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Every workplace has a culture. Sometimes you feel it the minute you walk in the door. Other times it's more subtle and takes longer to figure out. An office could have an easygoing atmosphere or be the kind of place where everyone keeps their heads down and works hard. Coworkers may seem helpful or focused on their own concerns. Office chatter may be bantering or caustic.
Most new hires wonder how they will fit into a new office culture, and workers with disabilities approach new jobs with some additional concerns:
- Will I be seen as a fellow worker or as a disability?
- Will I be able to manage my job responsibilities despite my disability?
- Will I be able to handle the adaptations, changes and resulting stress?
Welcoming and supportive coworkers can help reduce new workers' anxiety, relieve some of the stress and allow them to concentrate on learning the job and performing well. Some workers with disabilities may feel they have been treated as objects of curiosity, speculation and discrimination in the workplace. A thoughtful plan for introducing a worker with a disability to a new workplace -– and new coworkers -- can go a long way toward eliminating that concern and help a new employee succeed on the job.
Some tips for assisting new workers, especially if they have disabilities, include:
- Assign a mentor or buddy to help the newcomer learn about the job and the culture. A mentor can help clue the new worker in on many things not directly related to job tasks, such as dress code, company traditions and the informal org chart.
- Ask coworkers doing the same or a similar job to help get the new worker up to speed and keep an eye out for problems.
- Tell a new worker what to expect at staff meetings, if appropriate.
- Introduce the newcomer to the other people on site with a few words of personal information, as well as their job titles and duties.
- Explain how and where breaks and meal times occur. If possible, make sure someone is available to accompany a new worker the first few times.
- If coworkers celebrate birthdays or other occasions, make sure the new worker is told and gets a chance to fully participate by giving and receiving.
- Be upfront about the culture -- forewarned is forearmed. If your workplace is edgy or challenging rather than warm and cuddly, let the new worker know. People are often quick to personalize such interactions without noticing it is the norm.
- If the workplace culture supports cliques, a new worker with a disability may feel doubly disadvantaged. In this case, it is especially important for a respected coworker to orient the new person and finds ways to validate his presence in the workplace.
A thoughtful approach can make a difference in so many ways for a worker with a disability in a new job. A work culture that supports people with disabilities is a better place for every worker.
For more, check out Coffee Breaks and Birthday Cakes: Evaluating Workplace Cultures to Develop Natural Supports for Employees with Disabilities by David Hagner.
