Washington Gas has grown together with the District of Columbia for more than 170 years as an essential energy provider. We are entering a new chapter in our hometown’s ambitious journey toward a clean energy future.
In December 2017, Mayor Bowser announced the District’s Commitment to reduce carbon emissions 50 percent by 2032 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Last year, Washington Gas filed an innovative, comprehensive Climate Business Plan to do our part to reduce carbon equivalent emissions associated with natural gas use in line with DC’s targets. The Environmental Defense Fund praised the plan, stating in a regulatory filing, “this broad, system-wide thinking is critical to maximize emissions reductions.”
Today, we’re focusing on modernizing our infrastructure, increasing energy efficiency in our customer’s homes and offices, and including carbon neutral fuels like renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen in our energy mix.
Hear Blue Jenkins on WTOP
Washington Gas continues to invest in our infrastructure and expand our capability to meet the needs of our region. Through accelerated pipeline replacement programs, we maintain a safe, reliable and modern energy delivery system while also delivering environmental benefits. So far approximately 400,000 metric tons of greenhouse (GHG) gas emissions have been reduced with this work. And we have more to do. Investment in critical pipeline infrastructure enables us to reduce emissions today and prepare the system to deliver tomorrow’s lower/no carbon gaseous fuels like hydrogen.
The natural gas infrastructure has unmatched reliability – it is less vulnerable to interruptions, especially during the winter when heating can be a matter of health and safety. In addition, it comes with “built-in” energy storage. Unlike electricity, which cannot be easily stored without big, expensive batteries, the natural gas system stores energy for days, weeks, months, and years with on-demand delivery.
We’re also building on our already successful energy efficiency programs and continuing to empower customers to save energy, as well as deploying new technologies like super-efficient and ‘smart’ appliances. It’s important to empower our customers to make smart energy choices that meet their needs and their budgets.
Finally, our plans include harnessing new and emerging fuels. Our system is remarkably versatile. Our existing infrastructure can deliver low-to-no carbon fuels such as clean-certified gas, renewable natural gas (RNG) and green hydrogen, to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
We can meet DC’s climate goals and still save money. For the Climate Business Plan, the widely respected consulting firm ICF determined our plan saves an estimated $2.7 billion compared to approaches to decarbonization that rely solely on electrification, saving District ratepayers thousands of dollars per household.
As part of our commitment to our plan, twice a year we hold community meetings to provide updates, report on our progress, listen to the community and present new ideas with the help of industry experts. We encourage the public to join us and learn about the latest developments on our plan as we all work together to achieve a cleaner energy future. Our next virtual meeting will be on July 14 and will explore RNG.
To learn more about our plan and to participate in our community meetings, visit www.WashingtonGasCBP.com.
This article was contributed by a member organization of the Greater Washington Board of Trade and does not necessarily represent the official position of the Board of Trade or its members.
A critical part of any organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) performance is how well it fosters a corporate culture that welcomes people of different backgrounds and perspectives. Watch this webinar to hear Jason Wright, President of the Washington Football Team, describe how he is championing an inclusive culture within his organization. Dr. Wayne Frederick, President of Howard University, contributes his thoughts on the needs of young people entering the workforce. The conversation was moderated by Bryan Hancock, Partner at McKinsey & Company.
MODERATOR • Bryan Hancock, Partner, McKinsey & Company
SPEAKERS: • Jason Wright, President, Washington Football Team • Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, President, Howard University
If your company is not diverse and inclusive, its performance is likely sub-optimal, according to Jason Wright. When advocating for change, Mr. Wright suggests reinforcing the business case because people will not always be motivated to do the right thing on purely moral grounds and the business case is solid.
As Mr. Wright put it, “Business performance is not sustainable if you don’t have the healthy culture to fuel it over time.” He explained that when he took the helm of Washington Football Team, the company was not headed toward greater profitability, despite the team’s dedicated fan base. They did not have the internal capabilities in place to bring the organization to the next level.
Employing the next generation
Dr. Frederick described the students on his campus. He said they tend to be aware of the systemic barriers that have held back people of color, women, and other marginalized groups from success in this country—but they are determined to succeed regardless. He says that as a community, we owe it to these young people to help dismantle those barriers.
