Establishing disability hiring efforts and creating workplaces that are accessible and create a sense of belonging are as important as ever. So, when Ashlea Lantz from The Harkin Institute, Molly Gill of John Deere Financial, and our very own Michelle Krefft (formerly of Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services) presented on this topic at our Annual Meeting & Conference last April, we knew this discussion needed to be heard by a broader audience. Check out this statistic-studded snippet from a recent bonus episode of the DE Talk Podcast!
Ashlea Lantz:
Ashlea Lantz addresses the audience while her fellow panelists look on during DirectEmployers 2024 Annual Meeting & Conference on April 5, 2024.
I want you to think about a time, and it doesn’t have to be at work, but where you felt like you didn’t belong and what’s the shift going on in your body? Do you pull your shoulders together? Do you start feeling uncomfortable? Think about that scenario. And as a woman with non-apparent disabilities, I can tell you about times where I didn’t feel comfortable, I didn’t feel like myself. And I want you to open your eyes now and think about when we create that sense of belonging in the workplace, disability or not, it’s a benefit. People bring their best selves to work, people are more productive, turnover is down. And so how do we create that sense of belonging, not only diversity and equity and inclusion, but creating that sense of acceptance. And I think so often right now, and this is kind of the rehabilitation counselor that comes out in me, but so much of creating this space within our workplace is dealing with our own discomfort. Because initially when we create teams that are different than our own affinity bias, we like to hire people that remind us of ourselves. But when we bring other people to the table, when we’re not looking for a culture fit, we’re looking for a culture add. Because when different life experiences are brought to the table, sometimes that can feel uncomfortable like, oh, that’s not where I was coming at it. But when we can create a space where people feel valued and heard, that strengthens that future proofs your business when we bring together different perspectives.
So again, what’s the KPIs around this? What are the metrics, right? So, 50% lower turnover rate, 75% fewer sick days are used, 56% increase in job performance when we create acceptance and belonging in our workplaces. So now let’s talk a little bit more specific around disability. So, one in four are impacted by disability, and I understand that if you’re a data analyst that that means the entire disability community. And not everybody is working from ages zero to 14 or maybe when they’re retired. But understanding that a quarter of this room is impacted by disability, the disability community has a combined spending power of 13 trillion. If you are not tapping into your workforce of people who have disabilities, you are missing a market. And, also, thinking about your customers, inclusive companies are twice as likely to have higher total shareholder return, 28% higher value, 30% higher profit margins than their peers. So, this does make a difference in future proofing your company. I want you to think about, just to keep everybody engaged this morning, just raise your hand if you are comfortable. Everybody just put your hand up and if you used an audiobook this morning, put your hand down. If you used your electric toothbrush, put your hand down. I’ll assume most of you brushed your teeth this morning.
If you sent an email on your phone, put your hand down. Ooh, only a few of you have not sent emails this morning. Well done. So, oh, cruise control. Well, no, nobody probably drove here this morning, you can put your hands down. So, the idea is all of those were rooted in disability innovation. If you’ve ever blurred the background of your Zoom screen, that was a disability innovation driven by someone who was deaf, who needed the distractions out of the background. But we all benefit from flipping on that blurred background. So, what do we mean by the value proposition of disability employment? Very clearly our work at the Institute– disability employment is not about charity. We are promoting your bottom line. This is good for business. It’s not pity, it’s not philanthropy, not altruism, but what it is, is it’s future-proofing your organizations for new markets.
Such informative, thought-provoking content! Tune in to the full episode for more great insight from this panel, and stay tuned for new episodes in the coming weeks!
- DE Talk Unplugged | Advancing EEO Through Accessibility & Belonging: A Look at Disability Employment - March 13, 2025
- DE Talk Unplugged | Merit is Not the Opposite of Diversity: Removing Barriers to Employment - March 6, 2025
- DE Talk Unplugged | Striking the Right Chord in Recruitment: How Employers Can Build Talent Pipelines and Engage Top Talent - February 6, 2025
