How May I Accommodate You?

In recent conversations, I’ve leaned that job placement for even the most talented and qualified people with “disabilities” can be challenging. Specialized professionals facilitating this process often work in three stages: (1) preparing potential employees for a successful work experience, (2) building relationships with potential employers and (3) minimizing (as eliminating is often impossible) the concerns about providing accommodations, because doing so raising concerns about the unknown impact on the bottom line, moral and business outcomes.

What strikes me as funny about the third point above is that accommodations are made for ALL employees, not just ones falling under the auspices of the American with Disabilities Act. They may not require an upfront capital cost (for example, adjusting desk high or ramps for wheelchair access), but they nonetheless can impact the bottom line, morale and business outcomes.

Here are three stories of accommodations given to the so-called normal. Names have been changed to protect the “guilty.”

Let Them Eat Cake

Pat led a team of 12 technology staff in a company of about 1,900 employees. Pat had a penchant for celebrating each team member’s birthday, spending $500 every month on cake, for a yearly total of $6,000. Concerned about the bakery bill while budget cuts were leading to staff layoffs, Jamie asked Pat if quarterly cake purchases (a yearly total of $2,000) or a lesser expensive monthly option were possible. Jamie soon received a phone call from the company’s CEO confirming that the tasty tab would remain as is. Pat considered it sweet victory.

Name That Tune

Morgan and Taylor had a contentious work relationship. They disliked each other greatly. Inconsistent with stated company culture, they spoke to each other unprofessionally in front of staff, vendors, customers and others, sometimes screaming at each other during meetings. When Taylor resigned to take a new job, Morgan blasted (for several minutes) an insult song with profane lyrics from the boardroom’s sound system. Now years later, Morgan has been promoted several times and has the highest turnover rate in the company.

Custom Schedule

Izzy’s job was on the east coast and had job responsibility for all time zones in the US, including Hawaii. After buying a new house more than two hours from the office, a unique schedule change allowed Izzy to have a rush-hour-avoiding commute — arriving at 6:30 am (12:30 am Hawaii time) and departing at 2:30 pm (8:30 am Hawaii time.) Colleagues were left to manage Izzy’s workload through 10:30 pm on the east coast, the end of the Hawaii work day, as well as their own.

What accommodations have you seen in the workplace?

All employees have needs and preferences that employers accommodate. Unfortunately, it can be those with “disabilities” whose accommodations are considered bad for business.

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