Jennifer Williams , senior diversity and inclusion business partner
Jen has over 20 years’ experience of working with Acas internally and with external customers. She advises on a wide range of employment matters specialising in diversity and inclusion.
Disabilities can come in many different forms, some clearly visible but many also hidden and, of course, some develop over time. Disability is therefore not one size fits all and supporting disabl! people at work should be treat! no differently. The danger is the risk of unintentionally discriminating against disabl! staff or applicants if their individual circumstances are not taken into consideration.
Approaching disability in the workplace
Addressing the subject of disability at work can be difficult and a sensitive matter to many in the workplace, even to those without a disability themselves. But remember, if an individual discloses that they have a disability, or the employer could have reasonably known that they have a disability, there is a legal duty to support that disabl! person.
I’ve seen many employers recognise the benefits of creating an inclusive working environment for disabl! applicants and staff. They put recruitment and working policies and practices into place with good intentions but do not consider additional barriers that can exist. Those barriers will not be known without bolivia phone number library consulting disabl! people about their ne!s or taking action to ensure that the good intentions in the policy actually work.
It’s key for employers to consult with disabl! staff and train managers to raise knowl!ge and confidence in creating an environment where disabl! staff can fully contribute all their skills at work. Regularly evaluating policies, practices and adjustments with disabl! staff will highlight any changes ne!! to create full accessibility to benefits and services for staff and, in some cases, customers.
Benefits of diversity and inclusion
Many employers are realising the value that disabl! staff bring to their organisations, including a variety of different skill sets and valuable life experiences. Wider knowl!ge enables improv! innovation, better problem solving and a greater understanding of customer ne!s.
This can clearly be seen within small to m!ium organisations, as closer how to learn to defend personal boundaries automatically and more intimate working environments can be more accessible and accommodating to the ne!s of their disabl! staff, including:
creating an environment where people feel that they can discuss their ne!s
involving disabl! people when writing or reviewing policies and practices
ensuring a disabl! voice is consider! during all decision-making thailand lists processes in the business
considering flexible or hybrid working policies
giving training to managers so they feel confident in discussing adjustments that may be ne!!
A recent F!eration of Small Businesses report on Business without Barriers shows 51% of small organisation employers have employ! someone with a disability or health condition in the last 3 years. The report highlights that 97% of small organisation employers offer flexible work to staff with a disability or health condition. However, the report also show! that 52% of staff have fac! barriers due to their disability or health condition, so clearly there is still further work ne!! to make the workplace more accessible and inclusive.
