With so many of us scrambling during this challenging period to find our next professional "home", whether that ultimately leads to contracting, consulting or a permanent role, we might do well to really think about making our nest with a company or clients that appeal to our cultural needs. We talk about an organization's culture, even its heart, but what do we mean by these terms? The diverse elements of an organization's culture are more of a grocery list from my perspective, and each of us is shopping for some like items frequently, but commonly some items that might be unique for us as well.
For me, one of the key elements or "senses" that I look for in a company's culture is its commitment to diversity and inclusiveness. For purposes of this post, I'll define diversity as the complex characteristics, traits and experiences that each of us has had and continue to collect as we engage one another. This happens to be a core aspect of the definition taken from a multi-national pharmaceutical from which I find great clarity. Examples of diversity might be cultural, racial, generational, familial, learning styles and academic background, industry experience, disability, sexual orientation, faith or spirituality, etc. When considering these as just a small grouping of possible grocery items, you'll note that few - if any - can be known through any superficial observation or brief interaction. That's a very important point, and one that is brought to bear in the "Iceberg Principle" - commonly attributed to Ernest Hemingway to explain that most things cannot be understood in the superficial, but through introspection and exploration. Much of symbolism in writing is exemplary of the principle. He suggested that most writers don't set out to write with their strategic plan on symbolism in place, but that it's certainly worth considering the natural development of such in a work and what they illuminate about more universal concepts. Inclusion is a bit more subtle and challenging to unearth before actually working for a company, but at its heart is the engagement of all employees for the unique qualities, perspectives and skills they bring to bear to strengthen the organization. This is what cultivates truly breakthrough thinking and products or services that distance great companies from all others. But I digress!
All right - let's get back to you and finding an optimal fit for your skills, learning and working style, passion, background expertise or at least experience and related in the context of finding companies that might well be engaging of candidates with disabillites - namely diverse and inclusive companies! How can you possibly KNOW that a company you court for an opportunity is truly diverse and inclusive? The short answer is you can't KNOW. However, you can identify and piece together clues to the puzzle through many available sources. Here are a few, bulleted for simplicity;
Sources to help consider a company's Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:
1. Clear and direct references to broad diversity commitment on company web site (look under About Us, Diversity search, In the Community, etc.).
2. Listiing of Company on Diversity Inc. site http://tinyurl.com/lhfxol as top companies to work for (they feature a Top 10 and Top 50).
3. Tap your personal network and ask for opinions.
4. Tap your business/social media network (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
5. Consider news items in print, online, local or national television related to human interest, corporate social responsibility, and related.
6. Find out if past colleagues, friends or family work or have worked in the recent past for the company and probe them on the topic from the trenches.
7. Find out if they support special interest groups (SIGs) or workshops on the topics.
8. Research their commitment to service in the community (service days as a group or individual staff, financial support of NFPs)
The above are just a few research efforts that you can make to help peel away the layers of an organization before committing to submitting your resume, communicating with them on an open job requisition, or pursuing an arduous interview/screening process to lower the water line of the "iceberg", thereby enabling you to better know the culture and gain more insight on whether they might be more engaging and excited to add you as a candidate with a disability - if evident - or as a candidate that might disclose a disability and seek their support to optimize your value during your employment with the company.
Happy research!
