Welcome to 'Weirdos in the Workplace', the podcast where we like to break the conventional norms and forge our new path to authenticity, transparency, passion and purpose with practical solutions. I'm Erin Patchell, your guide through the maze of workplace diversity and accessibility.
Today, we're talking about an audacious and, frankly, idealistic concept: creating a boundaryless workplace. The concept of a boundaryless workplace is an environment that is consciously designed to eliminate physical, social, and organizational obstacles or - boundaries - that may prevent people, especially those with disabilities, from accessing, participating in, and excelling at work. The goal is to create a universally accessible space that accommodates all employees, enabling them to engage fully, effectively and productively and creatively in their roles. This concept extends far beyond compliance with current standards.
Stay tuned. [Intro music]
It's a mission that some might say borders on the impossible, because let's face it, the spectrum of human needs is broad. But since when has 'impossible' ever stopped us, right? The idea of a beautiful and seemingly impossible problem is something that has inspired people for millennia and we’ve proven time and time again that we can make the seemingly impossible, possible.
So, let's talk about this conundrum and see if we can come up with an elegant solution to test in the real world. This is a situation where when you’re trying to do right by one team member, you can inadvertently encumber another. How do we turn potential win-lose scenarios into win-win scenarios? How can we choreograph a workplace that celebrates the ebbs and flows and dances with the capabilities, desires, limitations; stretching every person a little bit outside of our comfort zone to slowly grow in our areas of development while maximizing our current abilities and special interests..
When we talk about creating workplaces that are as diverse as the human experience - ethnicities and cultures, disabilities, gender and sexual orientation… we’re talking about intentionally increasing the complexity of our work and nuance in decision making. Why would we ever consider doing such a thing?
In the pursuit of diversity, we often find ourselves at a crossroads. We may find that what is beneficial and supportive of one group may be at the detriment of another group.
How do we weave these conflicting requirements into a tapestry that doesn't just work, but works beautifully for everyone?
For example, our colleagues with hearing impairments find it helpful to be face to face in person or through Zoom in order to read body language and facial expressions, however individuals with ADHD, cognitive or visual challenges may find video conferences physically challenging or cognitively exhausting and individuals with physical disabilities or pain challenges may find meetings at the office very difficult to attend.
The idea that we’re going to find a solution that is perfectly elegant and removes all discomfort from everyone is totally unrealistic and actually impossible. We need to agree on what is a reasonable amount of discomfort - where is the bar? Even physically capable and mentally healthy neurotypical individuals still struggle to fulfill all their obligations - taking care of their bodies, eating well, getting to and engaging in their work, taking care of their families, taking care of their homes, finding time for friends, finding time for sports and hobbies… are you exhausted? Cuz I am.
Comfort isn’t going to drive us or our companies. We need to find tools that transcend and motivate us past our feelings of discomfort.
But first, what the heck is a boundaryless world?
We’re talking about a world where physical accessibility is intentionally designed into every aspect of our lives. Every person could use the same pathways, entrances, elevators, restrooms, tables - whatever - and workstations are both ergonomic and accessible as needed.
Technologies including websites, software applications, and digital documents, would be standardized to comply with W3C to be usable by people with various disabilities, such as visual or hearing impairments. They would also enable the use of assisted technologies like screen readers, TTY devices and speech to text services.
Social inclusion starts at the preschool level, with schools that are designed so that all people can participate and cultures that promote collaboration and kindness, with students helping each other to succeed.
In turn, organizations don’t need to promote inclusivity, diversity, and equity because it’s so ingrained in the systems, policies and culture that it’s second nature. The culture is sensitive to discrimination and fosters a sense of belonging for all employees, while simultaneously encouraging personal and professional growth, getting outside our comfort zones and encouraging discipline and productivity.
Team members aren’t afraid of failure because the organization believes it’s just part of the learning process. The company proactively sets people up for success, making sure that directions are clear and providing mentoring and the checks and balances when individuals are taking on new responsibilities, performing new tasks or need more help. In other words, it’s OK to fail - but creating a safety net so that we prevent catastrophic failure, which is pretty critically important mention.
Communication methods are adapted to meet the needs of all team members, such as offering sign language interpretation or providing written materials in different formats.
Information is presented in clear, straightforward language, with options for visual and auditory processing, to support individuals with learning or cognitive disabilities.
Accommodations such as flexible scheduling, work-from-home options, and customized workloads support diverse cognitive and mental health needs.
Recruitment is designed to be accessible and to attract a diverse range of candidates, partnering with organizations that are specialized to help place people with disabilities into roles that can leverage their strengths and curiosity.
Training and career development opportunities are made accessible and are tailored to grow employees strengths and areas of development.
This is just a little snippet of a vision of what is possible. Can you imagine feeling totally embraced by your organization, knowing that you’re truly appreciated as a human being, knowing that there is a place for you, that it’s safe to bring your full self to work, and that they are invested in growing the spark of possibility that is your potential into a raging fire.
Donald Norman, the author of the Design of Everyday Things and a real pioneer in the field of user experience said, “The real problem is that designers often do not understand the people they are designing for. The result is products and services that do not meet real needs.” and this might be even more true than it is anywhere else when it comes to designing accessible workplaces. We’re each only an expert in our own experience, which is why it’s so important to solicit the opinions of others, specifically the people who matter in any given instance, especially when it comes to products, services, solutions, organizational systems and cultures, that are desiring to become more inclusive. We literally can’t be inclusive in a silo - it’s impossible.
Creating a vision isn’t just fluff. It's about crafting a collective story of 'us', who we are, what we stand for, what we desire more than anything and what we believe we will become in the future because of our hard work. You can build a story where each chapter is as engaging as the last, building over time to an incredible arc. Build a story of imperfection, of figuring it out and stumbling sometimes down the path toward your big hairy audacious goal. The Hero’s Journey.
And there have been many steps already made toward this dream. Legislation like AODA access to ontarians with disabilities act, is a big step in the right direction although it doesn’t go far enough yet. Organizations are redefining their values in a big way to align with concepts like autonomy and self-determination, innovation, transparency and inclusion, in order to put these values into action, policies are being developed to create safer and more flexible work environments, sharing information, collaborating, breaking down silos and hierarchies, and making accommodations the NORM not the EXCEPTION.
We start with empathy, understanding that our shared human experience is a mosaic of unique perspectives. We embrace flexibility, knowing that the strength of the team lies in its adaptability. And we approach every solution with creativity, recognizing that the 'standard' way may not always be the 'best' way.
As we wrap up today's episode, let's remember that 'impossible' is not a fact; it's a challenge. It's a challenge to innovate, to empathize, and to create. Our mission to craft barrier-free workplaces is a journey of a thousand steps, and each step is an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to redefine the very idea of possibility.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. Until next time, keep breaking barriers and building bridges in your workplace. This is Erin Patchell, signing off. Stay weird, stay wonderful, and stay don’t stay out of trouble.
