The Future of Work is Inclusive
The future of work is now at Bosma Enterprises—where the future isn’t just amazing, it’s inclusive.
Among those who are blind or visually-impaired, 70 percent are unemployed. That’s a clear indicator of how the workplaces of today remain painfully exclusionary. On our path to building the workplace of the future, perhaps one of the greatest impacts to be had is on inclusivity. Creating an inclusive workplace isn’t just good for business — it’s the right thing to do.
Limiting your organization hinders your ability to both be a good steward and employ the best possible workforce to reach your organizational goals. Fortunately, there are companies who are already making inclusivity a priority. Bosma Enterprises has built their entire organization around creating life-changing opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired.
Matching Spaces to the Mission
To achieve the mission, Bosma uses a three-pronged approach; consisting of: training and employment programs, local employment services, and internal business verticals. Their internal lines of business include warehousing, packaging, and outsourcing, and employ nearly 200 people. With a staff that is made up of 54 percent non-sighted individuals, the IT team at Bosma has done wonders building an infrastructure that’s worthy of replication.
But it wasn’t always this way. Bosma’s infrastructure transformation started about fifteen years ago when Jason Bailey, now Chief Technology Officer, entered Bosma as a contracted IT consultant. Bailey didn’t personally know anyone that was non-sighted and was left in awe by his initial experience at Bosma.
“It really changed my outlook as I began to see things I had never seen before,” Bailey said. “There were computers telling the non-sighted what letters they were typing. Software that could read them personal emails.”
“It was amazing to see and I was hooked right away,” said Bailey. Unsurprisingly, after only a short time spent consulting, Bailey hopped on board at Bosma full-time. There was virtually no IT staff — and he knew it was time to build a workplace to match Bosma’s mission of inclusivity.
The Catalyst: Conference Rooms
Bailey’s first task was immediately apparent. Everyone was having issues with double-booked conference rooms, people walking in during meetings, and an overall meeting room free-for-all. “There was a lot of complaining from both sighted and non-sighted people. Everyone was sick of walking in on someone else having a meeting,” said Bailey. “We took a step back and thought, ‘How do we solve this?’”
Bosma needed more than just a meeting room booking system, they needed intelligent tools and powerful workplace insights to create an environment where everyone can thrive. “That’s when we looked at Teem because it was simply the best option.” After they implemented Teem, Bailey knew they were taking a step in the right direction. Bosma employees could now successfully schedule meetings without worrying about overlap, unwanted walk-ins, or conference room lingerers.
“It just worked,” stated Bailey. “No one was walking in saying, ‘Is somebody in here?’”
With this success in the bag, the Bosma team was ready for more. Bailey’s team intended to build an environment that — up until that point — did not exist anywhere else in the country. He urged his team to voice their ideas for innovation, no matter how impossible they seemed.
Expanding with Beacons & QR Codes
Enter Mendy Evans, Assistive Technology Specialist, infrastructure wizard, and creator of cool ideas. Having been blind since birth, she offered a unique perspective. Evans’ first idea was to implement a beacon system that could help the non-sighted navigate around the rather large building.
“Originally, this was a product that worked based on GPS outdoors… (Bailey) had asked if I’d heard of it, and both of us discovered an indoor solution. A coworker and I tested the outdoor edition, liked the results, and the rest fell into place,” explained Evans.
“I thought it made sense that an indoor solution would help to orient our employees and guests who are blind to the new and unfamiliar building,” Evans concluded. And she was right — the new beacon system benefited both the sighted and non-sighted and was a huge success.
From here, the team continued their revolutionary thinking with the placement of QR codes throughout the building. “QR codes can be programmed with all sorts of information that is helpful to someone who cannot see what is around them,” Evans explains. These came in handy specifically when applied to vending machines. The QR technology gave the non-sighted the ability to independently choose with accuracy.
The Broader Impact of Inclusivity
While these initiatives were carried out with the intention of improving the workplace experience for the non-sighted, everyone felt their positive reverberations. “Company morale has gone up and there is such a focus on what can truly benefit someone,” says Bailey. “People feel they are working in a company that understands their existence.”
“People feel they are working in a company that understands their existence.” — Jason Bailey, CTO at Bosma
Evans echoed this sentiment saying, “Bosma gave me my first job opportunity. I was unemployed for quite a while after college, which can be discouraging to say the least. Not only was Bosma my first job, gaining me work experience and allowing me to be a part of the working world, but having a job helped me feel better about myself and like I was a productive part of society.”
As we move towards the workplace of the future, it’s paramount that we look to champions of inclusivity like Bosma Enterprises. The smart implementation of technology transforms the office environment into one where everyone can thrive.