One way the business community can help is to forge close partnerships with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). HBCUs are a reliable pathway to the middle class for Black people. Mr. Wright pointed out that an HBCU degree is the most strongly correlated factor with Black people’s economic wellbeing.
How to lead culture change
Mr. Wright oversaw a 90% turnover on his executive team, which he says was driven by new expectations on supporting diversity and inclusion. The new executive team is one of the most diverse in the NFL and in sports.
Mr. Wright faced pushback and emotional reactions because change is hard, even if the organization was not performing optimally before. He overcame this resistance in three ways. First, he had frequent, open, and honest communication with staff, including weekly meetings where staff could ask questions and voice concerns. Second, he gave parts of the organization that were struggling with change more care, time, and attention. Lastly, he reinforced his long-term vision for the business, so that changes along the way had context and purpose.
Policies and procedures
Both Dr. Frederick and Mr. Wright established new policies in their organization and sometimes faced resistance. At Howard, Dr. Frederick required all hiring managers to undergo an unconscious bias training. Some initially believed that they did not need this training, but Dr. Frederick says that everyone who has done it says they learned about biases they did not know they had. He also requires that every round of finalists includes at least one woman.
Similarly, Mr. Wright mandates that hiring teams start with a diverse slate of candidates for any position (but he does not dictate who they hire). He defines diverse as representative of the community in which Washington Football Team is operating.
Mr. Wright also described the importance of skills-based hiring, which means prioritizing an applicant’s skills over their educational credentials or professional experience. He offered a compelling example: First time managers need to be able to think creatively and work well with other mangers and leaders. Many people of color develop these skills through community organizations, such as churches, when working on fundraising campaigns or other community projects. A hiring manager would miss out on that talent if they are too focused on college degrees or a degree from a prestigious school.
Mr. Wright also stressed the importance of offering a best-in-class benefits package, because things like a 401k match or good health insurance are very important to people of color who are dealing with legacy causes of the racial wealth gap.
Fighting your own hidden bias
Dr. Frederick and Mr. Wright both described ways in which our personal biases can unfairly influence who we hire, promote, or partner with. For example, Dr. Frederick described the common but dated practice of evaluating professionals based on how well they socialize at a cocktail party. This is biased in favor of certain cultures and personalities. Mr. Wright agreed and added that any time we evaluate a candidate or professional based on something that is not directly relevant to the job, we are doing a disservice to that individual and our own organizations.
The COVID-19 pandemic and federal stimulus bills have created a highly unusual set of conditions for state and local budgets. In this webinar, fiscal leaders from the District, Maryland, and Virginia explained how they are navigating these challenges and opportunities.
SPEAKERS: Peter Franchot, Comptroller, Maryland Aubrey Layne, Secretary of Finance, Virginia Fitzroy Lee, Interim CFO, District of Columbia
Watch the recording
Read the Summary
On managing the pandemic
Dr. Fitzroy Lee described the challenges of forecasting tax revenue in the early days of the pandemic. They relied on robust data collection and tracking indicators like foot traffic and unemployment claims to set expectations.
Dr. Lee also explained that the District’s reserves were in good shape following 2019, which was a great year for tax revenue, so they were able to balance their 2020 budget despite lower revenue.
Secretary Aubrey Layne of Virginia said that they responded to the pandemic by curtailing discretionary spending, but they made no cuts to core government services. They began seeing big hits to tax revenue collection in May and June of 2020. Since then, they have seen a steady recovery.
Secretary Layne said that tax revenue continued to recover because people were able to adapt to the new socially distanced context in certain industries, like government contracting. Other industries, like hospitality, did suffer, but the industries surrounding the federal government buoyed up the state budget.
On federal stimulus
Secretary Layne described how the federal stimulus buoyed up the Virginia state budget, not just by providing $26 billion directly, but also through $50 billion given to Virginian citizens and companies.
Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot agreed that federal funding “absolutely saved the day.” He described it as a $60 billion “fire house” of cash.
However, Comptroller Franchot reminded the audience that low wage earners who represent the bottom third of earners are still suffering and have no income, no reserves, and no cash.
Regarding the stimulus, Dr. Lee explained they are trying to use the funding for one-time investments and for recovery, not for programs that need a long-term and sustainable source of funds and would lead to a fiscal cliff.
