Company name : Fidelity International
Activity sector : Financial and insurance activities
Company category : Large company
Description of the action
Different people will need different types of adjustments – even when they have the same condition – dependent on the specific barriers they face at work. Adjustments can include:
- Assistive technology e.g. providing voice recognition software to someone with dyslexia
- Furniture e.g. providing someone with back problems with a specialist chair
- Hardware e.g. providing someone with arthritis with a different keyboard
- Working arrangements e.g. taking an individual’sdisability into account in goal-setting
- Working environment e.g. providing a parking space near the entrance to the office for someone with reduced mobility
- Workplace strategy coaching e.g. working with an external coach to gain practical coping strategies/support around stress management, time management or concentration. This can include a co-coaching session with the line manager to jointly discuss and agree any support strategies. These sessions may be recommended to support employees that are neurodivergent or are impacted by peri/menopausal symptoms.
The Workplace adjustment is for all staff and are for an indefinite time.
Context
At Fidelity International we seek to enable all colleagues, especially those with disabilities, health conditions and accessibility requirements to carry out their work effectively and perform to the best of their ability.
People with disabilities or health conditions may experience some barriers in our workplace that place them at a disadvantage. Workplace adjustments remove or reduce the impact of these barriers, so that all our employees can achieve their full potential. To make it easier and quicker to request workplace adjustments Posturite has been engaged as the global partner for Workplace Adjustments in Fidelity and will support the following components:
- The Workplace Adjustments assessment and recommendations process through the Workrite digital platform
- The fulfilment of adjustments, including hardware, software, furniture, training, and soft adjustments
- Support for technical components of adjustments i.e. hardware and software
- The Posturite managed service which will support the assessment and fulfilment processes
Objectives
- Enable all colleagues, especially those with disabilities, health conditions, and accessibility requirements, to effectively carry out their work and perform to the best of their ability.
- Remove or reduce the impact of workplace barriers for employees with disabilities or health conditions, allowing them to achieve their full potential.
- Provide expert assessments and recommend adjustments in a quick and efficient manner to make it easier for employees to request workplace adjustments.
Approach
The process for workplace assessment and adjustments with Posturite involves several steps:
- Self-referral: Employees can fill out a self-referral form with Posturite.
- Intro call: Posturite will contact them within two working days to schedule an intro call to discuss their needs and set up a virtual assessment if necessary.
- Assessment: Different types of assessments are available, usually conducted in English. Requests for assessments in local languages can be accommodated with a third-party translator if needed.
- Report: After the assessment, the employee receives a detailed report with workplace adjustment recommendations. The line manager will receive a summary report for support purposes.
- Approval: Most recommendations will be auto-approved after a 2 working day feedback window.
- Implementation: Posturite will work with relevant partners to provide specialist equipment and software, as well as organize coaching and training sessions.
- Follow-up: After adjustments are in place, employees will be asked to complete a survey for feedback.
Impact
- From launch in 2021, assessments have been requested and provided to 14 employees in Luxembourg, with positive feedback from them (we are not able to share details for confidentiality reasons).
« To do »
- Raising awareness about the workplace adjustment program among all employees
- Considering different tailored adjustments such as assistive technology, furniture, hardware, working arrangements, and workplace strategy coaching
- Leadership and executive sponsorship to set the vision is crucial for the success of the policy.
- Consistency across offices will help build awareness and increase usage.
- Stakeholder involvement is equally important and local champions should be appointed
- We advise everyone to undertake a workplace assessment. There are no wrong answers nor wrong approaches. Any raised questions or concerns helps build a more inclusive environment
« Not to do »
- Underestimating the impact of considering dynamic working patterns, whether employees are working from home or in the office
- Neglecting communication and not clarifying that workplace adjustments are not just available to employees with a recognised disability, but to anyone who might be facing barriers at work