Belonging matters: the benefits of accessible onboarding
By: Micaela Kelly (she/her)
Every person deserves equality, dignity and freedom from discrimination. However, many people from equity-deserving groups (EDGs) experience discrimination during recruitment, hiring and in the workplace.
EDGs face many barriers including unconscious bias, microaggressions, unfavourable policies and lack of information that limit or prevent access to meaningful engagement at work.
The Canadian Human Rights Code prohibits job discrimination based on personal factors including race, gender identity or expression, disability and more.
Beyond the legal obligation to comply, organizations that actively embrace belonging policies and equity initiatives have a competitive edge. Equity and inclusion also mean committing to supporting diverse staff accessibility requirements including accommodations. According to the Job Accommodation Network, there are many benefits to an inclusive workplace, including:
- Retaining talent
- Improving productivity and morale
- Reducing workers’ compensation and training costs
- Improving company diversity
We need to move beyond applying accommodations to fix inaccessible experiences and instead focus on creating accessible environments from the start.
How can we help enable success from day one?
Start with an inclusive onboarding strategy.
While it may seem daunting, there are a few simple and low or no cost onboarding solutions you can start right away.
Take action towards fostering inclusivity at work.
Four strategies we learned from the Work-Learn Institute's (WxL) series on inclusive workplaces.
1. Provide accessibility features for interviews
Send an email with details about what accessibility features are already available for the candidate’s interview and who they can contact for accommodations ahead of interviews. Reaching out proactively will help the candidate feel more comfortable with the process and reduce stigma around accommodation requests.
“At Kinaxis, we trained our talent acquisition team to provide accommodations. To make it easy and consistent, we added information about accommodations to every e-mail template that goes out to candidates from our system,” said Karolina Kural, global diversity, equity and inclusion manager at Kinaxis, a supply chain management company and Waterloo co-op student employer.
2. Start a cultural ambassador program
Before they accept a job offer, give candidates a chance to meet with a company cultural ambassador. Cultural ambassadors can share information about the work and the organizational culture while helping candidates learn what it would be like to work with you.
“[Cultural ambassadors] are employees within Ciena who can give you the tea, give you the real deal about what it's like to work at this company. And particularly, what it's like to work at this company if you're in a certain group,” said Andy Winter, global director, diversity, equity and inclusion at Ciena, a telecommunications company and Waterloo co-op employer.
3. Send a welcome letter to new employees
Send a warm welcome with specific information to new employees before their first day. A welcome email can help new team members understand what to expect and feel more comfortable on their first day.
“Send (new employees) a welcome e-mail with details about the first day of work and who they'll report to. Then, when you’re going through your onboarding activities, identify what flexibility exists within your workplace. Also, clearly outline the process and the steps for requesting accommodations,” said Anne-Marie Fannon, director, WxL.
4. Build communities
Employee resource groups (ERGs) and other networking group opportunities give employees a chance to connect and build a sense of belonging within the workplace. Employees who share a common characteristic usually lead and participate in ERGs. Together, they work to build safe spaces where employees can bring their whole selves to the group.
“If you have individuals with similar interests and desires, you can create that space within your company. It does not require massive budgets or tons of people. You just start on a small scale and build,” said Winter.
An inclusive and accessible workplace is a strategic advantage that can help to attract top talent, foster productivity and build morale. These tips will help you build an inclusive onboarding program to welcome all employees. When you intentionally and genuinely create an environment that meets the needs of EDGs, you will benefit from a happier and more productive workforce.