On the American Jobs Plan and infrastructure spending, Secretary Layne says the challenge is in coordinating incoming federal money, which is also going to the state and local municipalities. Recipients also need to fight urge to get it all deployed as soon as it comes in, and said the money should be allocated to long-term, transformational programs.
On priorities moving forward
Secretary Layne mentioned that some businesses are having a tough time finding labor. Comptroller Franchot said there is a disconnect between many unemployed people and available jobs. He says there needs to be apprenticeship programs and other paths to the middle class.
Comptroller Franchot suggests that Hogan, Bowser, and Northam coordinate on broadband. He also says we need significant investments in cybersecurity in the infrastructure package and warned of startling amounts of fraud happening in government.
For generations, Washington Gas has been proud to serve as the DC-area’s hometown essential natural gas energy provider, employing many in the region with good jobs and steady careers. Today, we are committed to creating even more career opportunities in the energy industry through partnerships to prepare workers with the training and tools to be successful.
Blue Jenkins, President of Washington Gas
Throughout our more than 170-year history, we have always believed in being a vital part of the communities we serve. An essential part of that commitment includes creating a pathway for people to join the local workforce to get to good-paying jobs to support their families.
We know firsthand about the value of talented workers. Our mission as a company includes providing safe and reliable service as a top priority. To achieve this, the importance of qualified employees cannot be overstated to maintain and enhance a vast distribution infrastructure across Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia that serves more than 1.2 million customers. Our talented crews and contractors are vital to effectively managing our day to day operations.
Hear Blue Jenkins on WTOP
We believe that a key to our success in this work going forward will be our partnerships with organizations with deep roots in our communities who share our passion for cultivating a qualified workforce, especially during times of high unemployment.
Our programs are a great fit for those interested in competitive, entry level jobs in the growing energy space. Washington Gas’ range of support helps develop the core skillsets and credentials prospective employers expect from candidates, and includes financial investment, curriculum guidelines, training tools, career development and technical workshops, Over the last three years, we have invested about $2.5 million in these programs with additional funding opportunities for similar programs pending.
Together, our partnerships are shaping the next generation of energy workers:
DC Infrastructure Academy (DCIA) – As infrastructure emerged as one of the fastest growing industries in the country, Mayor Muriel Bowser launched the DCIA in 2018, at the Department of Employment Services, to build the skillsets required for infrastructure jobs in Washington, D.C. DCIA coordinates, trains, screens, and recruits District residents to position them for careers in infrastructure with leading companies in a high-demand field
Goodwill of Greater Washington – Launched in 2021, the Energy & Construction Career Training Program aims to address critical work shortages in the Virginia area, prepare a base of qualified workers, and increase access to employment in sustainable careers across the energy and construction industries.
Virginia Tech University (VA Tech) – In 2021, our partnership began as part of the Virginia Department of Education’s ‘17th career cluster’, the latest in a job training series supported by the Virginia General Assembly that covers a variety of fields for students. For this energy industry-focused cluster program, we joined with VA Tech DC Metro Area STEM Education and Workforce Development Labs to supply the tools for those interested in academic pursuits and/or jobs in energy and STEM, including training the teachers who mentor students.
We encourage residents to explore these opportunities. Through the power of collaborative partnerships, we will build the region’s workforce and economy to forge a brighter future.
This article was contributed by a member organization of the Greater Washington Board of Trade and does not necessarily represent the official position of the Board of Trade or its members.
Fifteen years ago, Robin Kelleher felt an urgency to help her best friend when her husband returned home after being wounded while serving in Iraq.
Even though Kelleher’s husband was a Marine who had been deployed several times, she had never personally experienced the ordeal, hardship, and heartbreak a wounded service member and their family must endure.
Robin Kelleher, President & CEO of Hope For The Warriors (right)
She could not sit idly by.
That friend, Shannon Maxwell, and Kelleher combined forces to help forge the future for Shannon’s husband, Tim, and countless other wounded military members. What began as the effort of two Marines’ wives soon became Hope For The Warriors, which has served more than 36,000 service members and their families over the past 15 years.
Kelleher and Maxwell originally were looking for ways to find post-combat bedside care and support for wounded Marines coming back to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC.
