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Disabilities in the Workplace
August 2009 Industry reports consistently rate
employees with disabilities as on track or above average
in performance, safety, and attendance. And, when it
comes to retaining employees and reducing turnover
costs, research has found that employees with
disabilities tend to have higher retention rates when
compared to employees without disabilities. This in
itself is definitely a major plus in a market where
employers continue to struggle to find qualified
candidates.
But, despite these tangible facts, employers still are
hesitant to hire those with disabilities because of the
many myths of high costs and low productivity
surrounding employing a person with a disability.
Myths such as…
“It's going to cost our company significant money
to make changes to our facilities if we hire a
person with a disability.”
“People with disabilities don't want to work.”
“Employees with disabilities are going to always
need help from other workers and will disrupt
productivity.”
“Attendance for a person with a disability will be
poor as their disability will impact their ability
to show up for work.”
But, in fact, did you know…
- Most employment for people with disabilities imposes
little to no cost at all. According to the Job
Accommodation Network, more than half of accommodations
necessary to employ a disabled worker had costs less
than $500. Compare this to the average employee
accommodation cost of $200.
- According to a recent US Census Bureau release, 82
percent of those with a non-severe disability were
employed in the past year.
- According to studies that began back in the 1950s at
DuPont, "Employees with disabilities equal or exceed
co-workers without disabilities in job performance."
- The same studies conducted by DuPont found that
employees with disabilities also matched or exceeded
non-disabled employees' records in "attendance and
attention to safety."
But where do these myths come from and how can we as
positive professionals begin to access the untapped
valuable resources found within qualified candidates
with disabilities? Many of the previous myths
surrounding employees with disabilities result simply
from a lack of communication. Whether it is a lack of
communication from managers to their employees in
promoting the benefits and contributions disabled
employees can have on an organization, or a lack of
communication between an employee and an employee with
disability – the solution is to get informed.
Below is a checklist that you, as a manager or
supervisor, can use to encourage open communication and
collaboration around disability to build a diverse and
inclusive workplace.
- Review and update your current company policies
Undertake a comprehensive review of current EEO policies
to ensure that Title I of the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 is included to prohibit
“private employers, state and local governments,
employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating
against qualified individuals with disabilities in job
application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement,
compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions,
and privileges of employment.”
- Make your policies public
Regularly express and reinforce strong, clear, public
statements which affirm your organization's commitment
to ending harassment and discrimination in addition to
its appreciation of the value of all forms of diversity
- including mental and physical disabilities.
- Know your own stereotypes and prejudices
Be aware of your own values, beliefs and any prejudices
that may shape the way you act and react to new
situations and experiences with employees with
disabilities.
- One person can make a difference
Unfortunately, issues involving disability
discrimination can't be completely eliminated. But fair
treatment and expressions of concern by you can go a
long way toward improving employee relations and
minimizing the risk of claims of unfair treatment.
- Know respectful boundaries
A disabled person is still a person and should be
treated with respect just as any other employee. For
example, it is completely fine to offer assistance to a
person with a disability if you respectfully ask first
and wait for a response before you act. Just like any
other workplace issue where you're unsure, ask for
directions. If you don't know how to help the disabled
person, directly communicate with that individual. This
courtesy still exists if a person is accompanied, so do
not direct your communication to the companion. Nobody
likes to be talked about as if they are not present.
Most importantly, use a normal speaking tone and style -
if someone needs you to speak slower or clearer they
will ask. Don't assume.
- Consider a Disability Affinity Group
Remember that people with disabilities, like all people,
are experts about themselves. They know what they like,
what they do not like and what they can and cannot do.
Forming a Disability Affinity Group has two immediate
impacts:
- potential employees will use the presence of a
Disability Affinity Group as an indicator of the
company's levels of acceptance of disabled employees,
and
- current employees will view a Disability Affinity
Group as a demonstration of a company's commitment to
being an Equal Opportunity workplace, which will only
increase employee satisfaction.
In addition, a Disability Affinity Group often
provides a valuable link to potential disabled
customers, clients and investors.
- Learn from your team
Utilize employee disability knowledge to avoid making
mistakes and to better improve the overall understanding
of disabilities and how they may impact your
organization. An easy way to accomplish this if you
don't have a disabled employee network group is to hold
pre-scripted and pre-approved discussions during
scheduled team meetings.
- Select on a basis of talent, not disability
Not only is it unfair to conduct an interview with
questions surrounding a person's disability, but it is
illegal. Questions about an applicant's physical
or mental impairment or how he or she became disabled -
for example asking why the applicant uses a wheel chair,
questions about an applicant's use of medication, or
questions about an applicant's prior workers'
compensation history are strictly forbidden.
- Provide Training
All employees, not only managers and supervisors, should
receive training on issues regarding disability in the
workplace. This includes exercises addressing one's
stereotypes and prejudices, disability workshops, as
well as conflict resolution and retaliation education.
- Market to the Disabled Community
The effect of disability-specific marketing has two
direct benefits: increased brand-loyalty from an
important demographic and increased disabled community
visibility. With increased visibility comes increased
disabled community acceptance. Did you know that
according to the U.S. Census Bureau, people with
disabilities in the U.S. have $1 Trillion
worth of purchasing power, including $220 Billion
in discretionary income – the most buying power of any
”minority” group in the nation! This is not a market
your organization can afford to ignore.
Be the first to preview a cutting edge Disability
Awareness e-learning course before it is released next
month. Contact us by email at
info@knowledgestart.com or call
us toll-free 877.650.0454.
Who We Are
KnowledgeStart is an employee development company which, for the past seven
years, has specialized in online training for its U.S. and global clients.
We are a leading provider of award-winning e-learning programs and platforms
that maximize learning, increase collaboration and retention, and improve
competitive edge. Over the years, we have excelled in
enhancing organizational and individual productivity in topics such as
Diversity and Inclusion,
Generational Differences,
Harassment Prevention,
Business Ethics, and
Substance Abuse Prevention.
KnowledgeStart understands that every decision made by your employees eventually
crosses someone's path somehow and can often have a "ripple effect" across your
entire organization. Even the smallest of decisions can have a BIG impact on
your company and the people around you. Your workplace is an incredibly
inter-connected environment.
Through this understanding and our collective skill sets and experiences with
leading companies, we are proud to deliver innovative approaches to employee
training, compliance, and outcome measurement software.
Visit our website:
http://www.knowledgestart.com
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