Shifting Perceptions: Right Person, Right Job

At Champions, we are often solicited by employers who would like more information about hiring and retaining persons with disabilities in their respective workplaces. When working with various employers we generally like to start by addressing many misconceptions that exist about persons with disabilities. Education and awareness can often go a long way towards removing stigma and discrimination and can be part of promoting greater participation of persons with with disabilities in the workplace.

For the next couple of weeks we are going to do a series of posts on this blog titled Shifting Perceptions. In these posts we will discuss many of the myths and misconceptions which exist and hopefully paint a truer picture of the reality of including persons with disabilities in the workplace.

Today's Myth: Persons who are deaf are perfect for noisy work environments.

Fact: Some loud noises can actually cause further harm to the auditory system. Persons who are deaf should be hired for all jobs that they have the skills and talents to perform. No person with a disability should be prejudged regarding employment opportunities.

At Champions, we see first hand how the right person
with the right skills in the right job is mutually
beneficial for everyone involved. Regardless of disability.  

This is a very specific myth regarding people with hearing impairments, but it represents an all too prevalent way of approaching inclusive hiring. Wheelchair user? Desk job then. Visual impairment? Answering phones. Bipolar? Maybe they should work alone. Down Syndrome? I have a cousin with that and he can't work. This is a dangerous way of thinking and often reflects the human tendency to generalize our thinking and stereotype based on past experiences.

One of my favourite books is Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman - a Nobel prize winning psychologist. It is primarily a book on decision making and how the human mind works in reaching conclusions. One of the concepts Kahneman introduces is What You See Is All There Is (WYSIATI). This theory states that when the mind makes decisions, it deals primarily with phenomena it has already observed. It rarely considers phenomena that it knows to be relevant but about which it has no information, and it appears completely oblivious to the possibility of unknown phenomena of unknown relevance.

Kahneman explains that people often fail to take into account complexity, thus their understanding of the world consists of a small and not necessarily representative set of observations. He explains how the mind generally does not account for the role of chance, or other external factors, and therefore falsely assumes that future events will mirror past ones.

What You See Is All There Is can definitely manifest itself when thinking about persons with disabilities. We have a tendency to quickly form opinions about certain types of disabilities based on past experiences. We often have employers tell us they "hired a person with a disability once and it didn't work out" - as though every disability is the same, and every person living with a disability is also the same.

The range of disabilities is almost endless, and the way that everyone experiences their disability is infinite. Stereotyping persons with disabilities into one large group, or even aggregated groups, does not speak to the range of possibilities and can often lead to stigmatization based on misconceptions. Even more troubling is that thinking this way denies the range of abilities and skills that persons with disabilities possess, which is just as varied as persons without disabilities.

At Champions we understand that not every person is a fit for every job. Who hasn't seen a coworker get let go because of poor attitude or performance? But by understanding the key elements of any position, then you will be able to look at the skills, experience and ability of a candidate and make a hiring decision based on fit.

One of our connections on LinkedIn, Ian Wilson, had this to say about hiring the right person for the right job:

"The right person, in the right job with the right tools does not have a disability with respect to their ability to perform the job."

We couldn't agree more Ian.

Managing Stress in the Workplace

One of our community partners - Canadian Mental Health Association, Calgary - has recently launched their first e-learning module on stress management in the workplace. This brief module, designed for anyone and everyone in the workplace, will help you to better recognize stress in yourself and others and provide tangible strategies to effectively address stress in the workplace. The information can also be useful in other aspects of your life.

We highly recommend for you to take this ten minute course and to share it with your co-workers, family and friends. It is a tremendous resource and can play a great part in shifting perceptions about mental health and disability in the workplace.

Start the course by clicking on the image below.

Parkinson's in the Workplace

As we mentioned in our blog post yesterday, April is Parkinson's Awareness Month and an excellent opportunity for us to discuss how this condition may have an impact in the workplace. A significant number of people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are under the age of 65 and may have to find ways to accommodate their symptoms while at work.

Similar to many other health conditions, the symptoms and limitations facing each individual may vary dramatically. Certain people living with Parkinson's may not require any accommodations, while others may require more attention. Having an open and honest discussion between an employee and manager is always the key to finding the right supports.

The most common symptom associated with Parkinson's is uncontrollable shaking or tremors, which can cause difficulties with motor skills at work. Assistive Technology can provide many solutions to these difficulties. There are many alternatives to the mouse and keyboard which can make using a computer easier to use for someone experiencing tremors. If typing becomes too strenuous or tremors are too violent then speech recognition software can help. Similarly, page turners and grip aids can help with other tasks while at a desk or workstation.

Fatigue is also a common symptom related to Parkinson's and very simple accommodations can help mitigate some of the weakness related to the condition. Scheduling periodic breaks and flexible work schedules can allow an employee to work when they are feeling at their best. Simply moving a desk closer to other work areas - like a printer or restroom - can also serve to reduce fatigue.  Using a scooter or similar aid can also make travelling to and around the office easier.

Problems with concentration and focus are also related to Parkison's, whether it be from the lack of dopamine production in the brain or because of sleep pattern problems. An office or workspace which is quiet can help remove distractions, and written reminders and scheduled interruptions can help an employee struggling with concentration stay on task. Providing clear, written instructions and prioritizing job tasks can also make it easier to focus on pertinent activities.

As you can see, almost all of these accommodations require little or no cost. They just require a different perspective and open attitude to how to help an employee succeed. For those accommodations which may be costlier - like a mobility aid or assistive technology - there are funding supports available to employers and employees in Alberta.

Can your workplace encourage good nutrition?

We’ve heard many times how important it is to eat healthy and we might be trying to set aside time to prepare healthy meals. But, does our busy work life let us take care of our nutrition?

There are some days when we have so much work that we hardly have time to eat. We tend to choose snacks and lunch options that are quick and easy to prepare. Quick food is often not the healthiest option and if we mix it with stress we’ll have the recipe for disease.

Having a workplace nutrition program can help motivate all members of an organization to eat healthy during their workday and even take some time to learn how to improve their nutrition. Research has shown that good nutrition can help lower the risk of many chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, some cancers, diabetes, and osteoporosis¹.

These are some activities you could start at your workplace to promote good nutrition:

• Start a healthy eating campaign to inform employees
• Offer nutrition counseling
• Promote a workplace healthy food policy
• Have healthy food available for your employees
• Offer a healthy food cooking class
• Motivate your managers and directors to lead by example

Where to start?

Healthy eating initiatives should be part of a complete workplace health program. You’ll need to find a nutrition champion or coordinator among your employees who would be in charge of good nutrition activities. All employees should be invited to participate but their involvement should remain voluntary. You might find it useful to circulate a quick survey to help you learn about what your employees need and what activities they would be interested in.

Make sure your plan for a healthy eating initiative has a clear target determined and has activities happening periodically. Also make the effort to market it correctly: make it fun, spread the word with everybody and walk the talk!

Here you will find some ideas on how to start a healthy eating campaign at your workplace:

Eat Smart Move More Campaign

¹http://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/implementation/topics/nutrition.html#