We all want to feel valued. Who doesn’t - right? For me, this has always felt like a battle professionally because I have a disability which makes being in any physical office reliably nearly impossible. You say I should not let this devalue me, right? But it has. Don’t get me wrong, I have my own strong sense of self-worth. I have adaptable professional skills as an experienced technical writer, always look to solve problems when I can, and never shy away from helping a team out - even when it’s not my own. And yet, pre-pandemic, I felt that I had no way to “prove” myself to a company as many organisations only wanted people who could turn up in person- or, at the very least, work the hybrid model. It was isolating and frustrating at the best of times, dehumanising at the worst.
Previously, freelance had been the only solution for me - but it has many limitations. Plus, I enjoy the challenge of being in a company and proving myself alongside my peers and working towards larger goals. At different times throughout my career, and my life, I have felt that I live in a separate world from many of my colleagues who can go into an office. This struggle to be acknowledged by companies and valued equally often feels like yet another way a very ableist world creates a “us and them” situation. I don’t think it is necessarily intentional, and yet I have been left feeling under-valued due to factors beyond my control and in no way connected to the quality of my work or my overall ability to contribute.
My situation was in no way unique. So many people with valuable skills want to join the workforce but cannot unless it is via remote work. As Fortune notes: “Workers with disabilities had been asking to work remotely for decades before the pandemic and had consistently heard companies say “no.” During the pandemic, he said that when “we all realized that… many of us could work remotely… that was disproportionately positive for people with disabilities.”
The need for remote work also extends to other communities, as highlighted perfectly by Meta chief diversity officer Maxine Williams: “The candidates who accepted job offers for remote positions were ‘substantially more likely’ to come from diverse communities: people with disabilities, Black, Hispanic, Alaskan Native, Native American, veterans, and women. The numbers bear out these claims: people with disabilities increased from 4.7% to 6.2% of Meta’s employees from mid-2019 to mid-2022.” I do have to note that since then, Meta has done an about-face and requested that everyone come back to the office. It will be interesting to see how the numbers there pan out in a few years.
As someone from one of the minority groups who benefits so greatly from working remotely, it is always frustrating to hear these calls to arms of “everyone back to the office”. As Cynthia Watson writes for Forbes, by offering remote roles, you are not just reducing your overheads as a company but potentially offering “greater opportunity for talented people in distant lands, small towns, rural areas, and for those less able to commute.” whilst also benefiting from being able to hire free from geographical limitations, meaning you can ensure you get the right person for the right role, every time.
March 2020 marked a monumental shift in how people with disabilities could be seen and heard globally. Living online became mainstream, and we felt less sidelined. Everyone was working from home, taking part in quizzes online, socialising in the ways so many of us had been doing for years, and ultimately getting their first taste of being cooped up inside and cut-off. To many first experiencing this, it was a novelty, but to us it was normal. Many began to see how exciting and revolutionary a WFH lifestyle could be; lower overheads, no commute, more family time.
Employment Hero, an HR SaaS company based out of Australia, was one such company. They adopted a remote-first work policy during the pandemic and have committed to continuing this policy into the future. They even created their very own EoR (Employer of Record) service in 2020 to help employ their own teams globally and ultimately decided to provide this service to its thousands of customers. To date, Global Teams has helped hundreds of companies employ people all over the world - including myself.
I am one of the fortunate ones - I found my dream role working as a Technical Writer at Employment Hero thanks to their readiness to embrace remote working and how they support various communities of diverse people to access work in different ways. Luckily, I didn’t have to turn down this offer because it was an in-office-only policy (The Stylist notes that many women are more likely to turn down these “dream roles” if they are not remote.)
Obviously the reasons people prefer remote work are as diverse as the people themselves, but what is important is that companies are recognising that: “Employers must ditch this one-size-fits-all approach and acknowledge that employee attitudes have shifted.” By making candidates feel included in the hiring process, it makes sure that you, as the employer, are not discounting this wealth of potential candidates. Did you know, for instance, not thinking about how to make your jobs attractive to people with disabilities means you are not marketing to 16% of the world’s population (2023 WHO approximation)? It is vital to learn how to include everyone during the hiring process and beyond that, how to be sensitive to their needs.
There have been real improvements regarding diversity and inclusion in the workplace in recent years, but we must keep the momentum going and dig even deeper into what inclusivity means, especially in our work lives. So, how do we make our workplaces even more welcoming to all walks of life - whether our workplaces are physical or virtual? We can offer different workstyles: remote and hybrid; We can make physical changes in line with considerate accessibility guidelines like ramps; Do you have gender-neutral facilities? What about quiet rooms? Prayer rooms? We can create spaces where people are seen, respected and comfortable.
Once a company supports its employees in this way and shows a willingness to understand our differences, then you create a strong bond and we are more likely to support the company back, fiercely. If we keep pushing for flexibility, physical changes, and most importantly, unwavering support, then together, we can create a work environment where everyone feels valued and empowered.
Luckily, I’ve found all that at Employment Hero. Hopefully anyone reading this will be able to say the same as more and more companies lead the way in making employment truly inclusive for everyone.