Inclusive onboarding for business areas
Onboarding is a process of welcoming, familiarising, and integrating new employees into an organisation. Business areas have an important role to play in the onboarding process by providing appropriate documentation to managers and employees, such as:
- developing, implementing and evaluating policies, practices and procedures regarding inclusive onboarding
- facilitating supports and adjustments for employees, such as:
- establishing staff-led networks, holding diversity and inclusion events, and offering personal and professional development opportunities; and
- accessibility equipment, and adjustments to ensure employees with disability and/or neurodivergence have access to the tools they need to do their work.
- facilitating supports for managers, such as:
- managerial supports and guides designed to assist managers to help their staff with disability and/or neurodivergence; and
- managerial supports and guides for team building, and information on how to support employees with disability and/or endurance.
This Toolkit considers the start of the onboarding process from the moment a new employee accepts the job offer, through to (and including) the first 60 days of employment. For some roles, onboarding may extend past 60 days.
An effective onboarding process reinforces:
- APS Values
- Agency’s Employee Value Proposition
- Ensures that the employee is set up for success
Inclusive induction
An induction aims to provide new employees with practical tools, systems, and knowledge necessary to start their role with confidence and competence. It informs new employees about the organisation and their role within it. It might cover information about:
- what the organisation does;
- an organisational chart highlighting different branches and teams; and
- expectations of new team members in their role.
Employee inductions may include touring the workplace and facilities, meeting the team, meeting Executives, meeting Work Health and Safety officers, Fire wardens and First Aid officers, collecting workplace access cards, collecting technology and completing mandatory training. Inductions often cover elements required by law, such as the organisation’s work, health and safety obligations and procedures.
It is common for new employees to complete training that covers a range of key topics like diversity and inclusion, fraud and corruption, and security awareness.
TIP – Reducing isolation risks and promoting inclusion
Remote employees can be at greater risk of isolation if not supported appropriately. Business areas should create intentional inclusion strategies, such as regular check-ins that suit the individual’s meeting preferences and low pressure opportunities to connect with coworkers.
Relevant information
Inclusive conversations for business areas
Business areas can use the following tips to hold inclusive and safe conversations:
Tip 1: Base conversations on respect, inclusion, and privacy
Respect and inclusion are core values that should guide all conversations when onboarding new employees. Focus on the person, not their disability, unless directly relevant to the conversation (for example, discussing workplace adjustments). Always respect an employee’s wishes regarding privacy. Be aware that some disabilities or conditions are not immediately obvious, and not all disability is visible, but respect is owed to all.
Tip 2: Use strengths-based language
Use strengths-based language to create a culture where all employees feel valued. Recognise that disability and neurodivergence are not a burden to be fixed but a valid part of human diversity. Take the perspective that people with disability and/or neurodivergence have rich knowledge, insights and strengths.
Tip 3: Discuss ways of working and adjustments early and often
Have early conversations around disability and accessibility. Consider accessibility often, not just on a new employee's first day. Other things might arise or what was originally working might not later. Talking about accessibility early and often gives employees safety to share their accessibility or accommodation needs when they feel ready.
Tip 4: Give employees permission to discuss and request adjustments
Normalise conversations around workplace adjustments and give employees explicit permission to use them and ask for them. Build a culture of an open-door policy by considering providing standardised information about workplace adjustments available within the agency.
Tip 5: Be prepared to have conversations on the supports in your agency
Provide information to new employees on the types of supports the agency offers, allowance policies, flexible work arrangements and legal obligations. Refer employees to business areas responsible for specific matters (e.g. IT, Property, WHS) and direct them to information on employee networks.
Tip 6: Be prepared to have conversations on behalf of the employee
Support new employees by having conversations with other business areas where it may be necessary to escalate issues that are not being addressed. Always conduct these discussions with the consent of the employee. Advocating for the individual and their wellbeing is a powerful way to remove barriers and build trust.
Tip 7: Reflect humility and a commitment to learning
Recognise the limitations of your own knowledge and admit when you are wrong. Be willing to listen to the new employee and reach out to other business areas for support. Apologise for and correct mistakes, and commit to ongoing learning.
Tip 8: Recognise needs associated with other parts of a person's identity
Be aware that a new employee may experience challenges associated with other parts of their identity in the workplace. These challenges might intersect with their disability, resulting in further marginalisation. This is commonly known as intersectionality.
Relevant information
Hidden disabilities (Hidden Disabilities Sunflower)
How to talk about disability in an inclusive way (ABC Education)
Limiting the burden of repeated information sharing
Business areas can work to reduce instances in which the onus is placed on new employees to repeatedly share their disability information and self-advocate for their needs. Business areas should recognise that an inclusive onboarding experience in the APS is one that proactively welcomes people with disability and/or neurodivergence, and anticipates providing a range of accessibility needs, normalising the availability of support for all.
Business areas can reduce the need for disability information sharing and self-advocacy by:
- clarifying, communicating and proactively promoting the supports and adjustments available in the agency
- working collaboratively with other business areas to provide seamless workplace support to employees
- easy to find, straight-forward and clear policies and procedures on not only obtaining access to workplace adjustments, but maintaining any supports to ensure that they continue to be fit for purpose
- clearly detail where information will be stored, who has access to that information, and the legal parameters for storing that data (e.g. privacy provisions).
The APSC and PMC developed a report and a suite of resources to assist agencies when seeking disability information from employees.
Business areas should be cognisant that the constant requirement for new employees to share and self-advocate can cause considerable exhaustion, stigmatisation and a general sense of feeling that they are perceived as difficult:
It’s exhausting and time consuming to research and request adjustments
– Toolkit co-design workshop participant
Very difficult to ask for what you need if you don't know what may be available to you or what may actually help with your workload
–Toolkit co-design workshop participant
When sharing, staff need to feel safe that it’s not going to result in assumptions being made about their capacity and competence.
–Toolkit co-design workshop participant
Relevant information
Protecting the privacy of staff with disability (Job Access)
Sharing access requirements (Job Access)
Identifying as a person with disability in the workplace (IncludeAbility)
Workplace adjustments during onboarding for business areas
Note: This section of the Onboarding Toolkit will be subject to change, following work conducted across the APS in response to the Disability Royal Commission.
Understanding workplace adjustments
Understanding workplace adjustments (sometimes known as reasonable adjustments or adjustments) is vital in ensuring successful onboarding of new team members with disability and/or neurodivergence in the APS.
When onboarding, workplace adjustments should be in place to meet the needs of new team members prior to, and during, onboarding.
Business areas should be aware that workplace adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis to enable people to participate fully in their employment and do the best in their role.
The APSC is leading a project for the Disability Royal Commission recommendation related to developing and implementing APS-wide principles on workplace adjustments, and an APS-wide workplace adjustment passport. Work is currently underway, and this page will be updated with further information in the coming months.