Most people haven’t heard of the curb cut effect, but once you know what it is, it generally makes sense. Applying it to remote work may be a first, but I think the principles are the same. The curb-cut effect was coined by Angela Glover Blackwell and is the phenomenon of disability-friendly features being used and appreciated by a larger group than those it was designed for. So when we design for disabilities, we make things better for everyone. I would like to propose that when we design for remote work, we make things better for everyone as well.
As its name implies it originally applied to curb cuts to accommodate disabled individuals at Berkley. Pretty soon everyone started using them as well. The curb cuts and ramps from the early 1970s are now part of standard building practices. The concept has grown beyond its urban design roots and now applies to any practice or activity that is designed for one group with a need that makes things better for anyone using it.
Some Traditional Curb Cut Effect Examples
There are lots of curb-cut effect examples from changes made to support the needs of disabled individuals. Some of these include closed captioning, handicap ramps, text-to-speech, and elevators.
Closed captioning helps those who are deaf to follow along with what they are watching. Those that can hear well can benefit from being able to read what is being discussed in noisy areas. Closed captioning in videos has also led to easy transcription which has benefited many groups.
Handicap ramps help those who are in wheelchairs and those that have other mobility issues. For parents with young children, it’s a necessity if you are pushing a stroller. Ramps can also be a safer method than stairs to move large groups through arenas and other structures.
Text to speech was created for those that have difficulties with reading and issues with their eyes that can cause them to not see the mini keyboard on their device. Text to speech can allow those with speech issues to have a voice of their own to interact better with the outside world. This has also spawned the opposite technology of speech-to-text which allows voice commands, transcription, and many other functions we take for granted.
Elevators are for those who are physically not able to climb stairs to get from one floor to another. Those without disabilities use the elevator for the same reasoning. Stairs can be challenging on upper floors, and transporting supplies without an elevator may be impractical.
Remote Work as a Curb-Cut
By taking a remote-first approach to business it can improve work for those who go into the office as well.
Management
In many companies, management is little more than making sure people are at their desks and working during the prescribed hours. The transition to remote work saw many managers struggling to manage their staff because their frame of reference was entirely based on whether they were at their desks or not. It didn’t work before, but other things masked it. To work effectively remote, there needs to be a reasonable expectation of results that is not tied to being glued to a chair 8 hours a day. Once you have a results-based system in place for the remote workers, it ultimately improves productivity in the office as well.
Asynchronous work
In the past couple of decades, we have gotten to a point where communication and accessibility have us connected almost 100% of the time. This can lead to constant interruptions and lower productivity. It also makes it harder for people to disconnect from work. And some managers expect a higher level of accessibility outside of work hours to meet their needs. This can lead to burnt-out staff and toxic work environments.
Remote work helps to force us back into more of an asynchronous work mode. The 100% accessible, always working, the expectation of the office was never realistic and was damaging. With remote work, it just doesn’t work. Those that make the switch to allow for work to be done the way it had been done before cell phones and the internet are seeing more productivity and better overall work environments.
Mental Health
Mental health was one of the last topics that no one talked about – especially in the office. It was always there but hidden away in the shadows. It was associated with shame and weakness and rarely talked about openly. Remote work is not without its challenges and people were much more aware of mental health issues being remote. There has been a much more open discussion and companies are making more of an effort to address mental health issues both in and out of the office.
Cost Savings
Between the average 71-minute commute daily and the gas savings that went with it, Much of the savings have been focused on workers. Daycare services and schools were some of the early casualties of Covid 19. Remote work solved that problem with a little juggling. And many companies have discovered that they don’t need an office as they had before. This can be a huge cost saving given that the average employee costs a company around $12,000 annually in physical costs (building, heat, electricity, water, etc.).
Staff Retention
With the Great Resignation gutting some companies, those who make remote work a priority have seen better retention. In a recent survey, 64% of professionals would prefer to work from home permanently over a $30K raise. And given equal jobs where one is in the office and one is not, guess who wins?
Diversity and Inclusion
Remote work is a great equalizer. It puts everyone on the same level as a Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams screen. The visual reminders of the corner office are gone. Whether someone is 6 feet tall or in a wheelchair is gone. With the increase in text messages, those with limited English proficiency or strong accents can communicate better. Groups that might feel marginalized in the workplace, in general, tend to feel more welcome in a remote work setting. And for many women who feel they must choose between family and a career, remote work makes doing both possible.
It’s Not A Silver Bullet
Remote work isn’t perfect by any stretch. We are still figuring all of this out. The first curb cuts were done in the early 1970s and the Americans With Disabilities act didn’t become reality until 1990. Hopefully, it won’t take us 20 years to get remote work right. But as we get better at it, I believe we will find that taking a remote-first approach to work, will ultimately make for a better work model, where ever you happen to be working.
