It's the perfect time for employers to assess their company&rsquo;s commitment to disability inclusion &ndash; even beyond National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Branding your company as a disability-inclusive employer is a primary way to improve your company culture, increase retention, and foster opportunities for leadership.&nbsp; 
Here are six ways to brand yourself as a disability-inclusive employer:
<ul>
<li>Perform a disability-inclusivity audit of your company marketing. Do you know if your website and social media platforms are accessible to disability communities? Do your marketing materials, including stock photos, include authentic disability representation? If you aren&rsquo;t considering how to make your marketing efforts disability inclusive, you&rsquo;re missing out on the potential for significant business growth. Use authentic images of people with disabilities in your print, video, and web materials.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Assess the accessibility of your job applications. Inaccessible job applications significantly hinder your reputation as a disability-inclusive employer. If your job applications aren&rsquo;t accessible to job seekers with disabilities, you&rsquo;re likely missing out on qualified candidates before they even reach you. When developing an accessible application process, focus on the following:
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Include an accommodation statement on recruitment material that states accommodations can be provided upon request, along with contact info on how to obtain accommodations.</li>
<li>Avoid listing job requirements that aren&rsquo;t essential to the position. Desirable qualifications, such as requiring the &ldquo;ability to bend, lift, push at least 50 lbs,&rdquo; or &ldquo;type 50 wpm&rdquo; can discourage otherwise qualified candidates from applying.</li>
<li>Be wary of artificial intelligence-based job screener software, such as facial recognition apps, conversational agents, and applicant tracking systems. These can be discriminatory towards applicants with disabilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Invest in training and development. It&rsquo;s important to ensure all employees understand the importance of fostering an inclusive workplace. Even if HR and executive leadership are supportive of disability inclusion, your efforts will only be effective if you have buy-in at all levels. Consider mandatory training on various topics related to inclusion, including disability etiquette, reasonable accommodations, and unconscious bias. Furthermore, your current employees who have disclosed they have disabilities deserve investment in their professional development. Think through what opportunities these employees have for advancement into positions of leadership.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Prioritize accommodations for existing employees &ndash; Just as it&rsquo;s important to make sure your company&rsquo;s external marketing efforts and job applications are accessible, employers who want to be deemed disability-inclusive should also have a seamless internal reasonable accommodation process. This means determining how and when accommodation requests will be reviewed and implemented and providing a method for resolving disputes.
<ul>
<li>Keep in mind that accommodations should always be determined in communication with the employee requesting them rather than making decisions without discussion. Employees will already know what will be most beneficial to help them perform their jobs well.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Partner with disability-focused organizations &ndash; One of the commonly reported barriers to disability-inclusive hiring is finding qualified job candidates. Often engaging directly with people with disabilities can help provide understanding about potential job opportunities they&rsquo;d not previously considered. Making this effort to engage with disability-serving organizations is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to including people with disabilities in your workplace.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
We&rsquo;d love to support you as you build your inclusive brand! For more information, please contact us at gettinghired@careercircle.com.&nbsp;

Assess your company’s commitment to disability inclusion beyond NDEAM. Learn six ways to brand yourself as inclusive.

How to Brand Yourself as A Disability-Inclusive Employer During NDEAM and Beyond | Getting Hired

