In some
ways, preparing your employment policies and procedures to meet the latest
accessibility requirements is common sense. The AODA employment standards
require employers to treat employees and job applicants with the same respect
and dignity as any other person.
In practice, unfortunately, it’s not always that easy.
· What
exactly does it mean to consult with employees with disabilities in order to
provide accessible documents and job supports?
· How do
you prepare customized accommodation and emergency plans for employees with
disabilities?
· What
does an accessible performance management process look like?
You’ve probably started thinking about these things. Maybe
you’ve started drafting your policies or updating your existing HR policies.
Now’s the time to put all your thoughts together into a coordinated plan to
meet the AODA employment standards.
Pulling it all together
We know that these requirements are demanding because we have
heard about the challenges from those organizations with 50+ employees that
were obligated to comply in January 2016. Smaller employers with fewer
resources may need additional assistance to keep track of the project,
including reviewing, updating and implementing many HR forms and documents such
as job offers, employment contracts, job postings and applications to ensure
they are consistent with the new accessibility standards.
Generally speaking, organizations must now ensure that their HR
practices, policies and procedures explicitly consider accessibility issues in
the areas of:
· Accommodation
· Career
development
· Communication
and information
· Performance
management
· Recruitment
· Return–to–work
processes
Remember, accessibility is an ongoing process and you likely
don’t want to find yourself trying to play catch–up with AODA obligations that
will continue to evolve for years to come. Therefore, it’s crucial to stay on
top of the requirements now, including taking the necessary steps to meet the
new employment standards.
Is your
organization finding it difficult to comply with the Employment standard of the
AODA?
If you are
interested in learning more about Accessibility
for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) or how to make accessibility a natural
part of your business through the application of Corporate Social Responsibility, please contact Sandra Broekhof @
416-579-1035 orsandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca