Onboarding for barrier-free cooperation at work - Safe Space for experiencing and negotiating to promote the inclusion of new employees

Abstract

Onboarding for new employees with disabilities starts after assigning a job to someone with a disability which starts a process of technical support for work in the workplace through assistive technologies. In this important phase, the framework conditions for inclusion in the company can be created and expectations and a code of conduct clarified. The preliminary results from a workshop with employees with disabilities and accessibility experts presented in this article show motivational and barrier factors from the perspective of potential employees. They show a need for a Safe Space during the job onboarding process in which inclusion and working conditions for people with disabilities and their colleagues without disabilities can be negotiated and to forms of interaction defined. This text outlines the design, structure and content of such a Safe Space for experience and negotiation. The result is that this space is to be moderated by superiors, red lines clearly set and that it serves to create a common language.