The genesis of Hope For The Warriors was the realization that there was a gap in resources for every service member and military family in communities across the country. From that deficiency grew the belief that warriors can thrive with access to integrated services focused on individual and collective well-being.
Not only is the nonprofit providing these services to military members but to their family as well including spouses, children and caregivers. Hope For The Warriors recognizes that the entire military family serves and makes multiple sacrifices along the way. Spouses delay higher education due to many and unexpected moves, children can develop secondary PTSD from their warrior parent, and parents and spouses can become lifelong caregivers to their warriors due to injuries.
Today, Hope For The Warriors focuses on the six domains of well-being: physical wellness, emotional wellness, financial wellness, life roles, social support, and community connections. These six areas all intertwine in life; often if there are obstacles in one area, problems seep over into other areas.
For instance, a transitioning veteran reaches out for assistance with his/her rent perhaps because they are battling PTSD and have not been able to secure employment in the civilian world because it all feels overwhelming. A Hope For The Warriors social worker can help facilitate the immediate financial need through a stability grant. Next, the social worker can work to connect the veteran with mental health services to work through the PTSD. Finally, the social worker can introduce the veteran to the nonprofit’s Warrior’s Compass program, which melds veterans and military spouses to meaningful civilian careers through an exclusive job search platform and coaching.
“Paying a veteran’s rent one time isn’t going solve all of his or her problems. We are here to assist them with the root of the situation and get them on the path to independence again.”
Robin Kelleher, President & CEO of Hope For The Warriors
“We understand that a veteran didn’t wake up one day and realize his or her rent or mortgage was behind,” said Kelleher. “We know how one thing can lead to another and another until you feel like your world is falling a part around you. Paying a veteran’s rent one time isn’t going solve all of his or her problems. We are here to assist them with the root of the situation and get them on the path to independence again.”
Even before the pandemic, the organization believed in the power of virtual services working collaboratively with community services across the country. Hope For The Warriors has had robust virtual programming for more than a decade and continues to build upon in an increasingly virtual world allowing the organization to support more military families.
“We understand that no service member, veteran, or military family is just alike or are always based in cities with supportive communities,” said Kelleher. “We also know that military family’s needs are always changing due to the landscape of the military. Therefore, we’ll always be an ever-evolving organization, shifting to assist where the needs are.”
Karen Lee is Vice President of Strategic Communications for Hope For The Warriors. Hear her on WTOP radio:
About Hope For The Warriors
Founded in 2006, Hope For The Warriors is a national nonprofit dedicated to restoring a sense of self, family, and hope for post-9/11 veterans, service members, and military families. Since its inception, Hope For The Warriors has served over 36,000 through a variety of support programs focused on clinical health and wellness, sports and recreation, and transition. Hope For The Warriors® has received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for 10 consecutive years, an honor earned by only 3% of rated charities. For more information, visit hopeforthewarriors.org, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Support Hope For The Warriors by joining its Circle of Hope, making a recurring monthly contribution. For more information on Circle of Hope or to make a one-time donation, visit hopeforthewarriors.org/about/make-a-donation/.
The digital divide is the gap between those who have access to and full adoption of technology and those who do not. It is both a symptom and a cause of social inequity and affects all generations in both rural and urban communities. Join this session to learn about the digital divide and how your organization can be a driver for change.
Moderator: George Zuo, PhD candidate in economics, University of Maryland
Panelists
Lindsey Parker, Chief Technology Officer, District of Columbia
Debra Berlyn, President & CEO GOAL (Get Older Adults onLine)
Kevin Brown, Principal, Digital Transformation and Intelligent Automation Practice, EY
Webinar Recording
Summary
Five groups of individuals are most impacted by the “digital divide,” or the inability to access digital technology:
Low-income workers. Studies have found that programs that provide affordable broadband access have a measurable impact on economic mobility.
Racial minorities. Black and Hispanic communities are lagging 10 years behind white communities on average on technical connectivity and digital literacy. That impacts how prepared they are for technical jobs of the present and future.
Students. Many students do not have tools for remote learning and were left behind during the pandemic. The consequences of a year-long educational setback for those students will be irreversible.
Seniors. Telehealth has been a great way to connect doctors and patients, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital access also helped seniors to stay connected socially.
Rural Americans. Rural communities often do not have the same broadband technologies.