How to Brand Yourself as A Disability-Inclusive Employer During NDEAM and Beyond

Part 4: Self-ID and Self-Disclosure
Employers that focus on fostering inclusive environments are more likely to attract job candidates with disabilities. In this final installment of our series on &ldquo;Understanding the Candidate Experience for Job Seekers with Disabilities,&rdquo; we&rsquo;re exploring self-ID/self-disclosure, and ways to build an inclusive work environment that encourages both.
What&rsquo;s the difference between Self-ID and Self-disclosure?
Self-Identification&nbsp;or &ldquo;self-ID&rdquo; is the act of checking a box on a disability disclosure form. It is required by federal contractors through the voluntary self-identification form for Section 503 requirements.
Self-disclosure&nbsp;is the act of personally communicating a disability to another person. It is a personal decision and can occur at any time and be shared with anyone. An individual is only required to disclose when requesting an accommodation.
Unlike a self-ID campaign that uses a form to ask employees if they have a disability, self-disclosure can occur in various ways, including:
<ul>
<li>In a conversation between two colleagues</li>
<li>More formally between an employee and their manager</li>
<li>With human resources or the benefits or accommodations team</li>
<li>In an employee resource group (ERG) or business resource group (BRG) for employees with disabilities</li>
</ul>
Why don&rsquo;t individuals self-ID?
People choose not to self-ID for various reasons, including the following:
<ul>
<li>Concern for confidentiality</li>
<li>Fear that they will be looked at or treated differently</li>
<li>Lack of understanding around the definition of disability or lack of realization that they have one</li>
<li>Unclear about the individual benefits of self-ID</li>
<li>Unaware of the Section 503 requirement</li>
</ul>
Why don&rsquo;t individuals self-disclose?
Many people with disabilities report having felt discriminated against during the employment process because of a disability. These experiences often discourage them from self-disclosing at work. Here are other reasons why people don&rsquo;t self-disclose:
<ul>
<li>Fear of being treated differently, or being known for their disability</li>
<li>No need for accommodations or unaware of company&rsquo;s accommodation process</li>
<li>Don&rsquo;t understand the definition of disability and/or that they have one</li>
<li>Company&rsquo;s workplace environment and workforce don&rsquo;t feel inclusive or encourage self-disclosure</li>
<li>Desire privacy</li>
</ul>
How can you increase self-ID/disclosure?
To increase self-ID/disclosure, employers should focus on creating a culture and environment of inclusion. Here are some tips to help:
<ul>
<li>Provide regular communication (quarterly at least) to all employees about the importance of inclusion and diversity to the company. Ideally, the message should come from executive leadership.</li>
<li>Offer resources like disability etiquette and awareness trainings to all employees.</li>
<li>Communicate the company&rsquo;s accommodation statement, process, and benefits (including flexible work schedules, options for paid time off, etc.), as this may help an employee feel more comfortable.</li>
<li>Recognize and celebrate disability awareness months and days both internally and externally on social media channels. Examples include National Disability Awareness Month (NDEAM), which occurs every October.</li>
</ul>
Talk about it. It can all start with you.&nbsp;Bring up any of these best practices to your team or manager, or share your personal story if you identify as having a disability, are a caregiver, or are passionate about inclusion, and feel comfortable disclosing the information.
Additionally, your organization can create a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/how-can-organizations-host-effective-self-id-camp" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">self-ID campaign</a>&nbsp;to encourage current employees to identify has having a disability. In this case, employers should:
<ul>
<li>Provide an explanation to employees about why the company is interested in gaining this information and how it will be used.</li>
<li>Assure confidentiality.</li>
<li>Offer a choice to either remain anonymous or disclose a name on the self-ID surveys.</li>
<li>Keep self-ID surveys separate from other employee engagement surveys, especially from benefits communication.</li>
<li>Include the definition of disability and examples, especially non-apparent disabilities</li>
</ul>
Employers must make understanding and improving the candidate experience for job seekers with disabilities a priority. For an in-depth look at how to do this, and get insights from actual employees on self-ID,&nbsp;<a href="https://go.careercircle.com/candidate-experience-for-job-seekers-with-disabilities" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">download our e-book, &ldquo;Understanding the Candidate Experience for Job Seekers with Disabilities.&rdquo;</a>
For more resources and guidance on the candidate experience, contact the CareerCircle team at gettinghired@careercircle.com.&nbsp;
Contributions to this blog were made by Andra&eacute;a LaVant of Solutions Marketing Group.&nbsp;

Attract job candidates with disabilities by fostering an inclusive environment. Learn about self-ID and self-disclosure.

