"
An employee with a disability wants to know that he
is contributing in the affirmative and on an equal par.
You may not quite understand how he manages such high
level work with limited vision, but he is a lot more
than just disabled. He is talented and hardworking.
He feels patronized when his disability always has
to be a part of the equation.
Respecting. Jennings stresses the top-down aspect
of respect and emphasizes the leadership role in
encouraging everyone to recognize the accomplishments
and expertise of each and every worker. "Supervisors
often expect employees to come to their offices or to
make appointments to talk about their work," says
Jennings. "Many employees will avoid such meetings
because they do not wish to give the appearance of a
problem. What employees often are seeking is
acknowledgment that their supervisor is aware of
their work and cares enough to ask how things are
developing."
She adds, "Some administrators send messages through
supervisors, when a direct note, phone call, or e-mail
would have a much more positive effect on self-esteem
and a sense of personal accomplishment."
Here's another no-no I encountered while working in
the organization with the aloof executive director. A
new supervisor set out from the start to communicate
that her staff was under her. One's area of expertise
did not matter. She made the calls -- not because she
had a bigger picture but because her "picture" was
virtually feudal in nature. (I'm reminded of a "Wizard
of Id" comic strip in which the king is shown
saying, "I'm the King, and you have to do what I say,
or I can't be King any more.") I not only did not
feel respected, in spite of my expertise and potential
contribution to the agency, but, in fact, I felt
demeaned, distrusted and disliked. Instead of
fostering teamwork, the supervisor held each of us
apart and at arm's length, and that resulted in
conflict, poor communications and poor morale ---
and worsening productivity.
A worker with a disability needs no more or no less
respect than any other employee. Neither avoid him
nor heap undue praise on him. Jennings observes that
an overall atmosphere of mutual respect can be the key
to a successfully diverse workplace.
Here are some other tips for building harmony:
- Provide diversity awareness training that includes
disabilities -- whether or not you have a disabled
employee coming on board. Be sure to choose a
trainer with a sensible, matter-of-fact and practical
approach.
- Stress with other workers that the disabled employee
was hired because he is qualified and can do the
work. His disability was not and should not be a
consideration. He will have to satisfy the same
performance standards as they do.
- Encourage the new employee to be candid about his
disability. Offer him a chance to discuss it at a
staff meeting.
- Discourage the employee from playing a passive or
manipulative role by making sure he knows you are
only interested in what he can do and how -- not what
he can't. Be sure his responsibilities and those of
others are well-defined and equal.
- Treat everyone the same. Neither ignore nor
highlight a disabled employee.
- Realize that employees will have prejudices and be
prepared to deal with those prejudices. A woman once
told me she felt disabled people had no right
to "special treatment" and clearly resented being
required to work with them. Others may feel disabled
people get unfair advantages just as others feel that
way about women and minorities. Still others may have
had experiences where a disabled person has not been
held to the same expectations. You must make clear
that this person is not to be judged until he proves
himself.
- Encourage a relaxed atmosphere that includes humor,
but do not tolerate stereotyping, bigotry or mean
humor. I am the first to make jokes about my eyesight
and respond well to sensitive remarks from others, but
I do not appreciate humor that reveals ignorance or a
desire to put me down.
- Make sure a person taking on new duties is adequately
compensated for them when you must shift a
responsibility from one job description to another
because of a disability. Higher pay or authority
(or simply allowing for an exchange of tasks) can make
the addition acceptable so it doesn't breed ill will.
- Let the disabled employee and co-workers handle
issues not related to work. I generally feel awkward,
if a co-worker tells me to "step down" at a curb
(that's what the white cane is for). But it is up to
me to make that clear because it has nothing to do
with my work responsibilities.
Finally, be vigilant about typical misunderstandings
and myths. Florida State University's Student Disability
Resource Center identifies three major misled
approaches and attitudes:
- The Myth of the Helpless Invalid (which assumes
that the person with a disability is unable to do
anything without assistance).
- The Myth of the Heroic Cripple (which places
the person with a disability on a pedestal, making it
difficult for him or her to assimilate and function).
- The "Spread" Phenomenon (which generalizes
from a single disability and assumes there are also
intellectual, social, and additional physical
deficits). An example would be shouting at a person
with a visual impairment.
You set an inclusive tone by how well you interact
with an employee who has a disability. How well you
welcome, value and respect him as well as other
workers will have a direct effect on how well everyone
works together. You cannot lose by setting clear
guidelines for the type of work environment you wish
to foster -- and then consistently following them. The
harmony (and productivity) of your staff will pay you
back many times over.
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