An open and accessible workplace | Bloomberg LP (original) (raw)

We’re committed to building a culture that enables everyone to thrive.

This includes providing workplace adjustments and accommodations for employees, clients and visitors to our offices with disabilities. We continue to make our workplaces, the Bloomberg Terminal and our policies and processes more accessible – creating an environment where every employee is accepted and empowered to bring their authentic self to work.

Leading from the front

Our commitment to action translates into policies and processes designed to improve governance, accountability and coordination across the company, for the benefit of both colleagues and clients. Bloomberg was among the first companies to join the Valuable 500, a global movement putting disability on the business leadership agenda, and is a signatory to the Time to Change Employer Pledge in the UK, which is changing the way we think about mental health in the workplace. Through events such as the Bloomberg Equality Summits, and our Valuable Leader Conversations with business thought leaders, we proactively share our participation to encourage other companies around the globe to commit and take part in the disability inclusion conversation, recognizing that not doing so excludes 1.3 billion people around the world – 17% of the population.

Inclusive hiring processes

We have taken action to make recruitment processes more inclusive globally and deliver the best candidate experience for prospective employees with disabilities, revising all job descriptions and communications with prospective candidates to use more inclusive language. Bloomberg provides reasonable adjustment/accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and candidates are encouraged to work with their recruiters on their needs. We provide disability awareness and etiquette training for recruiters and key business interviewers. And we have implemented more focused training prior to, during and after onboarding of new hires, including mentoring where applicable for employees with disabilities who have joined the Bloomberg Abilities Community.

Partners and programs

Employee education & engagement

To foster a spirit of inclusion in the workplace, Bloomberg holds frequent engagement sessions to educate employees about both visible and non-visible disabilities, and provide training on how to embrace disability in the workplace. Our global Inclusion Dialogues, mental health roundtables, workshops and immersive experiences have helped raise awareness of a wide variety of sensory, physical and cognitive disabilities, including autism, dyslexia, visual impairment and hearing loss, and are designed to promote empathy and understanding, and to equip employees with the skills to appropriately support colleagues with disabilities. We also provide awareness and etiquette training for front-of-house, facilities, security and workplace staff in a continued effort to deliver the best experience for employees, clients and other guests with disabilities.

“For people with disabilities, innovation is not optional; it is a requirement to get through the day. People who live with disabilities bring incredible ideas and creative solutions to the workplace.”

Shawn Edwards

Chief Technology Officer
Co-Executive Sponsor of the Bloomberg Abilities Community

Accessibility initiatives

As a company built on innovation, we continuously work to make our offices and our products more accessible to employees and customers with disabilities, and promote a culture that supports all employees equally.

Our products

Since 2016, a cross-functional Bloomberg team has been working with graduate students in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University to better understand and accommodate Bloomberg Terminal users with disabilities in the long-term. We are working to ensure that the Terminal’s user interface is compatible with accessibility software such as screen readers, and we are investing in efforts to create and optimize tailored workflows for our customers.

Our workplaces

Our global Workplace Operations team is focused on designing and building accessible work environments that are accommodating and inclusive of all employees and guests. We have implemented projects to enhance accessibility in our offices around the world to cater to employees, clients and other visitors with disabilities, including the installation of braille signage and tactile indicators, more accessible toilets, and hearing induction loops.

We have dedicated staff members in each region whose role is to oversee occupational health, safety and ergonomics. They work with prospective, new and existing employees on an individual basis to understand their personal adjustment needs and continue that engagement as their career evolves or if their adjustment needs change. We also provide fully-paid Long-Term Disability coverage that help maintain employees’ income if they are unable to work for an extended period due to illness or sickness. Our employee benefits also include robust mental health support, with easy access to mental health professionals in certain office locations.

To further foster an open and supportive work environment, we have trained employees in our offices across EMEA and APAC to act as Mental Health First Aiders – a network we continue to grow as part of our ongoing efforts to provide local support and guidance to all employees.

Our culture

The Bloomberg Abilities Community (B-ABLE) is a growing group committed to raising awareness and creating a supportive and comfortable environment for people with disabilities and their allies. B-ABLE organizes programming and employee engagement initiatives that help facilitate more confident conversations around disability, reduce stigma around mental health and provide a safe space for employees to share their lived-experiences. B-ABLE also works closely with our Accessibility Task Force, a community of people from across Bloomberg who:

Bloomberg Abilities Community

2020-2024 membership growth

Make it happen here.