Practical Approaches for Workplace Integration - What Employers Can Do to Help and Hire

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Practical Approaches for Workplace Integration
-What Employers Can Do to Help and Hire

• Debra Perry
• Senior Specialist in Vocational Rehabilitation
• International Labour Office (ILO)

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Why help?

• Reduce economic drain
• Develop all human resources
• Design service that meet your needs
• Learn more about disability
• Good public relations
• Human rights and international standards

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R168 Specific Guidance for Employers
Organizations

• Advise members about
• VR services
• Work adjustments etc.
• The impact of production methods
• Cooperate with related bodies
• Promote participation of disabled workers on shop
  floor
• Propose policies and guidelines related to
  disability

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Why hire?

• All of the above, plus
• Find the best employees
• Reduce costs (e.g. recruitment, training,
  turnover)
• Abide by the law
• Take advantage of incentives
• Build employee morale
• Demonstrate fairness and positive business traits
• Diversity is good for business

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The Dupont Study (1958-1990)

• Safety
• Attendance
• Job Performance

Disabled workers are comparable to or better than
non-disabled employees with regard to
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Pre-Employment Assistance

• Educate Yourself
• Get to know disabled people
• Participate in disability awareness training
• Review labour laws and VR policies
• Review Codes of Practice and other publications
• Visit organizations of and for disabled persons,
  schools, etc.
• Learn about disability and how to relate to
  disabled people

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Get Involved
Provide on-the-job training and job try-outs
Participate on boards
Assist in developing market-driven training
Provide internships, work experience and
on-the-job assessments
Participate in partnerships
Provide lectures, advice or mock interviews
Provide workplace tours
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Employers Practical Approaches at Enterprise
Level

• Develop a workplace policy
• Remove architectural and communication barriers
• Provide disability awareness training for
  managers and staff
• Encourage disabled persons to apply
• Make work adjustments

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Work Adjustments
Any change to the work environment, job or work
practice that makes it possible for a worker with
disability to perform the job or perform it more
effectively.
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Examples of Work Adjustments (1)

• Making the facility accessible (e.g., adding a
  ramp, improved signage)
• Restructuring a job (e.g., giving a marginal
  function to another staff member)
• Altering when or how a job is performed (e.g.,
  completing a task sitting instead of standing)
• Offering a different work schedule (e.g.,
  different work hours to access transportation)

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Examples of Work Adjustments (2)

• Obtaining or modifying equipment or devices
• Providing special support measures (e.g.,
  additional training time for slow learner)
• Reassigning a worker to a new or vacant job
  (e.g., an injured worker to a less physically
  demanding job)
• Offering different modes of communication (e.g.,
  writing or demonstrating for the deaf, or
  providing braille labels or better signage for
  the visually impaired)

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The Type of Adjustment Depends on

• The individual
• The nature of the disability
• The job demands and requirements
• The work environment

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Disables people often face difficulties like

• Getting to work and getting to work on time
  (Transport)
• Getting inside and moving around the workplace
  (Physical Accessibilty)
• Using equipment tools and machinery necessary to
  perform work
• Communicating with supervisors, co-workers, and
  clients
• Fitting in and making friends

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Cost-Benefit of Adjustments

• No or negligible costs for many
• E.g. Sears and Roebucks, which hires 20,000
  disabled people found that 97 of adjustments
  cost little or no money (1972-1992)
• Many adjustments can benefit other employees or
  customers (e.g. ramps, better signage,
  uncluttered corridors)
• Some governments offer financial or tax
  incentives

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Getting Help

• 1. Publications
• 2. Internet Sites
• 3. Organizations of and for disabled persons
• 4. Government personnel
• 5. Consultants and experts
• 6. Disabled persons and employees

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Role in Promoting Self-Employment

• Help identify self-employment opportunities
• Review business plans
• Assist government workers who help disabled
  entrepreneurs
• Advocate for accessible marketplaces, etc.
• Serve as mentors to disabled entrepreneurs
• Provide contracts/work to disabled entrepreneurs
• Purchase products and services from disabled
  persons