In July, QASA hosted an Empowerment Webinar for Mandela Day. During the webinar, QASA member Ernest Nkabine discussed the right to participate and encouraged wheelchair users to become active participants. Palesa Mathibe discussed the right to education and the responsibilities that come with the right.
Finally, life coach Len Davey discussed the Six Human Needs and how they can inform employers to better support their employees with disabilities.
Six Human Needs
Within the six needs, there are four foundational needs that each person needs balanced in their life. These include:
- Certainty: Predictable routines and a stable foundation.
- Variety: New and interesting things in your life.
- Significance: Feeling important and unique.
- Love and connection: Feeling part of a community or a group where you are accepted.
When these needs are met, there are two more “higher” needs that contribute to a happy life:
- Growth: Becoming more skilled or becoming a better person.
- Contribution: Giving back to your community.
These needs drive our behaviour as we prioritise these. For example, if you have a need for “significance”, you might be driven to work harder at the office to set yourself apart from the team.
Human Needs in the Workplace
By understanding these basic human needs, employers can create more productive, motivated and happy employees.
For example, as many people with disabilities are faced with daily uncertainty, clear goals, routine and structure could create much needed safety for these employees to thrive.
Here are more ways for the needs to be met with the workplace:
- Certainty: Routine, structure, clear goals and support to achieve them.
- Variety: New, manageable challenges or asking for assistance on new tasks.
- Significance: Identifying and praising staff for their unique contributions.
- Love and connection: Team building and inclusion.
- Growth: Further education or skill development.
- Contribution: Creating opportunities for greater contributions from the team.
When these basic needs of employees are not met in the workplace, teams may have low confidence, poor productivity and results. However, with these needs met, they can be creative, confident and loyal.
Watch the full webinar
To learn more about the six human needs and how they can impact your life or the workplace, watch the full Mandela Day webinar:
