Remote work opened the labor market to people with significant disabilities. Managing such a team requires a deliberate approach: matching tasks, communicating actively and understanding specific challenges. Below are practical principles and advice gathered through years of experience.
This post was written by Bartłomiej Bańkowski, owner of the inSpatium Foundation, our partner in a project related to the employment and work of people with disabilities.
Calculate your company’s PFRON contribution
The conversation that changed everything
We all encounter turning points in life that shape what comes next. Sometimes they arrive unexpectedly; sometimes they develop over years and then surface suddenly after an impulse. How we respond defines us and our future. One such moment in my professional life happened more than a decade ago.
We were working on a project that involved supplementing company data with tax identification numbers (NIP), REGON business registry numbers, National Court Register (KRS) numbers and similar details. We hired remote temporary workers to do it. More than 20 people worked for us. The daily average was 120 completed records, but some people completed fewer than 50, while others completed more than 200. As an analyst by choice, I began to wonder about the difference. I called employees, including the top performers, to thank them for their work and ask a few questions.
One conversation set my professional life in a particular direction: helping people with disabilities work effectively.
A man we will call Grzegorz completed more than 250 records a day. When I thanked him for doing a great job, he cried on the phone because someone had appreciated his work. Mr. Grzegorz was paralyzed from the neck down. He worked with a stick attached to his forehead and achieved the highest results in a team of 20.
This was not an accident. Well-prepared processes, good communication and Mr. Grzegorz’s exceptionally strong motivation led to results far above the average. That inspired me to learn more about effective work by people with significant disabilities.
In this article, I want to explain the basic principles for managing such a team that we have developed over many years of work. I will focus on the specific features of working with people with significant disabilities, referred to below as people with disabilities, in a 100% remote-work setting. Although the principles are universal, they apply most strongly to this group.
Challenges in managing a team of people with disabilities
Understanding how people with disabilities work starts with recognizing what may account for differences in their approach to work. This is mainly connected with lower self-esteem in this group. Keep in mind, however, that every case is individual. After hiring several hundred employees for ourselves or our clients, I can speak of something like a statistical sample.
Fear of losing a job
Expect a new employee with a disability to ask few questions, thinking “I should already know this,” and not to report problems, thinking “I should handle this myself.” This can make onboarding take much longer. You may also discover that the employee simply does not understand the process or their tasks because they never said so. That makes the problems worse.
Low tolerance for stress
We had quite a few cases where assigning new tasks and increasing an employee’s responsibility was followed by a clear increase in the number of sick-leave days. This is an escape from responsibility and the stress associated with it.
Overly negative reactions to challenges
When an unexpected change disrupted an established daily routine, we had to deal with strong emotional reactions from employees. Sometimes this happened even in response to problems that could be solved quickly and at low cost. People focused on the effects rather than the causes, and the team became unsettled, for example, through rumors. This reduced efficiency.
Lack of initiative
Some of our newest employees do not share excellent ideas, thinking “the manager is smarter and will certainly think what I say is stupid. How could I have a good idea?” As a result, excellent solutions to problems are sometimes not considered because no one speaks up. In our companies, we focus strongly on improving employee communication so people talk about their concerns as well as their ideas.
Difficulty with criticism
In every workplace, employee assessment is a source of stress. Pointing out areas for improvement is uncomfortable for everyone involved. For employees with disabilities, however, it can be paralyzing. They may react as if “if I cannot manage here, I probably cannot manage anywhere,” even though nobody said that. The result may be a sharp drop in work efficiency. This can take the form of a specific, non-malicious “Italian strike,” with someone checking the same thing repeatedly before sending it to avoid any mistakes.
Fully remote work as an aggravating factor
Remote work adds to communication and mutual-understanding problems. The larger the team, the faster those problems grow geometrically in a remote setting.
Benefits of working with employees with disabilities
I have described the challenges, but the positive aspects also matter:
- Great loyalty to an employer who has enabled them to do work in which they can feel important.
- Strong engagement in work they know and feel comfortable doing.
- High diligence when tasks are well matched to the individual employee’s profile.
Practical advice for employers
Here are some tips for people who want to hire people with disabilities and achieve excellent results with them:
- Match tasks to the specific disability. Understand the person’s limitations and look for synergies. For example, blind people can do very well in telemarketing or call-center work because their sense of hearing is much more acute.
- Describe tasks clearly. Do not just demonstrate the technical steps. Also explain the goal, where the task fits in the overall process, potential problems, whom to discuss them with and any other information that helps the employee understand the purpose and what to expect.
- Provide appropriate tools and software. In the telemarketing example, a telephone system adapted for blind employees is essential.
- Provide continuous, active support while tasks are being done. As a manager, initiate contact, especially during onboarding. Employees need to feel supported. Once they gain confidence, they can become highly effective.
- Use small teams of 2 to 3 people. Employees can share information with one another, reducing onboarding stress.
- Offer practical and emotional support. Human support in stressful situations builds trust and strengthens the working relationship.
Summary
As companies promote ESG and employee awareness and well-being, it is natural for them to open up to people who do not fit conventional patterns, including people with disabilities.
It is also worth noting that, in a period of low unemployment, finding employees can be challenging. The wider adoption of remote work, which expanded during the pandemic and has become firmly embedded in many companies’ organizational cultures, supports the employment of people previously excluded from the labor market and gives employers access to a much broader pool of workers.
Working with a remote team of people with disabilities can be challenging, but it is also highly rewarding. In addition to business benefits, it raises companies’ awareness and is a deliberate way to advance responsible business development.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common challenges in managing a remote team of people with disabilities? Common challenges include employees’ fear of losing their jobs, which may mean they ask few questions or do not report problems; low tolerance for stress, including taking sick leave when assigned new tasks; strong emotional reactions to changes in work routines; reluctance to share ideas; and paralyzing reactions to criticism. These difficulties are mainly linked to lower self-esteem and are intensified by fully remote work. The larger the team, the faster communication problems grow.
How can I onboard an employee with a disability remotely so they become independent sooner? Start with a clear description of the task. Explain not only the steps but also its purpose, place in the process, possible problems and the person to contact. As a manager, initiate contact instead of waiting for the employee to ask questions. During onboarding, the employee needs to feel supported. Small teams of 2 to 3 people can also help a new employee share information and reduce onboarding stress.
How can I match tasks to a disability so the team can work effectively? Understand the individual’s specific limitations and look for synergies with their strengths. For example, blind people may do well in telemarketing and call-center work because they have a more acute sense of hearing. Also provide tools and software adapted to the disability, such as a telephone system designed for blind employees. Well-matched tasks and a suitable working environment contribute directly to diligence and engagement.
Why can remote work worsen communication problems in a team of people with disabilities? A 100% remote setting can intensify communication and mutual-understanding difficulties. Employees may ask fewer questions, fail to report problems and hold back ideas. The larger the remote team, the faster communication problems grow geometrically, which can result in longer onboarding, misunderstandings and reduced efficiency.
What benefits can hiring people with disabilities for remote work bring to a company? When tasks are well matched, a company may see strong loyalty to the employer, engagement in work the employee knows and feels comfortable doing, and high diligence. Remote work can also provide access to a wider pool of people previously excluded from the labor market. In a period of low unemployment, that can broaden the recruitment pool.
