One in ten businesses feel '˜ill-equipped' to support disabled workers

A survey by employment specialist Reed in Partnership and the charity Disability Rights UK found that 84 per cent of employers supported disabled people in their jobs and believed they made a valuable contribution to the workplace. However, the study also found that more than 12 per cent of employers were concerned that disabled people were more likely to take time off and that employers were ill-equipped to support disabled staff.

Although the poll of 300 recruitment, HR and management staff found they wanted to employ people with disabilities, the main concern was the cost of adapting equipment to accommodate them.

One in five employers said the cost of this equipment made it expensive to hire disabled people. Almost half said that additional funding for these adaptations would allow businesses to keep disabled people in employment.

The report is now urging the Government to step in to help businesses with these costs in order to half the disability employment gap (the difference between the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled people).

Liz Sayce, chief executive of Disability Rights UK, said: “With one in six of the population living with a health condition or impairment, employers are missing out on a huge number of talented people if they don’t recruit and retain disabled people. Disability and health issues are part of being human: we all need to accommodate difference.

“Disabled people also often bring assets like problem-solving, empathy and resilience to the workplace because of the challenges they have faced.

“We want to see employers work to create cultures in which people living with impairments or health conditions feel more confident to be open about what they need at work. We would also encourage senior colleagues who themselves live with health conditions or impairments to be open about their experiences and show that disability and health issues are an ordinary part of working life.”

The Disability and Employment report lists a number of recommendations to improve the employment rates for people with disabilities. These include the Government expanding its scheme to support businesses with the cost of adjustments, Access to Work, and increasing publicity of the scheme; the introduction of a ‘one-stop-shop’ to offer help and workplace solutions for people with disabilities and their employers; encouraging the incentivise employers to provide training in disability confidence to their line managers; and helping employers create cultures in which people living with impairments feel more confident to be open about what they need at work.

Martin Fallon, managing director of Reed in Partnership, added: “Everyone deserves to be able to participate equally. That is why it is concerning that one in 10 people in business told us their organisation wouldn’t be able to support someone with a disability.

“Disabled people are nearly four times as likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people. Increasing the number of disabled people in employment must be a national priority.

“I’m really proud of the work Reed in Partnership does to help people with disabilities and health conditions get back to work. Our Employment Advisers provide tailored support to enable disabled people to move into sustainable jobs. We see first hand the huge boost in confidence and self-esteem in someone who has been unemployed for a long time getting a job.”