How to Plan Access and Inclusion Initiatives into your Workflow for 2024 (Key Trends, Research and Top Events)
If there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s that the world is changing fast. As it changes, so too should your access, diversity and inclusion initiatives! Awareness of the key trends, themes and research can help you put inclusion in the workplace first and adapt to what your employees and business need for sustainable, long-term success.
Acknowledging change is one thing; understanding the intricacies of the shifts on the horizon is quite another. What strategies should you implement to foster an environment that not only accommodates change but thrives amidst it? How can you ensure that your workplace is not just keeping up but leading the charge in building a culture of diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging?
It's not just about adapting to change; it's about driving change. Inclusive and equitable workplaces are not just resilient but revolutionary in a world with a history of creating barriers for minority groups, by instead creating a sense of belonging. The most crucial question? How can you improve the employee experience and champion accessibility and inclusion as integral parts of your organisational DNA? Here’s what you can expect in 2024!
Generative AI will continue to quickly evolve.
There’s a lot of fear surrounding AI; more specifically it replacing people’s jobs! However, many agree that AI still needs a human touch and influence. AI is not going anywhere, and striving to use it as a force for good to help you plan and improve your access and inclusion initiatives is an exciting idea. To become an inclusive company in 2024, understanding how to utilise AI and its potential for empowering disabled employees should be a priority. This was a hot topic at the M-enabling conference I attended in Washington in October 2023. Read about my thoughts and reflections on whether AI is a friend or foe for disabled people here.
Building skills to keep up with developing technology
Technology can do amazing things, and will likely continue to amaze us as it continues to develop. If you’re not keeping up with technology, your company will fall behind the others who are staying ahead of the curve and benefiting from it. But another thing to consider is building what technology lacks; your emotional intelligence and empathy.
Whilst building this is a moral matter, it’s also what will give you the competitive edge over every other company using AI, especially with your access and inclusion initiatives. Empathy is lacking across many companies when it comes to employing and retaining disabled talent. Awareness and training are important but keep in mind that disabled people need more than awareness. They need acceptance and belonging.
The Corporate Executive Board (CEB) conducted research that confirmed that discretionary effort increases by 12% and intent to stay rises as much as 20% in organisations that promote D&I. So, it’s not just about accepting disabled people. It’s in your company’s best interests to include disabled people and other minority groups by creating a welcoming and empathetic environment in 2024’s economy.
More companies will adopt a hybrid model
During the height of the pandemic, remote work became a new normal as companies adjusted to working from home. The debate between working from home and being in the office has been rife, with the argument for being 100% in the office with no exceptions rooted in ableism. Ableist and ignorant comments such as that the only thing remote workers do is sit at home and eat cheese are simply not true, as is the suggestion that remote workers do not work as hard (it depends on the individuals you’re employing).
As time has passed, 100% remote is becoming less common worldwide and more companies are moving towards a hybrid work model, with the forecast to rise to 81% adoption.
Whether you choose a completely remote, a hybrid model or mostly in the office, offering flexibility is key. Consider employees who may have mental health conditions, lack of mobility, energy disabilities or high pain conditions, and consider the toll travelling to an office every day of the week, without the option to work from home, could have on someone’s health and quality of life. This approach does not promote diversity and inclusion at work, is non-compassionate and lacks awareness, understanding and empathy. It could also mean you miss out on the best candidate for a role.
Flexibility as a key component of inclusion
Do you trust the people you hire to get the job done, regardless of where they work? Why not hire the people you trust, based on their skills and experience, as opposed to whether they can be in the office all the time?
If you’re choosing fully or mostly in the office, consider asking people at the interview what works best for them. Where do they focus more? What helps them feel supported to do their best work? Clearly communicate expectations but consider how an in-the-office-all-the-time policy might not be accessible. As the Future of Work: Jobs and Skills in 2030, said in pre-pandemic February 2014, “Prepare for increasing diversity in the workforce, both culturally and generationally, by supporting a greater range of flexible working arrangements and adapting organisational values to create meaning and value to work.”
Gen Z
In 2024, Gen Z is estimated to make up 23% of the workforce worldwide (also estimated to be the most ethnically diverse generation.) This generation is tech-savvy growing up in an age of rapidly developing social media platforms and smartphones, and they are innovative seeing their parents navigate The Great Recession.
We are living through a mental health epidemic impacting all age groups. However, research shows that younger age groups are suffering considerably with their mental health: "A higher proportion of younger adults (aged 16 to 24) reported feeling lonely “often or always” than those in older age groups, whether disabled or not.
To be a truly inclusive workplace in 2024, access and inclusion efforts must include mental health initiatives and finding new ways to include people and nurture your employees' mental health. Do this driven by empathy! Learning how to support Gen Z best and utilise their fresh ideas whilst helping them strengthen soft skills is in the best interests of your company gaining a competitive edge.
Another thing to consider is the positive impact prioritising this will have on young disabled employees who may have already experienced barriers in the workplace, impacting their confidence and mental health. Disabled people, compared to non-disabled people, regardless of age, experience poorer ratings of wellbeing across four measures of personal wellbeing: life satisfaction, feeling the things done in life are worthwhile, happiness and anxiety, according to the 2023 Annual ONS’ report. How can you improve this for disabled people by creating an inclusive environment that increases work satisfaction, decreases anxiety and helps give a sense of fulfilment and purpose in the workplace?
Top Events for the Diary for Access and Inclusion Initiatives
Throughout 2024, several occasions serve as opportunities to show your current and future disabled employees you’re taking meaningful action to prioritise building an equitable and inclusive workplace. Mark your calendar for key events that will amplify your commitment to workplace inclusion.
Disability and Neurodiversity Awareness Days, Weeks and Months
(18th-24th March 2024) Neurodiversity Celebration Week
(13th-19th May) Mental Health Awareness Week
(10th October 2024) World Mental Health Day
(October 2024) Disability Employment Awareness Month
(7th November 2024) Purple Tuesday
(3 December, 2024) International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Summits and Conferences
(28-20th November 2024) Global Diversity and Inclusion Summit
(13th-14th November) Future of Work Symposium
(15-17 October 2024) M-Enabling Conference
As we navigate the modern workplace in 2024, it's evident that the key to success lies in embracing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Remote work, once a response to global challenges, has become a catalyst to help cultivate disability inclusion and equal access in the world of work.
Recognising the diverse needs of people, especially those with disabilities, and fostering an environment of trust and understanding will not only attract top talent but also contribute to the long-term success of your company!
If you need some expert support with making sure every employee is included, supported and has an equal opportunity in inclusive workplace culture and environments, consider the ways you can work with me and scroll down that page to get in touch.