At WTW, we transform tomorrows.
Accessibility at WTW
At WTW we know that difference makes us stronger and we strive to provide a safe, inclusive and accessible workplace. Our membership in The Valuable 500, a global movement advocating for private sector disability inclusion, has helped us define our commitments to disability and guide us on our journey to:
- Educate and raise awareness around disability
- Equip our colleagues with the skills and knowledge they need to be more inclusive of people with disabilities
- Ensure our working environment is accessible, inclusive and welcoming for all as we develop a more seamless process for workplace adjustments
- Enable our managers with best practices for hiring, management and development of neurodiverse colleagues
- Scale our approach to recruiting and retaining adults with autism
We have worked to make our digital working environment more accessible:
- For all virtual livestream events, we have enabled closed captioning as a standard to make broadcast content more accessible.
- By using the new presentation features in Teams, colleagues can now access real-time translation of the presented slides into several languages and have the option to turn on high contrast in presentations.
- With the new feature to show the order of the digitally raised hands in a Teams meeting, discussions in meetings can become more inclusive and ensure all participants can actively participate.
Naturally we provide reasonable accommodations; in addition, we have built awareness and promoted education by inviting external experts to speak with our colleagues around the globe during key moments, such as World Mental Health Day and International Day of People with Disabilities. We also offer live training that gives colleagues an overview of accessibility and digital inclusion features in our digital workplace.
Website Accessibility
We are driven to help our clients succeed. In every interaction and with every solution, we act in our clients’ best interests – striving to understand their needs, respecting their perspectives and exceeding their expectations.
We do our best to design inclusively and work toward achieving WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.
Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers in accessing any area of our website by contacting us at accessibility@wtwco.com.
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
This information applies to WTW colleagues of Towers Watson Canada Inc., Willis Canada Inc., and affiliated corporations (collectively, “WTW” or the “Company”) who are working predominantly in Ontario.
WTW Multi-Year Accessibility Plan
The following Multi-Year Accessibility Plan (“Plan”) outlines the policies and actions that WTW has in place to improve opportunities for people with disabilities in relation to its Ontario operation, and in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (“AODA”).
Statement of Commitment
WTW is committed to treating people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and equal opportunity. We are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely and transparent manner, and will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
Accessible Emergency Information
WTW is committed to providing its customers and clients with publicly available emergency information in an accessible manner upon request. We also provide our colleagues who have disabilities with individualized emergency response information when requested.
Training
WTW provides training to colleagues, third parties that provide services on behalf of WTW and all those who are involved in developing WTW policies on Ontario’s accessibility laws and on the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities. Training is provided in a way that reflects the duties of colleagues and volunteers.
Online Service Offerings
WTW is committed to ensuring that the design, procurement, or acquisition of online service offerings are inclusive and considers the needs of people with disabilities. This includes working towards achieving WCAG 2.1 AA standard for our website.
Information and Communications
WTW is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities by providing or arranging for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports upon request.
Feedback about the delivery of services to people with disabilities is welcomed, as it may identify areas that require change and assist in continuous service improvement. Contact information is found below.
Employment
WTW is committed to fair and accessible employment practices. In relation to the Employment Standards under Part III of the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulations to the AODA (other than the Workplace Emergency Response Information regulations which have been addressed earlier in this Plan), we have taken the following steps to notify the public and colleagues that WTW will accommodate people with disabilities, when requested, throughout the recruitment, onboarding and employment process.
Recruitment and Hiring
WTW has procedures in place to ensure that our recruitment and assessment processes are fair and accessible. This includes:
- Notifying our colleagues and the public about the availability of accommodation for applicants with disabilities in its recruitment processes
- Notifying job applicants when they are individually selected to participate in an assessment or selection process, that accommodations are available upon request in relation to the materials or processes to be used
- Notifying job applicants when they are individually selected to participate in an assessment or selection process, that accommodations are available upon request in relation to the materials or processes to be used
- Notifying the successful applicant of WTW’s policies for accommodating colleagues with disabilities
Informing Colleagues of Support
WTW has procedures in place to:
- Inform our Ontario colleagues of our policies used to support those with disabilities, including, but not limited to, policies on the provision of job accommodations that take into account a colleague’s accessibility needs due to disability
- Provide the information described here to new Ontario colleagues as soon as practicable after they begin their employment
- Provide updated information to our Ontario colleagues whenever there is a change to existing policies on the provision of job accommodations that take into account a colleague’s accessibility needs due to disability
Accessible Formats and Communication Supports
Where a colleague with a disability so requests it, WTW consults with the colleague to provide or arrange for the provision of suitable accessible formats and communication support for:
- Information that is needed to perform the colleague’s job
- Information that is generally available to colleagues in the workplace
Documented Individual Accommodation Plans
WTW is committed to the development of documented individual accommodation plans for colleagues with disabilities that includes the following elements:
- The manner in which a colleague requesting accommodation can participate in the development of the individual accommodation plan
- The means by which the colleague is assessed on an individual basis
- The manner in which WTW can request an evaluation by an outside medical or other expert, at the employer’s expense, to assist the employer in determining if and how accommodation can be achieved
- The manner in which the colleague can request the participation of a representative from the workplace in the development of the accommodation plan
- The steps taken to protect the privacy of the colleague’s personal information
- The frequency with which the individual accommodation plan will be reviewed and updated and the manner in which it will be done
- If an individual accommodation plan is denied, the manner in which the reasons for the denial will be provided to the colleague
- The means of providing the individual accommodation plan in a format that takes into account the colleague’s accessibility needs due to disability
- The means by which WTW will, if requested, include in the individual accommodation plan:
- Information regarding accessible formats and communications support provided to the colleague
- Individualized workplace emergency response information
- Details regarding any other accommodation that is to be provided
Return to Work Process
WTW has a documented process in place for colleagues who have been absent from work due to a disability and require disability-related accommodations in order to return to work. The process:
- Outlines the steps that will be taken to facilitate the return to work of colleagues who were absent because their disability required them to be away from work
- Uses documented individual accommodation plans, as described above, as part of the process
Performance Management, Career Development and Advancement, and Redeployment
In using performance management, providing career development and advancement, and in redeploying colleagues, WTW takes into account the accessibility needs of colleagues with disabilities, as well as individual accommodation plans.
Design of Public Spaces
We will continue to work with our building’s landlords to ensure that any applicable accessibility standards are considered with respect to WTW’s public spaces.
For More Information
For more information on this accessibility plan, or to provide feedback please contact aoda.compliance@wtwco.com or send written correspondence to:
Attention: AODA Compliance
130 King Street West
Exchange Tower
Suite 1500, P.O. Box 424
Toronto, ON M5X 1E3
