USING DISABILITY INCLUSION TO DRIVE TALENT RETENTION AND REDUCE CONFLICT
What comes to mind when you think about people with disabilities within your company? Do you think there are many, or only a few? Do you view disability access and inclusion issues as a matter of legal compliance? Workforce development? A powerful engine to accelerate your company’s growth and success? Do you think of supporting employees’ access needs as a natural and normal part of managing people, or as a burdensome exception to the rule?
Organisations should embrace a simple yet powerful mindset shift around employees with disabilities. View them as valuable talent to be attracted, retained and developed.
There are more people with disabilities in the workforce than you may think. A recent comprehensive study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that although most workplaces report that 4 to 7 percent of their employees have a disability, as much as 25 percent of the workforce self-identifies as having a disability or health condition that limits a major life activity. If your company is average, this means that as many as 20 percent of your employees may need, but are not currently receiving, accommodations or other support that would help them thrive and deliver value. And it means that as many as 20 percent of your employees do not feel comfortable talking about this major aspect of their day-to-day experience in the workplace.
A culture of silence around disability leads to worse outcomes for everyone, up to and including employment litigation. In the US, that silence often begins with a company’s overly strict adherence to the letter of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) out of fear of triggering harassment or discrimination litigation.
Jan-Mar 2024 issue
Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum, LLP