Developed from an original concept produced by the House of Lords, the initiative makes working life better and fairer for disabled people in workplaces such as Barclays and the Prison Officers’ Association. As a member of Purple Space – a networking and professional hub for disabled employees, networks, resource group leaders and allies – we learned about the initiative from organisations outside the sector.
The passport is designed to be an informal document that helps to formalise individual needs in the workplace. They ensure continuity of accommodations, which means that colleagues who change roles, move between teams or are assigned a new line manager avoid difficult and repetitive conversations. Colleagues do not need to provide evidence for their request for support, and the passports are intended to stay with people throughout their employment.
The most important thing about the document is that it’s owned by the employee – it’s for them to share when, and with whom, they want. These are individual to the person, and they are in full control of the information they wish to provide.
“I regularly speak to my colleagues about their workplace disability issues. It’s clear that some still aren’t aware of the adjustments available to them”
The passports are also a powerful symbol of solidarity. Disabilities aren’t static, nor are they necessarily obvious. In the big picture, they give an encouraging nod to disabled colleagues that says: “You are welcome here” and “We want to help”.
In a lot of ways, the coronavirus pandemic opened many employer’s eyes on what’s possible, by ushering in a bigger focus on helping people adjust to working at home, and then returning to the office. This, in turn, has opened the door to disabled people, for whom some opportunities weren’t possible.
Since then, we’ve built on what we’ve learned to increasingly make L&Q a place that better represents and embraces the diversity of our communities. We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made, but acknowledge there is still room for improvement. Reasonable accommodation passports are an essential part of the solution, and we remain committed to creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace, where disabled colleagues feel supported and their needs are met.
Source link
