Employee Retention

Focusing on your workplace culture and disability inclusion practices will help you retain and nurture the success of all valued employees, including those who have a disability. Intentionally including people with disabilities in various roles in your company increases your productivity and provides other benefits, like a broader variety of perspectives when problem-solving.

According to new benchmarking data from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the average cost per new employee hire was nearly $4,700. But many employers estimate the total cost to hire an employee can be three to four times the position's salary when considering recruitment, onboarding, and opportunity costs. Losing an employee may also result in other employees feeling overwhelmed, leading to disengagement and decreased productivity.

Universal Design

Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. An environment (or any building, product, or service in that environment) should be designed to meet the needs of all people who wish to use it. This is not a special requirement, for the benefit of only a minority of the population. It is a fundamental condition of good design. If an environment is accessible, usable, convenient and a pleasure to use, everyone benefits. By considering the diverse needs and abilities of all throughout the design process, universal design creates products, services and environments that meet peoples' needs. Simply put, universal design is good design.

-- from the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design

Creating Accessible Content and Meetings

Section508.gov

Learn more about creating accessible documents, web pages, presentations, social media content, blogs, and events.

Creating Accessible Websites

Section508.gov

Find checklists, evaluation tools, and open source frameworks for developing accessible digital content. This is a universal standard that will attract staff and customers.

Accessibility Checklists

Northwest ADA Center

General as well as specialty topic checklists, including features specific to medical, lodging, and correctional facilities.

How to Supervise an Employee with a Disability

University of Washington, Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology Center

An overview of basic issues that come into play when supervising an employee with a disability.

Tips for Retaining Employees with Disabilities

Accessibility.com

Create an environment where employees with disabilities can succeed so they don’t look for better employment elsewhere.

Retain Employees with Disabilities

Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN)

Disability inclusion is about more than hiring; it also means taking steps to retain the talents of valued employees with disabilities.

Accommodations in the Workplace

Workplace accommodations are defined as any change or adjustment to a job, work environment, or procedures that allow an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job functions, and enjoy equal access to benefits available to other individuals in the workplace. Much of the time, accommodations are low cost, and can easily be carried out.

General Job Accommodation Information

Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

JAN provides free consulting services for all employers, regardless of size or type (e.g., private, federal, state, or local government, etc.).

Reasonable Accommodations or Productivity Enhancers

Office of Disability Employment Policy

Many job accommodations cost very little and often involve minor changes to a work environment, schedule or work-related technologies.

32 Examples of Workplace Accommodations

Understood.org

You don’t have to wait for an employee to make a request before taking steps toward a more inclusive workplace. There are many workplace accommodations you can put into place proactively. Because these supports tend to help all employees — with and without disabilities — implementing them will create a more functional workplace for everyone.