Disability Confident guide to help managers recruit, retain and develop people with a disability or health condition in the workplace. This new tool, which has been developed by Disability Confident (an initiative which encourages employers to think differently about disability) and the Chartered Institute of Personal Development, aims to ensure employers and employees get the most from the Government’s Disability Confident scheme, to boost disability employment and reduce the disability employment gap.
The new guide provides managers with information on a range of topics, including:
The guide flags the importance of the managers being knowledgeable about their organisation’s framework for managing people with a disability or health condition and understanding their role within that framework. It includes useful links to other resources which provide further information for managers, such as ACAS, the EHRC, disability charities, the HSE and government schemes (such as the Access to Work scheme).
According to official statistics, there are currently around 9.5 million people of working age with a disability in the UK, and yet only 5.1 million of them are in work. The DWP recognises that this represents a huge pool of untapped talent which businesses cannot afford to ignore, particularly in view of the ageing population and the likelihood that a greater proportion of the workforce will develop a health condition or disability. With this in mind, we recommend that employers encourage their managers to carefully review this new guidance and consider providing further specialist training on how to support disabled people and those with health conditions within the workplace. Make UK can provide these services - please contact us for further information.
If you are a Make UK subscriber, you can also speak with your regular adviser and/or access further information in our HRL Resources.
If you are not a Make UK subscriber, you can contact us for further support on this topic or to access our resources please click here for information on how we can help your business.
The new guide provides managers with information on a range of topics, including:
- why employing disability people makes good business sense;
- the vital role managers play in creating an inclusive working environment to attract and retain valuable skills and talent;
- an overview of the law relating to disability in the workplace, including the importance of ensuring fair treatment for colleagues and advice for managers on identifying appropriate workplace changes or adjustments to support employees with a disability or health condition;
- language and behaviour (for example, the guidance flags the campaign by disability charity Scope to “End the Awkward”, which aims to help people feel more comfortable about disability);
- recruitment, managing new starters, career progression and retaining talent;
- disclosure of information about a disability or long-term health condition and the importance of confidentiality;
- managing sickness absence (including guidance on fit notes and working with occupational health);
- supporting those with specific disabilities and long-term health conditions in the workplace (such as long-Covid, mental health, learning difficulties, neurodiversity, and visual and sensory impairment); and
- employees leaving the business or organisation (for example, handling exit interviews and dismissal, including redundancy processes and criteria).
The guide flags the importance of the managers being knowledgeable about their organisation’s framework for managing people with a disability or health condition and understanding their role within that framework. It includes useful links to other resources which provide further information for managers, such as ACAS, the EHRC, disability charities, the HSE and government schemes (such as the Access to Work scheme).
According to official statistics, there are currently around 9.5 million people of working age with a disability in the UK, and yet only 5.1 million of them are in work. The DWP recognises that this represents a huge pool of untapped talent which businesses cannot afford to ignore, particularly in view of the ageing population and the likelihood that a greater proportion of the workforce will develop a health condition or disability. With this in mind, we recommend that employers encourage their managers to carefully review this new guidance and consider providing further specialist training on how to support disabled people and those with health conditions within the workplace. Make UK can provide these services - please contact us for further information.
If you are a Make UK subscriber, you can also speak with your regular adviser and/or access further information in our HRL Resources.
If you are not a Make UK subscriber, you can contact us for further support on this topic or to access our resources please click here for information on how we can help your business.