Asking for job accommodations can feel intimidating, especially if an individual has decided not to disclose his or her disability. The good news is that this negotiation can be, in fact, rewarding and empowering. The Working It Out Together project asked experts for tactics to create win-win situations

Crow, Kelly

Foley, Susan

English

University of Massachusetts Boston: ScholarWorks at UMass

University of Massachusetts BostonScholarWorks at UMass BostonTools for Inclusion Series, Institute for CommunityInclusion Institute for Community Inclusion10-1-2002Tools for Inclusion: A Common Path: NavigatingYour Way to Successful Negotiations in theWorkplaceKelly CrowUniversity of Massachusetts BostonSusan FoleyUniversity of Massachusetts Boston, susan.foley@umb.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.umb.edu/ici_toolsforinclusionPart of the Work, Economy and Organizations CommonsThis Occasional Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Institute for Community Inclusion at ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at UMassBoston. For more information, please contact library.uasc@umb.edu.Recommended CitationCrow, Kelly and Foley, Susan, "Tools for Inclusion: A Common Path: Navigating Your Way to Successful Negotiations in theWorkplace" (2002). Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion. Paper 9.http://scholarworks.umb.edu/ici_toolsforinclusion/9A Common Path: Navigating Your Way to Successful Negotiations in the WorkplaceImproving the employment opportunities of women with disabilitiesFall 2002Working it Out TogetherCreating change in the workplace can be a difficult process, especially if itrequires asking for job accommodations from your supervisor or boss. For many,requesting assistance can feel like an intimidating task. If an individual hasdecided not to disclose his or her disability or significant health issue to anemployer, this situation may feel even more difficult. Yet often timesaccommodations are necessary to create a comfortable and effective workingenvironment. The good news is that this interaction between employee and bossis not nearly as scary as it can appear to be. It can be, in fact, a very rewardingand empowering experience. With this in mind, “Working it Out Together” heldan exciting seminar with three expert panelists. These guest speakers presentedon a variety of tools and tips aimed at creating win-win situations.The panelists outlined the benefits of being proactive in the workplace, especially when approaching a negotiation, andoffered strategies that will help women establish themselves comfortably in their job. They also emphasized the importance ofmaintaining a positive attitude when facing a negotiation, recognizing that it can be an intimidating prospect. Approaching asupervisor or boss is not always easy, but the following information can help you develop a negotiation strategy of your own.This strategy should steer you and your employer down a path to working it out together.What is a “job accommodation”?A job accommodation is a change or modification made to aworkplace to allow a person with a disability to have equalaccess to all aspects of work. This could include (but is notlimited to) a physical modification to the job site, theintegration of assistive technology, the trading of work dutiesto cater to specific needs or abilities, or a combination ofmany of these. Each job accommodation will be unique andspecific to an individual employee’s needs.What does it mean to be “proactive”?Being proactive means recognizing and taking charge ofcircumstances within your control. In the workplace, itmeans recognizing when and where you needaccommodations and making a request before a problemdevelops. A proactive person will anticipate a neededchange as well as the necessary supports to create it.Being proactive is a learned skill and therefore needspractice and patience when developing your personalstyle and technique.What is a “win-win situation”?A win-win situation is the ultimate goal ofnegotiations. In the workplace, it happens when asolution is found that benefits both sides of thenegotiation. Both parties will have found acompromise that is agreeable to their needs andexpectations, and ideally everyone will be satisfiedwith the solution produced. In addition, theprocess of reaching a win-win situation may fosterlearning and growth. This can lead to greaterunderstanding and a more positive relationshipbetween everyone involved.What is a “negotiation”?A negotiation is the process of consulting withanother to arrive at a new set of circumstances. To beeffective, this process requires a positive attitude, anopen mind, communication, and willingness tocompromise on the part of all parties involved.By Kelly Crow & Susan Foleywith contributions from Carol Menton Michael Muehe & Marie TrotterWorking it Out Together is a three-yearstudy funded by the National Instituteon Disability and RehabilitationResearch (NIDRR). The project isaimed at understanding theexperience of women with disabilitiesin the workplace. For moreinformation, contact Susan Foley,Ph.D. at susan.foley@umb.edu or617-287-4317.Institute for Community InclusionUniversity of Massachusetts Boston100 Morrissey Boulevard • Boston, Massachusetts 02125www.communityinclusion.org2 • Fall 2002These next three guidelines are essential to keep inmind when you feel that a negotiation may benecessary in the workplace. Adopt