Are your employees with disability too scared to ask for workplace adjustments?
Australian Disability Network
A membership based, for-purpose organisation that supports companies to advance the inclusion of people with disability.
Recent research by Australian Disability Network research found 56 per cent of employees with disability fear being treated differently by their managers or colleagues if they ask for a workplace adjustment.
However, based on 600 survey responses from people with disability and Australian employers, the Workplace Adjustments Report, entitled Getting Workplace Adjustments out of the “too hard basket,” also revealed the most common workplace adjustments that employees with disability requested or would like to request are inexpensive and benefit both employees and employers. They include:
93 per cent of organisations surveyed said equitable participation in the recruitment process was one of the great benefits of offering workplace adjustments and 84 per cent said offering adjustments gave them increased access to a broader talent pool.
“Workplace Adjustments are essential to increase the workforce participation rate of people with disability,” said Corene Strauss, CEO of Australian Disability Network.
“Unfortunately, workplace adjustments are not well understood, or they’re regarded as too difficult to implement. According to our research, 32 per cent of organisations said their managers had not received any training about workplace adjustments.
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“And 31 per cent of employers said they declined requests for workplace adjustments due to the costs of implementing. However, the research findings show that many of the workplace adjustments required by people with disability are inexpensive or have no cost at all to implement.”
The research breaks down the findings into three overarching themes – process, proactivity, and attitudes, and outlines seven critical factors for success of workplace adjustments.
These critical success factors translate the valuable insights from the research findings into tangible recommendations on how organisations can develop, improve, and sustain workplace adjustments policies, build the confidence and capability of managers, offer adjustments proactively to all employees, and as one employer said: “shift the mindset” about disability and employment.”
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4moIf the employee needs workplace adjustments, they are entitled to have them. If they don't have access to them, it could lead to burnout or chronic health problems.
Policy evaluation and research analyst | MPH MArts | views are own
4moConstantly faced with the decision to disclose or not disclose in an application, interview, or once I’ve secured the role. However, if they ask me to talk about how I plan and prioritise my work day, it will reveal my disability without disclosure. How my brain works and how my day pans out is stark contrast to neurotypical people. I’ve seen the look of horror as I talk about work sprints followed by creative free play. I’ve been told “that won’t work here” - as if sitting glued to one’s desk for 8 hours is an inherent requirement. I keep coming in second place, usually to a non-disabled person. Part time work is rare and then when those roles are created I’m competing with parents returning to the workforce - a reasonable adjustment for caring roles is usually provided no questions asked but as soon as I talk about my disability, it’s all too hard, despite the organisations credentials as an “accessible employer”. It’s not my disability that prevents me from working, it’s the attitudes, beliefs, and opinions of the employers and the people making hiring decisions. I’m tired - masking, pretending to be neurotypical, masking all takes significant effort that non-disabled people aren’t expected to perform.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead at McDonald’s Australia
5moPaul Shapter Jay Fagan
Director at Embrace Access | Making communication accessible
5moSome NDIS participants I support are completely deterred from looking for work because it is so effortful to ask employers for adjustments. One negative experience doing this can really scare people off the entire job search process, from what I have seen the in community as a speech pathologist to adults with ID. This article is an important one to get out there! Thanks Australian Disability Network