Disabilities in the workplace

Australia’s workforce is always changing and in particular in this current climate. Many industries are in significant skill shortage and employers are in the market to now to hire a range of diverse skills, especially in growth areas. 

Employers now need to recruit, build teams and increase the talent with disabilities. As an employer are you thinking about what you can do to support the disability sector? Diversity and inclusion involves more that just ticking a box, supporting people’s ‘abilities’, motivates organisations to drive that growth, innovation, brand awareness and profitability. 

Is it our job as recruiters to have these conversations with hiring managers about the positive impact they can make to the wellbeing of their staff, assisting to provide a diverse and inclusive workplace. According to an article from HRD, Australia is ranked 21 out of 29 OECD countries when it comes to individuals with disability. This article goes on to state that 70% of individuals with disabilities are of working age, and are able to work and want to find jobs that allow them to develop and gain the important skills to be in the corporate world. 

In the last year, particularly in the tech sector we have seen a growth in the diversity of recruitment hires, in particularly companies such as IBM, ANZ and Telstra who have partnered with organisations to hire neurodiverse jobseekers, according to Paul Brown , CEO of Jigsaw. 

Individuals with disabilities are valuable members of the team and bring dedication and commitment to their roles. Skills like attention to detail, reliability and productivity are key skills we look for in any jobseeker. According to multiple studies there are significant benefits to hiring staff with disabilities. 

Employees with disability are: 

• Reliable— individuals with disabilities have higher retention rates and take fewer days off. Absenteeism and sick leave for employees with disability can be as low as 34 per cent of the cost incurred by their colleagues
• Affordable— Individuals with disabilities have fewer compensation incidences than most employees 
• Productive—individuals with disabilities perform equally as well as other employees. 
• Good for business—individuals with disabilities connect and build deep relationships with customers and team members. Teamwork is heightened and so is staff morale. Cost saving are foreseen by reduced staff turnover, training costs and re-employment. Having diversity in the office boosts creativity and community. 

Jobseekers with disabilities bring a range of abilities to the workplace. It’s important for hiring managers to look at areas of the business where growth is needed. These conversations are important to have internally to educate staff on the importance of inclusion in the workplace. Boosting the workplace with employees that bring a range of skill sets and ability increases the workplace morale in particularly in today’s world.