Entering the new era post-Covid, Australia requires skilled workers to bring the economy back on track. Companies are facing a war for talent due to the lack of competent workers in various industries. Reports show that 18% of the people or 4.4 million of the Australian population fall under people with disabilities, and only 48% of the working-age adults are employed. Recruiting people with disabilities who are qualified, knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced would help solve this crisis and reduce the unemployment rate.
Why Must Companies Consider This Seriously?
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that 88% of the working-age employees with disabilities don’t require additional support from their employers, and 82% do not take time off work due to their disability. The companies that have taken the initiative to remove barriers for people with disabilities report increased productivity, lower recruiting costs, reduced turnover, and improved customer outreach. Companies with a strong inclusion program have had twice the higher net income and revenue and returned more to the shareholders than their counterparts. This makes them remarkable assets for any company, which is why they need to make their recruitment process more disabled-friendly.
Ways To Build Inclusion in the Recruitment Process
- Evaluate if the Company is Disability-Friendly
Historically, people with disabilities have had lower rates of employment, creating a huge talent gap. Companies must check if they have inclusive recruitment programs to welcome individuals with disabilities to close the gap and increase diversity. The management can look into the company’s employee statistics records to check their inclusiveness in people with disabilities. They can build relations with nonprofits and government agencies to evaluate if their company has the right infrastructure and work culture to welcome employees with disabilities. The first move is to establish a baseline and prioritize goals to allocate the resources strategically and track the progress as years pass by.
- Remove The Barriers
Companies that want to ensure that their recruitment procedure is disability-friendly must begin by reaching out to non-profits who work with disabled individuals and partnering with them. These organizations provide skills training to those in need to qualify for job opportunities in different industries. The management and HR can engage with their disabled and disabled community employees in different public channels for feedback about their experiences and the workplace facilities.
- Modify Job Adverts
Job advertisements that list non-essential skills as ‘requirements’ could intentionally or unintentionally create discrimination against potential applicants with disabilities. For example, if the employee’s identification must be done only through a driver’s license, it might be unfair against those who do not have one but are qualified for the job. The companies must ensure that their adverts don’t discourage working-age people with disabilities from applying for the job. They can make their career page and website easily accessible to potential candidates and modify the language of the eligibility criteria.
- Focus on Training
Creating an inclusive workplace environment and recruitment process means training and creating awareness among everyone who is involved. From staff and senior management to line managers, everyone must be involved in a series of training sessions to help imbibe the new inclusivity, etiquette and discuss its practical implications. Them understanding what accessible and inclusive hiring is and the workplace environment would impact significantly as they are the ones who would be working with the newly disabled employees.
Partnering with organizations that have leading specialists in recruiting people with disabilities is the best way to make the company disability-inclusive.