3 Ways to Create Accessible Onboarding Processes
Sociability
•
Apr 16, 2025
Commitment to inclusivity does not stop the moment you hire a disabled employee. To create a workplace that truly fosters disabled talent, you need to prioritise accessibility at every single stage of the professional journey. Creating accessible onboarding processes is the vital first step in this journey.
You can achieve this by focusing on three core areas:
Ensuring digital accessibility across all onboarding materials.
Sharing detailed accessibility information about the physical workplace in advance.
Establishing a culture of continuous discussion regarding workplace adjustments.
Why Are Accessible Onboarding Processes Important?
In the corporate world, there is often a significant focus on getting disabled people into work, but many organisations forget to support them once they are hired. The turnover rate for disabled employees is twice as high than that of non-disabled people. Many disabled people leave their workplaces because they feel unwelcome, experience unintentional discrimination, or struggle to access the basic adjustments they need to do their jobs.
As the first formal interaction with a workplace, onboarding sets the tone for the entire employee experience. Accessible onboarding processes foster talent by clearly communicating that the systems and support an employee needs to thrive are already in place. It transforms the experience from one of "asking for help" to one of "being set up for success."
3 Steps for Accessible Onboarding
Ensure Digital Accessibility Across Materials
Onboarding often involves a mountain of paperwork and digital content. This ranges from company handbooks and policy documents to interactive training videos. If these materials are not accessible, the new hire is at a disadvantage from their very first hour. You can improve digital accessibility by:
Screen Reader Compatibility: Confirming materials are compatible with screen readers, and can be navigated using keyboard controls.
Captions and Voiceovers: Providing high quality closed captioning and audio descriptions on all training and introductory videos.
Visual Standards: Ensuring materials follow best practice for colour contrast to improve visual accessibility.
Communicate Physical Accessibility Information in Advance
Providing detailed information about the office layout before the first day allows disabled people to focus on absorbing their new role rather than worrying about navigating the building.
Prioritising this communication helps in several ways:
Neurodivergent Support: It helps neurodiverse employees know exactly what to expect from the office environment, which reduces anxiety and allows them to focus on meeting their new team.
Confidence and Planning: It allows disabled employees to confirm they can access their specific workspace, the bathrooms, and the break areas without needing to ask for a tour on day one.
Seamless Integration: It helps the management team avoid last minute scrambles to move furniture or adjust desk heights.
Sociability’s Accessibility Management Systems makes sharing this information effortless. New hires can use our platform to filter for the spaces that work for them. You can even share direct links to the specific areas where they will be working, ensuring they arrive with full peace of mind.
For more information, set up a call with our Team.
3. Continuously Confirm Workplace Adjustments
A lack of consistent workplace adjustments is a leading reason why disabled employees leave their jobs. To avoid high turnover, you must communicate the processes for requesting adjustments up front. However, you should not stop there.
Employees gain a much better understanding of what they actually need once they have spent a few weeks in the office. A desk height that seemed fine during an interview might prove uncomfortable after an eight hour shift. We recommend establishing routine check in points during the first three months to discuss any new adjustments that may have arisen as the employee settles into their routine.
FAQ: Accessible Onboarding Processes
1. When should I start the accessibility conversation?
Ideally, this should begin during the recruitment phase. By the time the onboarding process starts, the employee should already feel comfortable that their needs are understood. This builds trust before they even step through the door.
2. Is onboarding only about the physical office?
No. In a hybrid world, accessible onboarding processes must include the digital workspace. This means ensuring your internal messaging apps, video conferencing tools, and project management software are all accessible to the new hire.
3. How does Sociability help with onboarding?
Our Accessibility Management System allows you to create a digital twin of your office accessibility data. You can send this link to a new starter so they can explore the office virtually. They can check the width of corridors, the height of desks, and the location of accessible toilets before their first day.
4. What if a new hire does not disclose a disability?
Inclusive design benefits everyone. By making all your onboarding materials digitally accessible and providing a Sociability map of the office as standard, you support employees who may have non-visible disabilities or those who simply prefer different ways of processing information.
5. Does accessible onboarding help with senior representation?
Yes. Currently, only 14 per cent of disabled people are employed in senior roles compared to 21 per cent of non-disabled people. By prioritising accessibility from day one, you remove the barriers that often prevent disabled employees from progressing into leadership positions.
Ready to support your disabled talent?
Disabled employees deserve to be set-up for success. Currently, only 14% of disabled people are employed in senior roles compared to 21% of non-disabled people. Prioritising accessible onboarding processes is the first-step to giving disabled employees the same opportunities for workplace progression as their co-workers.
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