these strategiesas a permanent part of your workday experience.They can be helpful in daily life as well as thenegotiation process.Know yourself!Know what your strengths and weaknesses are interms of both personality traits and workplace skills.Also, be aware of what kind of work environmentsuits you well and what kind of place is difficult foryou to thrive in. For instance, perhaps a quiet,organized office atmosphere helps you perform thebest, or perhaps you succeed more easily in a loose,flexible environment. Either way, it is important tobe aware of what environments are most comfortablefor you. Finally, know how you react to workplacesituations and how that reaction can affect both youand your co-workers. Your attitude can have aprofound effect on how satisfied you are with yourjob and how others view your work performance.Stay positive!Always keep interactions in your work environmentpositive, constructive, and considerate of everyone.Work on fostering good workplace relationships bymaintaining a friendly, optimistic attitude. Don’t letanger or frustration get the best of you, and never gointo a negotiation upset. Remember, Babe Ruth struckout more than 50% of the time and he is stillconsidered one of baseball’s greatest players.Use the 24-hour rule.The 24-hour rule is an invaluable self-assessmenttool. If you feel yourself too upset to approach anegotiation, allow 24 hours to pass. In that time youwill have a chance to cool off and gain a betterperspective on the issue at hand. This is a great wayto avoid overreacting and making rash statements ordecisions when situations present themselves. If 24hours is not possible when you feel angry, still try totake some kind of break. Get a glass of water, ask forfive minutes... do whatever you need to do to regainyour composure. This will help you to keep yourfocus on the goal, be clear about what you are tryingto accomplish, and avoid getting distracted byemotions or personality conflicts.With these things in mind,you are ready to discover......The Proactive Path To NegotiationThe first thing to think about when approaching a negotiationis not what your supervisor needs to do, but rather what youneed to do to successfully create the necessary change. Usethis list of tips to help you be proactive in negotiations; ideallythis should lead to a more effective and positive experiencefor everyone involved.Proactive Tip #1Know your specific accommodation needs. Be clear aboutwhat is acceptable and what is not acceptable for you in thework environment. Always ask yourself whether you needthe accommodation you will be asking for. Then, if you doneed accommodations, ask an authority person for what youneed before you encounter performance problems.(The more honest you are with yourself in this tip, the lessnegotiating there should be. By requesting only what you trulyneed, you increase the likelihood that your supervisor will respectyour requests. Don’t be afraid to reject an offer that does not meetyour needs, but know when to compromise. For guidance, askyourself: 1) Is this the best possible solution? 2) Does this meet mygoal? 3) Am I losing a battle but winning a war?)Proactive Tip #2Learn to ask questions of the people around you. Spend sometime learning who knows what in your office and whom youshould approach for help in various situations. Your goal isto identify the people with the information you may need.Office networking can help you in unpredictable ways!Proactive Tip #3Spend time developing relationships and building a networkin your workplace. Often, knowing people you may not workwith daily, such as support staff or people in Human Resources,greatly enhances your support network. One good way to dothis is to join as many activities and events as possible. You’llmeet people and establish a comfort level in the workplace.This networking can be very valuable to Tip #2.Proactive Tip #4Keep a journal of accomplishments, such as workshops ortrainings you’ve completed, networks you’ve formed,challenges you’ve tackled, problems you’ve solved, etc. Thisjournal can be compared to a list of goals you’ve set and canbe a helpful resource during performance reviews andassessments. It can also help you illustrate to your boss thatyou are a valuable and productive employee.“If you don’t ask, you won’t get it!”From this proactive foundation, you are ready for......Venturing into NegotiationsThis may seem like the scary part, but it can be arewarding process if you’ve established yourself asa positive, proactive employee. From this positionyou may calmly and professionally request whatyou need from an employer. While frustrations maystill arise, you can be confident that you areapproaching the situation in the best way. To helpnegotiations go as smoothly as possible, keep thesesuggestions in mind...Negotiation Tip #1You have skills! Emphasize these skills when askingfor accommodations. For example, approach arequest for trading duties by saying, “I really enjoyworking with data and I do this well. Could thisbecome a larger focus of my work duties inexchange for this task that is difficult for me....” Besure to be confident and realistic when describingyourself... your tone is very important.If your employer does not accept or believe yourdisclosure and need for accommodations...Negotiation Tip #2Ask your employer to describe his or her specificexpectations of you and then explain very clearlyhow