Candidate Experience Series Part 4: Self-ID/ Disclosure

From early career talent up to the CEO, and all 11,000 employees in between, Lincoln Financial fosters a workplace environment and culture where women can succeed. Today, women comprise 64% of Lincoln&rsquo;s workforce, hold 52% of all management positions and represent 42% of the company&rsquo;s officer-level population (which includes Assistant Vice Presidents and above).
To help build this inclusive workplace, Lincoln prioritizes pay equity, executive development opportunities for women, and women-specific resource groups for employees and the financial professionals in its network. 
<h3>Leadership with a Laser-Focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion </h3>
&nbsp;In 2022, Ellen Cooper became Lincoln&rsquo;s first woman president and CEO after 10 years as a Lincoln executive. Ellen and her leadership team set the tone for the organization&rsquo;s inclusive culture &ndash; in fact, diversity, equity, and inclusion is one of the company&rsquo;s leadership expectations &ndash; core traits Lincoln uses to hire and develop talent. Recently, Ellen was named one of <a href="http://womeninc.com/reach-back-move-forward1/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">WomenInc.&rsquo;s</a> &lsquo;Most Influential&rsquo; Executives of 2022 &ndash; in an article, Ellen wrote for the publication, she discusses the meaningful impact of mentorship and sponsorship, particularly for women and people of color.
<h4><a href="https://www.gettinghired.com/company/118247/lincoln-financial-group" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/PVXmjXJ6RTu4V6vgfynD" width="299" height="418"></a> </h4>
<h3> Women-Specific Resource Groups</h3>
 To support its diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, Lincoln enlists the help of its seven different employee-led Business Resource Groups (BRGs). BRGs identify opportunities to enhance workplace engagement and community outreach along diverse demographics. Lincoln&rsquo;s Women&rsquo;s BRG is one of its largest, with around 900 members. The Women&rsquo;s BRG impacts Lincoln and its surrounding communities through initiatives including financial literacy series, professional networking and leadership development events, and partnership with local philanthropic organizations.
 To better support the unique needs of the company&rsquo;s women financial advisors and clients, The WISE Group (Women Inspiring, Supporting, and Educating) was established 10 years ago at Lincoln. Based on the successes and learnings from the WISE group, in recent years Lincoln launched its Women in Sales Network (WISN) to create a community for women in the company&rsquo;s Distribution organization. Additionally, Lincoln&rsquo;s Women in Investing Network (WIN), provides a forum for networking and professional development for women involved in all aspects of financial services. 
One of Lincoln&rsquo;s primary areas of focus is growing the number of officer-level women through deliberate and focused career development programs such as the Women&rsquo;s Leadership Summit. These programs showcase the accomplishments and contributions of Lincoln&rsquo;s women leadership, both internally and within the industry, and provide opportunities to learn more about new business opportunities within the company. Officers are empowered to seek their highest level of personal and professional potential to make an even larger impact within the organization, marketplaces, and communities Lincoln serves. 
<h3>Awards Celebrating the Commitment to Gender Equality</h3>
 Lincoln has been recognized for the outstanding contributions of every Lincoln employee in building an inclusive culture. In 2022, Lincoln was named to the <a href="https://newsroom.lfg.com/lincoln-financial-group-named-to-forbes-list-best-employers-for-women.htm#%3A%7E%3Atext%3DRADNOR%2C%20Pa.%2C%20July%2027%2Cportal%20and%20industry%20ranking%20provider" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Forbes List of Best Employers for Women,</a> in addition to other awards like the <a href="https://newsroom.lfg.com/lincoln-financial-group-included-in-2023-bloomberg-gender-equality-index.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index,</a> the <a href="https://newsroom.lfg.com/lincoln-financial-group-earns-top-score-in-human-rights-campaign-foundations-2022-corporate-equality-index.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Corporate Equality Index,</a> and a perfect score on the <a href="https://newsroom.lfg.com/lincoln-financial-group-earns-seventh-consecutive-100-score-on-disability-equality-index.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Disability Equality Index.</a>
 Lincoln looks forward to continuing the advancement of women in the financial services industry. 
 Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/companies/lincoln-national-corp-29edbce8-184b-4aa4-a743-71f5578340a0" rel="follow">here </a>to learn more about Lincoln Financial Group and apply for available roles today!&nbsp; <a href="https://www.gettinghired.com/advancing-women" rel="noopener" target="_blank"></a>

Lincoln Financial fosters a culture where women succeed, with 64% of the workforce and 52% in management roles.

Advancing Women at Every Career Level with Lincoln Financial Group | Getting Hired

Advancing Women at Every Career Level with Lincoln Financial Group

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Staff Writer

144 Articles

How to Brand Yourself as A Disability-Inclusive Employer During NDEAM and Beyond

Candidate Experience Series Part 4: Self-ID/ Disclosure

Advancing Women at Every Career Level with Lincoln Financial Group