Federal funding can help close the gap. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be providing an internet subsidy up to $50/month to qualifying Americans, plus a subsidy for purchasing a computer. The private sector also has a role to play, and many companies have CSR programs that help low-income families get online.
Lindsey Parker, the Chief Technology Officer for the District of Columbia, said that closing the digital divide will also support our region’s competitiveness and set the DMV apart from other metro areas in the country.
COVID-19 magnified the consequences of the digital divide. Debra Berlyn of Get Older Adults online (GOAL) explained that during the pandemic, seniors lost access to many of the public places where they would normally access the internet, such as libraries. This left them isolated and unable to access services we all take for granted. The silver lining is that some seniors now see the value of internet access more clearly now than they did pre-pandemic.
Lindsey Parker explained that early in the pandemic, the District made it a priority to get kids online so that they could join virtual school. They were given computers and hot spots. This was the first time some households had access to the internet and some of those hot spots were quickly overloaded. Lindsey Parker said that District-wide LTE service would be superior to government-provided routers.
Kevin Brown of EY explained that many companies are pivoting to digital platforms and away from brick-and-mortar stores, especially since the pandemic. If you’re an employee or consumer who is not digitally literate or doesn’t have digital access, you will be left behind. This is another important reason to close the digital divide—digital access will only become more important with time.
About the Racial & Social Equity Webinar Series
The Greater Washington Board of Trade’s Racial and Social Equity Webinar Series will provide business leaders across the region the knowledge and tools they need to build more diverse, inclusive, and equitable organizations. It will help leaders identify drivers of inequity and injustice and take concrete steps towards being agents of positive change.
The pandemic has changed where and how many people want to work. In this webinar, Arbee Associates and Steelcase shared insights from a recent study of 32,000 people across 10 countries on expectations for the workplace. They reviewed key design and planning considerations for creating a better work experience for employees, including under a hybrid remote/on-site work model, and gave a virtual tour of Steelcase’s Global Business Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan to show examples of these insights in application.
Speakers:
Brian Wilkinson, Regional Vice President, Mid-Atlantic, Steelcase
Chris Hanes, Chief Operating Officer, Arbee Associates
John E. Hughes, Principal, Applied Research and Consulting, Steelcase
Tracy Brower, PhD, MM, MCRW, Principal, Applied Research + Consulting, Steelcase
The COVID-19 pandemic was especially hard for workers and business owners in the hospitality industry, but increasing vaccination rates bring hope. Watch this webinar to learn about the state of the hospitality industry today, the lasting changes we can expect, and its path towards recovering lost business and having a lucrative summer.
PRESENTER/FACILITATOR
Dyllis Hesse, Senior Managing Director, Accenture
PANEL
Erika Alexander, Chief Global Officer, Global Operations, Marriott International
Susan Lacz, Principal and CEO, Ridgewells Catering
Max Fisher, SVP & CFO, MGM Resorts International
Kathy Hollinger, President & CEO, Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington
Companies can improve the diversity of their talent pipelines by proactively recruiting “Opportunity Talent,” defined by Grads of Life as often overlooked talent pools such as young adults without a 4-year degree, persons with disabilities, veterans, formerly incarcerated individuals, and individuals with DACA status. In this webinar, Grads of Life introduced the Opportunity Employment Principles and speakers from Micron Technologies and Bank of America shared real-life examples of these principles in action.
Presenters:
Dwight Powery, National Site Director, Year Up
Krysta Sadowski, Director of Advisory Services, Grads of Life
Business Case Study Speakers:
Zuzana Steen, Academic and Community Relations Senior Manager, Micron Technology
Camille John, D&I Enterprise Head of Underrepresented Ethnic Talent Strategy, Bank of America
Webinar Recording
Summary
Bridging the Opportunity Divide is a win-win for employers and prospective employees. Employers get to fill open roles with great talent, and those who have faced persistent barriers to education and good jobs have a shot at opportunity.
Each of the six Opportunity Employment principles is important. The six principles are:
Culture of inclusion and belonging. Is the company truly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the leadership level and throughout its culture?
Minimizing barriers to accessing roles. For example, is the company willing to eliminate unnecessary degree requirements?
Family sustaining wages & benefits for all employees. Does the company pay a living wage for the metro area its operating in? Does it provide health benefits?
