High work quality

While a job means a lot to most people, it can be even more important for a disabled person given the disability employment gap (5 in 10 disabled adults are in work, compared to 8 in 10 non-disabled adults).

By helping disabled people thrive in an environment where they can bring their whole selves to work, employers can benefit from highly motivated employees offering high work performance and reliability.

For example, a report by the Institute for Corporate Productivity showed that companies found employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be just as good as, or even better than, others in terms of work quality, attendance and motivation.

Improved workplace culture and morale

Providing an inclusive workplace culture and fair employment opportunities improves the morale of all staff. A wider range of experiences helps employees develop more empathy for customers and each other, boosting team performance and productivity.

Lower employee turnover

Organisations with a positive and inclusive approach to managing disability can benefit from increased loyalty and commitment from staff. This means reduced staff turnover and lower recruitment and training
costs.

Financial and performance benefits

Research by Accenture has shown that companies that hire disabled people tend to outperform others, with higher productivity, revenues and profit margins. Employees with disabilities can draw on their unique experiences to help identify innovative improvements to products, services and processes, which can attract a wider pool of customers.

It makes commercial sense to build a team that reflects the customer base. An estimated 16 million people in the UK have a disability. Disabled customers and their families wield significant purchasing power, known as the ‘purple pound’, contributing £274 billion annually to the economy.

If you provide equipment and services to help disabled employees do their jobs, as the law encourages, these do not count as taxable benefits, you don’t have to report them to HMRC and you don’t pay tax or National Insurance on them.

A wider talent pool

A huge 1 in 5 of the working-age population has a disability. This makes for a wide talent pool that businesses can’t afford to ignore against the backdrop of an aging population and chronic skills shortages.

Employers compete with each other to hire the best candidates, so the employer that casts their net as wide as possible will reap the rewards.

Lead the way

It is no longer enough just to know that disability discrimination is unlawful. The way to provide equal job opportunities to all deserving candidates is to create inclusion.

Play your part by creating inclusive recruitment and retention practices and set a real-life example to other businesses of the multiple benefits you reap by doing so.

Developing a Disability Inclusive Workforce - an employer guide

The Disability Inclusion Guide explains the benefits of hiring disabled employees and is packed full of information and resources on how to:

• support new and existing disabled employees
• ensure your recruitment process does not exclude people based on disability
• talk about disability in an inclusive way
• learn about different disabilities and conditions
• become a disability confident employer
• develop the best team possible

DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE HERE >

Want to learn more?

• Ensure you have an accessible and inclusive recruitment process
• Disability inclusion: language and behaviour - dos and don'ts
• Guidance on specific disabilities and conditions
• The Employer Guide to Supported Internships

For more information and support, contact the Workforce Skills Team at Buckinghamshire Business First:

email: WorkforceSkills@bbf.uk.com

call: 01494 927130