Northwestern Mutual’s disAbility Alliance Employee Resource Group (ERG), with support from leadership, promotes a culture of open sharing from employees and hosts awareness and educational events throughout the year. For example, the ERG hosted a discussion on managing stress with a panel comprised of employees, a manager and an employee advocate for one of the panelists. They openly shared their experiences with depression, ADHD and other mental health issues. After the conversation, an Employee Assistance Program counselor provided advice and resources for attendees. Another group discussion facilitated by the ERG focused on accessibility accommodations, sharing the story of a deaf employee’s experience. In an ERG-led effort to better accommodate hearing-impaired employees, closed captioning was successfully funded and implemented through the Enterprise Venture Fund, a company innovation campaign that invites employees to submit ideas that challenge the way business is done. The deaf employee described how elated she was to fully participate when closed captioning became available at Town Hall meetings and on AudioVideo HQ, an app that houses company videos and podcasts. This discussion also included a video and handouts on disability etiquette.