Data-driven approach to equity. Does it have systems in place to measure its progress towards diversity, equity, and inclusion goals?
Proactive & intentional recruitment. Is the company making relationships with new communities so that it can hire from a more diverse pool?
Systems that support on-the-job success and ongoing professional development. Is the organization giving staff at all levels opportunities to learn, grow, and advance?
To learn more about the six Opportunity Employment principles and view their affiliated list of practices, see this guide.
You can also use the Opportunity Navigator, a 10-minute online assessment that can help you see where you company’s strengths and growth areas are in hiring, advancing, and retaining Opportunity Talent.
About the Racial and Social Equity Webinar Series
The Greater Washington Board of Trade’s Racial and Social Equity Webinar Series will provide business leaders across the region the knowledge and tools they need to build more diverse, inclusive, and equitable organizations. It will help leaders identify drivers of inequity and injustice and take concrete steps towards being agents of positive change.
Corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leaders must consider how their organization can best appreciate and accommodate our differences, including differences in how our minds operate. We interviewed Larysa Kautz, President & CEO of Melwood to learn more about neurodiversity and what it means to employers.
What does the term “neurodiversity” mean, and why is it an important concept for CEOs to understand?
“Neurodiversity” is the recognition that we all learn and process information differently.
Any CEO interested in innovation is well served by understanding neurodiversity. A Melwood participant once described her autism as having a brain that worked on a different operating system. Several studies note that people with autism often benefit from hyper focus, enhanced pattern recognition, improved memory, and strong mathematical thinking. Who better to offer creative ways to solve a problem or offer new perspectives?
How would you rate the DC area business community’s current treatment of neurodiversity? What have you seen from business leaders in our region?
The DC area business community has a lot to be proud of. There is a strong sense that businesses in this area want to embrace inclusion and neurodiversity.
The private sector has been a great partner in helping us build better training programs to prepare people with disabilities for the careers of the future. We partnered with Cybrary, a cybersecurity training firm based in College Park, MD, to develop abilIT, a technology training program that teaches technical and soft skills to help participants build lifelong careers as competitive technology professionals. Now, close to a dozen companies and organizations – including GDIT and MITRE – have not only hired program graduates but have joined the KPMG/Melwood Industry Council to provide feedback to help us improve, scale up, and sustain our model.
We are still a long way from solving the unemployment and underemployment of people with disabilities, but it is clear that DC-area business leaders are stepping up to do their part.
What does it look like for a company to lead on neurodiversity? What actions are most important?
The most important thing a company can do is to establish a diversity policy that includes all abilities and actively recruit from this talented pool of eager candidates. In our experience, having a coordinated approach that includes human resources, diversity and inclusion leads, and the project leads for the departments in need of talent helps streamline the hiring process. Engagement by an executive champion also makes a big difference because they can encourage key people to come to the table and make neurodiverse hiring a priority.
Providing proper accommodations, like natural lighting, workspaces that reduce sensory violations, noise blocking, accessible technology, and assistive devices, is also important, and not as difficult or expensive as you may think. Recent data from the Jobs Accommodation Network shows that the average investment is around $500 per employee who needs special accommodations.
Resources exist to help companies rate and improve their inclusion of neurodiverse talent. The Disability Employment Index (DEI) scores a corporation’s inclusiveness on a scale from 0 to 100. The index measures a wide range of criteria within six categories, including culture and leadership, enterprise-wide access, employment practices, community engagement, supplier diversity, and non-U.S. operations. More importantly, it provides a framework for companies to follow so they can understand what kinds of practices they can adopt to be more inclusive.
What public policies have improved employment rates for people with disabilities?
The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed 30 years ago. This sweeping legislation sought to end the discrimination, exclusion, and isolation so many people with disabilities were experiencing at the time. The laws created by the ADA were designed to help people with disabilities overcome the physical barriers to success – through things like wheelchair ramps and curb cuts – while also trying to reduce disability stigma and create new opportunities for employment.
More recently, the U.S. federal government established the AbilityOne program to bring more people with disabilities into the federal workforce. The AbilityOne Commission oversees nearly $3B worth of federal contracts set aside for people with disabilities. Recently, the program called on 24 federal agencies to pledge 1% of their funds to AbilityOne contracts, with an increase to 1.5% in FY22. These and other initiatives that the Office of Federal Procurement (OFPP) is implementing will result in new jobs for thousands of people with disabilities.
