A new initiative in Wales has seen the issue of helping disabled people into work has hit the headlines this week.
Part of the Disability Confident campaign, which was launched in London last year by the Prime Minister, the new series of conferences are aimed at bringing business leaders, and community leaders as well as potential employees, together to discuss the issue of disability and employment. The event is currently taking place in Cardiff, and already it has seen some of the countries biggest employers attending. Simon Weston, Falklands veteran and businessmen in his own right, is fronting the series of conferences.
The idea behind the campaign is to bring about a situation where employers feel more confident when recruiting and retaining disabled people in Wales. There are currently nearly a quarter of a million registered disabled people of working age in the country who are not in work. This is obviously a problem, and it’s great to see employers turning up to help the campaign and to work with people who can enlighten them on the benefits of employing more disabled people.
Simon Weston has gone on record as stating that employers can derive huge benefits from employing disabled people. His view is that disabled people can actually make some of the most determined workers. He also believes they work harder in some cases to bring about business orientated results.
Huge cost to employers if they ignore disabled workers
Perhaps the most telling comment from Simon in this article comes about when he discusses the cost employers could face it they do not actively investigate recruiting more disabled people:
“To overlook the skills and talents of people because they have a physical or mental disability could ultimately cost you money.”
While it is most certainly not the case at all that employers everywhere turn away from the possibility of employing disabled people, there is always room for more education and more information for employers to use when making decisions. Employing disabled people can, as Mr Weston says, add more value to your business. It’s just a question of ensuring that every employer knows his or her options in this area.
How can businesses find this information and become educated on this topic? You can do your own research, there’s tons of information online.
Or you can talk to me here at The Life Coach Station, where I can give you a quick lowdown on aspects and requirements around hiring disabled people, and even some insight on the benefits of doing this.
Disabled people can bring a lot of benefits to any business or organisation. But if, as this article is saying, jobseekers themselves are seeing employers attitudes as barriers to work, there is surely a huge need for a different way of thinking.
Want to learn more about he.helping disabled people into work?
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