Disability | Employers urged to tackle 'disability employment crisis'

Belief in the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) agenda has rocketed over the last few years.

Now, it is viewed as a core part of HR strategy – led by an understanding that diverse workforces breed better creativity and, ultimately, a better grasp of their customers. While having a cognitively diverse workforce will enable businesses to tackle challenges effectively if and when they arise, it seems that some employers are excluding certain groups from entering the workforce – mainly due to concerns over how they can accommodate for these employees.

Recent YouGov research revealed that half of the businesses surveyed said that it was easier to recruit a non-disabled candidate than a candidate with a disability. Additionally, four in ten HR decision-makers said that their Board rarely discusses disability which demonstrates that it isn’t deemed enough of a priority. So, Virgin Media and the disability equality charity, Scope, are calling on businesses to pledge to tackle the UK’s ‘disability employment crisis’.

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“It has been in a stagnant position for some time…and I think some of the statistics that we have seen are quite astonishing,” explained Janina Vallance, Executive Director of People and Change at Scope. To tackle the so-called disability employment crisis – and to encourage employers to see the talent resting in this untapped pool – Virgin Media and Scope launched the #WorkWithMe pledge earlier this year which has, so far, been backed by global brands such as Philips and JCB. The initiative is sought to bring businesses together to improve workplace practices to support the million disabled people gain the skills and confidence to break into the employment world. Catherine Lynch, Chief People Officer at Virgin Media, said: “I want other HR practitioners to take action and sign up to the pledge so that we can help this disability crisis together and release the talent into the workplace, as well as making our employee base representative of the world we all live in. It feels frankly shocking in today’s day and age that we have got the gap to the extent that we have.”