Handling a workforce of differently-abled individuals is not a task or a job, it’s an art. Regular management techniques have to be combined with extra attention and special care, to unlock true potential of such individuals. You have to ensure that there is maximum participation without stirring animosity.
Here are a few approaches you can take to manage a team of differently-abled people effectively.
1 – Revelation
An individual with a disability is under no obligation to reveal his/her impairment. However, if they decide to mention any condition that may seriously affect their performance, or the safety of their colleagues, you need to be ready to handle it swiftly. If the disability is communicable, you must let all employees know about the risk.
If, however, the disability is entirely physical, deliberation of privacy must left to the employee in question. Make sure correspondence and all future dialogues are recorded in writing to avoid any confusions.
2 – Delete Discrimination
Keeping the privacy of the differently-abled intact is essential unless there’s a risk of contagion. Despite the level of professionalism in today’s generation, discrimination and social stigma is still prevalent.
Be respectful and supportive of your colleagues with impairments. Be encouraging and critical towards them, as you would any employee. In this way, you can inculcate competence and eradicate prejudice.
3 – Provisions And Utilities
Providing specialized tools and resources for the impaired that immensely assist in performance and completion. These utilities are specially designed for different-abled so that they can carry out their duties effortlessly.
- Magnified text-sizes for improved readability.
- Use of audio and visual aids such as recordings.
- Using electronic resources such as e-readers for announcements and information.
- Using gestures and lip reading for better understandability.
- Providing self-paced assignments.
- Alternate information processing systems (voice, text),
4 – Stay Updated
You can monitor the efficiency of the employees by staying updated in regular intervals on the progress of work, and their accomplishments. It’s totally upto you to track their performance at work, and accommodate their needs to know if they’ve been able to cope with work pressure. It’s about handling professionalism with utmost care and attention.
5 – The Legalities
Before a contract is signed between the employee and the firm, make sure the legalities are checked thoroughly by both parties to avoid infringement of rights, and labour laws. You must clearly mention employee duties and responsibilities, services, funds, laws of employment and terms of contract termination to avoid an ugly scene. As the manager, providing a safe, productive, and non-discriminatory workplace for your employees—both abled and disabled—is your duty.
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