If you aren’t a diversity employer, you are missing out

Hiring people with a disability makes good business sense.

Disability can cover a wide range of situations:  deafness, sight impairment, physical infirmity, mental health disorders. None of these are a barrier to employment in themselves.

Employers soon learn that opening their workforce up to people with disability expands their choice, improves their staff profile and enhances the organisation image amongst the community.

In fact, hiring people with disability is a smart business move.

1. Hire for skills: When you stop seeing barriers based on disability, you open up a larger recruitment pool. This is a sensible move if you are having problems finding the right people now. Look for what people can bring to your organisation – not what they don’t bring.
2. Employee engagement: It is reported that hiring people with a disability contributes to improved morale and productivity.
3. Create brand ambassadors: Your employees are also your spokespeople – if you give someone a chance through employment, they will be quick to tell their community, through family and friends. They will spread the good word about your achievements. It’s a win-win: enthusiastic employees and great community relations.
4. Gain a loyal employee: Studies have shown that employee turnover rates are demonstrably less with people with disability. They become loyal and hardworking employees, who give their supervisors maximum support.
5. Lower your absentee rates: Experience of many organisations with employees with disability highlights that absentee levels of these staff members are actually less. They enjoy turning up to work and work hard when they are there. The other bonus is that research suggests there is also a lower incidence of workplace injuries.
6. Government assistance: There are various programs that give businesses monetary support when they hire people with disability. This could be simply to assist employers to modify the physical environment of the workplace to make a job more accessible. Ask CVGT to explain these opportunities and options.
7. Comply with employment law: Victorian law protects employees from discrimination in their employment including recruitment, workplace contracts, and dismissal processes.
8. Everyone benefits: By focusing on an employees ability the benefits are far reached and positively impact the individual employee, co-workers, the organisation, customers and families and careers.

These are only a few of the advantages of employing people with a disability. Contact CVGT on 13 CVGT (13 2848) to find out how you can become a smart employer.