Accessible Employment Policy - Manitoba

KONE Inc. is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible workplace where all individuals, including persons with disabilities, can fully participate and succeed. This policy outlines our obligations and practices under the Accessibility for Manitobans Act and the Accessible Employment Standard Regulation. It is designed to identify, remove, and prevent barriers throughout the employment lifecycle and ensure that reasonable accommodations are provided where necessary.

This policy applies to all employees of KONE Inc. in Manitoba, including full-time, part-time, seasonal, and apprentices, as well as applicants, contractors, and volunteers. It covers all stages of employment: recruitment, selection, onboarding, performance management, career development, return-to-work, and termination.

KONE Inc. is dedicated to identifying and eliminating barriers to employment accessibility, accommodating applicants and employees with disabilities, and integrating accessibility into daily operations. We will regularly review this policy and related practices to ensure compliance and effectiveness.

KONE will keep employees informed about our accommodation measures, policies and practices for employees with disabilities. We will also provide updates to employees when this information changes. We will provide information to employees about our policies for employees with disabilities and any updates in multiple ways, such as: posted on an internal site, public website, on social media, in newsletters, blogs, memos, or through staff emails

4.1 Recruitment

Job postings will indicate that accommodations are available upon request. Applicants will be informed of KONE’s commitment to providing reasonable accommodations during the recruitment and selection process. Requests for accommodation will be addressed promptly and in consultation with the applicant.

4.2 Selection & Hiring

Shortlisted candidates will be asked about accommodation needs during interviews. Offers of employment will include information about KONE’s accommodation policies and practices.

4.3 Informing Employees of Supports

Employees will be informed of this policy upon hiring and when updates occur. The policy will be made available in accessible formats upon request and communicated through multiple channels.

4.4 Accessible Formats & Communication Supports

Upon request, KONE will provide job-related information, communications, emergency procedures, and performance expectations in accessible formats or using communication supports, in consultation with the employee.

Individual emergency response information will be provided where necessary and reviewed when the employee’s location or needs change. Consent will be obtained before sharing emergency response information with designated individuals.

6.1 Employee Accommodations

Employees may request accommodation by contacting People & Communications or their manager. KONE will consult with the employee and may request supporting documentation. Accommodations may include modified duties, assistive technology, or physical changes and will be provided unless they cause undue hardship.

6.2 Individual Accommodation Plans

Written plans will be developed in consultation with the employee and reviewed regularly. Plans will include communication supports, emergency measures, and timelines for review. Employees may involve a representative in the development of the plan. Reasons for denial will be provided in writing. We maintain employee privacy regarding accommodation plans and personal health information by following the following practices:

• We protect the privacy and confidentiality of employee’s personal information and personal health information.
• We only collect, use, and disclose information as required for the purposes of the Accessibility Standard for Employment, unless otherwise agreed to by the employee. We also follow the requirements of other privacy legislation, including The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Manitoba) and The Personal Health Information Act (Manitoba).
• We follow proper protocol when storing confidential employee information.
• We protect our employees’ personal information and personal health information at all times by using confidential forms or locking file storage and limiting access to human resources/People and Communications, and managers only.

A return to work process is a proactive way to help employees with disabilities and health conditions to stay at work or return to work as soon as it is safe to do so. This typically involves modifying and graduating employee duties and hours at work, according to their functional abilities.

Our return-to-work process reflects our commitment to providing a safe and healthy working environment for employees who are, or have been, absent from work due to a disability and require reasonable accommodations to return to work.

We include a description of the process we will follow in determining the accommodations necessary to facilitate the return to work of employees who have been absent due to a disability.

Our return-to-work process ensures reasonable accommodations for employees who are at work or absent due to a disability. We will make efforts to modify employees’ duties and work schedule based on their functional abilities. Our aim is to increase duties safely to help employees reach their full potential.

Practices and Measures:

• We keep in touch with absent employees and the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB) (when involved) throughout the employees’ recovery to help them maintain a connection with their workplace and to show they are valued.
• We offer meaningful and productive modified or alternate duties that are safe and within the employee’s functional abilities.
• We are flexible and tailor the return-to-work plan to the employee’s needs.
• We ensure supervisors and co-workers support employees who have been absent due to a disability and participate in the return to work process.
• We educate staff on why returning to work is good for business and outline the expectations for supporting an employee in a modified role.
• We follow WCB’s return to work process and we recognize that pandemics, like COVID-19, pose serious health threats to people with pre-existing conditions, and we accommodate affected employees.

Performance management process means any process used by an employer to manage the work of individual employees or to plan, monitor and review an employee's work objectives and overall contribution to the employer's organization.

Performance evaluations, promotions, and development opportunities will be accessible. Accommodation plans will be considered during performance reviews. Training and advancement processes will be adjusted to remove barriers and ensure equal opportunity.

We ensure our performance management process takes into account:

• that an employee may be temporarily or permanently disabled by one or more barriers in the workplace;
• an employee's individualized accommodation plan;
• that the accommodations provided for an employee may not fully address a workplace barrier: Practices and Measures;
• meet with new staff regularly, at least six months into employment and at least once annually to discuss progress, new goals and any challenges.

Existing or newly required workplace accommodations are discussed, including individualized accommodation plans and any assistance required during emergencies.

We speak with employees when they do not follow company policy or meet expectations, and offer a spoken and written warning of consequences, including disciplinary action.

We discuss existing workplace accommodations and propose modifications or new workplace accommodations if we believe this could help improve the performance of an employee with a disability.

Prior to imposing disciplinary measures, we consider whether there is a connection between concerns about job performance and workplace barriers.

All employees and managers involved in workplace hiring, supervision, or accommodation will be trained on the Accessibility for Manitobans Act, the Human Rights Code, and KONE’s accessibility policies. Training will be documented and refreshed regularly.

We provide training on how to accommodate employees with a disability to staff with the following responsibilities:

• recruiting, selecting or training employees
• supervising, managing or coordinating the work of employees
• promoting, redeploying or terminating employees
• developing and implementing employment policies and practices.

9.1 Training content includes (not limited to):

• how to make employment opportunities accessible to people with disabilities
• how to interact and communicate with applicants or employees who face barriers, use assistive devices, or are assisted by a support person or service animal
• an overview of The Accessibility for Manitobans Act, The Human Rights Code (Manitoba), and the Accessible Employment Standard
• our organization’s accessible employment policies, practices and measures, including updates or changes.

This policy is reviewed every two years or as needed. Feedback is considered for continuous improvement.

Employees and the public can submit feedback or accommodation requests to ASKHR via phone or email, at +1 833-284-0643, AskHR@kone.com. Feedback may be submitted anonymously or with contact information. KONE will acknowledge and respond within a reasonable timeframe. Accessible formats are available upon request.