For far too long employers were put off hiring people with disabilities because of the challenges which they thought that this would bring. Thankfully however in the current day we have great organizations like atWork Australia, and governmental agencies on-board, which are seeking to get more people with disabilities into work, and helping companies to integrate them. The reality is that there are some minor challenges which companies have to face, but in return for putting in this effort, they can be rewarded with some incredible talent for their business. Let’s take a look at some of the challenges which companies face, and why they are well worth going through.
Communication To Staff
It is always important to consider the range of disabilities which people may have before they apply for a job vacancy which you have. For example you may find that you have deaf people applying, blind people, autistic applicants or any other form of learning disability. With these applicants you may have to rethink the way that you communicate with them. For example you may have to invest in training documents with brail, video training, largely written information or interactive messaging so that you can properly communicate to all members of your team.
Accessibility
For those applicants who have serious mobility issues you may have to start looking at introducing accessibility measures to help them get around inside the business. Ramps, larger toilets, hand rails and wider doors are all considerations here. The key is to make working in the business as stress free as possible and increasing the accessibility measures is the perfect way to contribute towards that.
Integrating Staff
Sadly we still do see some disabled people go through a tough time with fellow colleagues, which is something that you should nip in the bud straight away. At the first sign that your new staff members are being mistreated because of their disability, the company should take serious action and educate staff members to prevent it from becoming the culture. We have come too far to let small minded individuals cause issues within the business.
Switching Up Human Resources
The large majority of the challenges which are faced by the business will be dealt with by the HR department. It is therefore imperative that the team there is knowledgeable about the potential disabilities of any applicants, and that they have a full understanding on how best to manage such members of staff.
Rewards For Facing The Challenges
The reality of the situation is that the ability to walk doesn’t impact your ability to sell well, the ability to see doesn’t mean that you will be the best accountant in town and the ability to hear won’t make you the best auditor. Disabilities of course will cause limitations to a person, but to suggest that they are not able to work at all is foolish and ultimately sees businesses losing out on some of the finest talent out there. The reward of facing these challenges and making changes is that the company can get the very best talent, and be proud of how diverse it is.
This is why facing those challenges is worthwhile.