Disability Awareness day - Sunday 14th July

This coming Sunday (14th July) is Disability Awareness Day.  Are you doing enough in your workplace to make sure that you are disability-friendly?  

Changes need not be expensive, and you don’t need to wait until you’ve got an employee with a disability to think about it.  Here we suggest a few small changes that are relatively simple to make, and will benefit able-bodied employees too.

1.  Take an objective look at your environment.

How can you make access to your business and facilities easier?  It might be as simple as opening both sides of a double-door, to make the opening wider, or installing automatic soft closures on cupboard doors and drawers.  Can all employees access facilities such as toilets and lunch areas easily? If not, what can you do to make it easier? Perhaps you can make room for an additional break space, or install a ramp?  This is easier to address when you’re moving in to a new office or commercial space - you might be able to locate your business on the ground floor, just as easily as the third.

2.  Can you accommodate flexible working hours?

We all get sick and have a life outside work - flexible working benefits everyone - not just those with health difficulties.  Is there flexibility within your office hours for Phased Returns from illness, time off for appointments, or ‘duvet days’ to support mental health?  Is it possible to access your premises outside of usual office hours, for those that need to make up time? Could office workers work from home just as easily? 

3.  Support for Mental Health.

Everyone suffers from less than optimum mental health occasionally.  Are you able to provide support for your employees during these times?  Can your employees access a telephone help service, or take time off if they feel overwhelmed?  Mental Health Support could be as simple as regular team-building events, so that your employees get to know each other and can provide mutual support.  How about lunchtime drinks on a Friday? They don’t have to be alcoholic! Perhaps you could pay for a pizza delivery occasionally, or ice creams on a hot day - these will all boost morale, get colleagues talking and help employees to feel appreciated.

If you rent your business premises, have you found out whether your landlord can help with any of these issues?  At BucksBiz there’s lots we can do to optimise accessibility, and you can rent a unit on the ground floor, near to the toilets if it helps.  We’re accessible 24 hours and have onsite cafe, gym and bar, so team-building is a doddle!

We have office and studio space of all shapes and sizes to rent in Milton Keynes.  If you would like to view our available space and facilities, call us on 01908 299007 now or click the button below.