accommodations are necessary for you to fulfillthose expectations.Negotiation Tip #3Often your employer may not know about a specificaccommodation. He or she may not even know whataccommodations are! Do what you can ahead of timeto anticipate this possibility and educate yourselfon the costs of equipment, the resources for gettingthe equipment, or other logistics of theaccommodation. See the “Additional Resources”section for places to find this information. Beprepared to share this information with youremployer, and try not to become frustrated if he orshe doesn’t understand immediately. Don’t be afraidto use the 24-hour rule!Ideally these tips will help and your employer reacha common path of agreement, one that produces awin-win situation for all!Working it Out Together • 3Additional ResourcesIf you would like additional information onnegotiations, accommodations or the surroundingissues, check out these helpful resources:Abledatawww.abledata.comAbledata is an extensive database of over 19,000products and 2000 accommodation productsuppliers. You can search the database by keyword,product type, company, or brand name, or customizea search specified to your personal needs.Alliance for Technology Accesswww.ataccess.orgATA is a network of community-based resourcecenters, developers and vendors, affiliates, etc., ofassistive technology.Job Accommodation Networkwww.jan.wvu.eduJAN is a free consulting service offering a wealth ofinformation on accommodation tools, disabilitylegislation, employment resources, and much more.The site also offers free publications and an onlinesearch program.Assistive Tech www.assistivetech.netThis website features a multi-tasked search (maysearch by keyword, function, disability, etc.)information links, discussion groups, and othersimilar disability-related contacts.Legal Informationwww.eeoc.gov/facts/ada17.htmlThis site offers official, accurate information aboutthe legal responsibilities of employers concerningassistive technology. It also includes a FAQ list withclear and thorough explanations.National Center on Workforce and DisabilityInstitute for Community Inclusionwww.onestops.infoThis is a website designed to help One-Stop CareerCenters be more inclusive for people with disabilities.For you, it has a very informative and helpful sectionabout Job Accommodations as well as a thorough listof Disability Resources sorted by topic.Meet the PanelistsCarol MentonCarol has a Masters degree in Social Work from Salem State College, a certificatein community mediation and conflict resolution from the North ShoreCommunity Mediation program, and a certificate in ADA Title I employmentmediation from the Institute for ADA mediation at the University of LouisvilleLabor-Management Center. She is the past president of the Boston Chapter of theAssociation of Late Deafened Adults (ALDA) and was the program chair for the2001 ALDA Conference.Michael MueheMichael has worked for over 20 years in the areas of disability policy, independentliving, health care, and the civil rights of individuals with disabilities. He has beenactive in advocacy, economic issues and policy matters, and the nationwideAmerican with Disabilities (ADA) Training and Implementation Network.Previously, Michael worked as the Director of Chapter Services for the NationalSpinal Cord Injury Association as well as for the Massachusetts Office onDisability and the Boston Center for Independent Living. Currently he is servingas the Executive Director of the Cambridge Commission for Persons withDisabilities and the ADA Coordinator for the City of Cambridge.Marie A. TrottierMarie is the Section 504/ADA Coordinator at Harvard University, where she workswith the school in the area of compliance. She is also currently the Co-Chair of theGovernor’s Commission for Employment of People with Disabilities inMassachusetts, Co-Chair of the New England ADA Technical Assistance CenterRegional Advisory Group, and Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Mt. WachusettCommunity College in Massachusetts. In addition, she does extensive publicspeaking and training on the American with Disabilities Act and disability policyand compliance for educational institutions, businesses, and employers.This is a publication of the Working itOut Together: Women with Disabilitiesand Employment grant at the Institutefor Community Inclusion. It wassupported in part by grant#H133A990019 from the NationalInstitute on Disability andRehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of theUS Department of Education.Theopinions contained in this publicationare those of the grantees and do notnecessarily reflect those of the USDepartment of Education.Institute for Community InclusionUMass Boston100 Morrissey BoulevardBoston, Massachusetts 02125617 287-4300 (voice)617 287-4350 (TTY)ici@umb.eduwww.communityinclusion.orgInstitute for Community InclusionUMass Boston100 Morrissey BoulevardBoston, Massachusetts 02125NON PROFITUS POSTAGEPAIDBOSTON, MAPERMIT NO. 52094www.communityinclusion.org

Tools for Inclusion: A Common Path: Navigating Your Way to Successful Negotiations in the Workplace

https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&amp;context=ici_toolsforinclusion

Tools for Inclusion: A Common Path: Navigating Your Way to Successful Negotiations in the Workplace

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

University of Massachusetts Boston: ScholarWorks at UMass