Discussing Disclosure – A Two Way Mirror

Imagine having a secret. A secret that you carry with you every day, wondering how folks would react if they knew. While the reality is that this secret is relatively immaterial in terms of impact on outcomes, perception of this secret brings unknowns and questions in the eyes of others. In the mind of the secret-holder, there is the need to not only manage for outcomes, there is also the need to manage perception. These dual mandates can be incredibly complex to deal with.

This is essentially the situation when carrying an undisclosed disability in the workplace. 74% of disabilities are invisible, meaning that one would not know that someone had a disability by interacting with that individual. Many times, those invisible disabilities can have an impact on productivity. When this disability is kept hidden, the employee takes it upon him/herself to work the extra hours to maintain the expected output. For most, this is simply standard operating procedure; they have been quietly compensating for their entire lives to attain the standards of performance that they find acceptable. Usually those standards are higher than most.

For an employer, having employees with undisclosed disabilities presents two concerns that can have positive spin-offs when solved. First is a morale issue. Numbers say that approximately 14% of your workforce has an undisclosed disability that either impacts productivity or causes employees to spend mind-share outside of the firm’s realm. The brand of disability is so negative, and so many poor perceptions come with disability, employees may be out-and-out terrified of the backlash that comes from disclosure. Well-run companies must address the fact that 14% of their workforce may be terrified of the firm’s reaction to who they are as people. This situation makes Hertzberg’s experiment with light levels in the workplace look somewhat trite.

The second concern for employers is an issue of productivity of great employees. These employees represent a large chuck of the earnings engine in the firm. To have them working at sub-optimal levels is simply unacceptable. It is impossible to provide assistance to these folks if they remain anonymous. Somehow the firm needs to turn around the ‘stigma’ that comes along with disability and coax these valuable assets to assist them in providing productivity enhancements. Easier said than done.

One hurdle firm’s face is liability and the legality of openness surrounding disability in the workplace. Advocates have historically used the courts to coerce firms via civil rights legislation to hire and accommodate. Not only has this approach failed statistically, it has poisoned the environment, scaring most firms into making legal defense the front line of disability. This is exactly backwards. Firms need the freedom to have honest conversations with their employees and Customers without the specter of lawyers entering the fray. Problem solving is at best sub-optimal when a gun is held to one’s head.

Once the lawyers are safely locked away in their closets, a firm must do three things to tackle disclosure. First, it must engage in an honest conversation with its employees. Find out why they choose not to disclose, and what the firm can do to entice them to a comfort zone surrounding their disability. This can happen through focus groups, anonymous surveys and one-off structured conversations with employees. Best practice can also be learned from other firms that do this well, but frankly not many of those exist. Knowledge is a key prior condition to action.

The second step is to become a visible player in disability. The rationale here is to signal to your entire workforce and Customer base that disability is important to the firm. Let’s be clear, do not go out and throw money at a charity. Find a high-profile vehicle that is aligned with your business goals. If you can’t find one that suits, create one. This will help change the brand of disability at your firm, showing those who are skeptical that they fit the mold and are main stream. The other way to align the firm with disability is to integrate it into your recruiting systems. By having butts in seats performing at the highest levels, the firm raises more awareness than the best conventional ‘teach-in’ could dream of. The only way to change brands is through results, rather than awareness programs that have proven pointless over the years.

The third and most crucial step is to provide a menu of solutions for employees to call upon. There are proven strategies that allow those with both visible and hidden disabilities to manage their issues. By providing a menu, in conjunction with steps one and two above, you provide a roadmap for someone struggling to be productive to take the steps to make their lives easier. Often the solution precedes the disclosure.

Disclosure is a tough issue to deal with. It runs to the core of how people define themselves and how they are perceived. This situation directly impacts 14% of a firm’s workforce, and as such any well-managed firm must be proactive in addressing it. The firm that does this right has happier employees who are more productive than their competition. No better reason exists to act.