Unfortunately, there are also federal policies that have allowed people with disabilities to be paid less than minimum wage. Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was created in 1938, at a time when people with disabilities had no civil rights and were segregated from mainstream society. Melwood does not agree with the discriminatory practice of 14(c) and, in 2016, voluntarily relinquished our 14(c) certificate and over the next several years successfully advocated for the elimination of the practice in Maryland. However, currently there are only a handful of states that have abolished this practice and we are working to eliminate it at the federal level.
There is a lot of research showing that diverse organizations perform better than more homogenous ones. Does this extend to organizations that accommodate neurodiversity as well? Is there a business case to doing this work?
There is definitely a business case for disability inclusion and embracing neurodiversity.
61 million adults in the United States live with a disability according to the CDC and 1 in 54 children are diagnosed with autism each year. We are talking about a large population full of talent and unique strengths. Businesses can’t afford to overlook this group as consumers or talent.
In 2017, the Harvard Business Review made the case for Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage, stating that neurodivergent people “bring new perspectives to a company’s efforts to create or recognize value.”
It is widely accepted that organizations benefit from a diverse workforce. A variety of employee backgrounds and cultures brings a range of ideas, solutions, and proposals to a company. The same thought process should be applied to hiring neurodiverse workforces.
The neurodiverse population remains a largely untapped talent pool, the Harvard review notes, but tech companies like SAP, Microsoft, Dell Technologies, IBM, and more have either started or are exploring ways to expand the neurodiversity of their workforces where those business lines are a good fit for neurodiverse talent.
As a result, these companies are finding benefits from these programs, including higher productivity, improved corporate communication, higher employee engagement, lower turnover, higher employee morale, and more.
Historically, companies have held the view that “it’s easier to fit people together if they are all perfect rectangles,” the review states. “But that requires employees to leave their differences at home – differences firms need in order to innovate.”
A 2018 report by Accenture looked at 45 companies that created new specialized disability policies and practices. The data revealed that those 45 companies achieved, on average, 28% higher revenue, double the net income, and 30% higher economic profit margins over the four-year period analyzed, compared to other companies in the sample. According to that study, companies should participate in “cutting-edge disability recruitment, hiring, and on-boarding strategies – not as charity or marketing, but because it serves their bottom line.” Additionally, the Department of Labor found that employers who embraced disability saw a 90% increase in employee retention.
How has COVID impacted disability employment?
On paper, COVID-19 has set the disability employment movement back by nearly a decade. In 2019, when national working age unemployment was at a record low of 3.5%, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities was also at a record low of 7.3% – down from nearly 15% a decade ago. In 2020, the unemployment rate for persons with a disability stood at 12.6%, an increase of 5.3 percentage points from the previous year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their jobless rate continued to be much higher than the rate for those without a disability.
But COVID-19 has also provided reasons for optimism about the future. For example, employers are now more open to workplace flexibility and accommodation. To survive the impacts of COVID-19, many companies had to fundamentally re-think how they operate so they could enable their employees to be productive and succeed. Telework and flexible schedules – both commonly requested workplace accommodations – are now the norm in many sectors. Smart employers are going to recognize that figuring out how to accommodate their workers is key to survival. There is no going back – embracing workplace accommodation will be the silver lining of COVID-19.
About Melwood
Melwood is an AbilityOne nonprofit agency with more than 1,600 employees, nearly 1,000 of whom have a disability. For more than 57 years, Melwood has served adults and children with disabilities through job training and placement, day services, inclusive summer camps, healing retreats for injured veterans, as well as direct employment through more than 60 federal contracts in the greater Washington, DC area.
About Larysa Kautz
Larysa Kautz serves as Melwood’s President and & CEO. Prior to becoming CEO, Kautz had served as a vital part of Melwood’s executive leadership for more than seven years as Melwood’s first In-house General Counsel, Chief of Staff, and founder of Melwood’s Advocacy Department.
About the AbilityOne Program
The AbilityOne Program is made up of approximately 600 nonprofit organizations like Melwood across the United States that employ more than 45,000 people with disabilities who provide quality products and services to the Federal Government.
