Published on Dec 13 2023 at 5:57 p.m.
Although progress has been made, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities still reaches 12% in 2022, almost double that of the active population. The direct employment rate in private companies has stagnated at 3.5% for several years. By neglecting the skills of these workers in a labor market shortage, companies are depriving themselves of an exceptional pool of candidates.
Over the years, certain companies, associations and the public employment service have done remarkable work to highlight the inclusion of people with disabilities and facilitate their professional integration. But it is clear that on the ground, it is operational managers such as team leaders, plant managers or department heads, etc. who remain the real actors of inclusion.
On condition that they feel concerned and supported by a proactive company policy. In its “employment and disability” study, the Cercle Vulnerabilities and Society recalls that there is a gap in perception between managers who overestimate their organization’s commitment to disability and managers who, for a third of Among them, they do not know how to place this cause on the scale of the company’s priorities.
Insufficient level of maturity
There persists in fact a gap in maturity between general management and human resources who display noble intentions, and the reality on the ground where many reluctances remain. Lack of knowledge and prejudice among managers and work groups remain the main obstacles to hiring candidates with disabilities, with 67% of employers considering hiring people with disabilities to be “difficult”.
However, France has been able to create new tools such as the CDD springboard, the new reason for using temporary employment linked to the disabled worker status of the candidate, or even the adapted temporary work company to encourage employers to switch to the action. The singularities do not stop at the threshold of factories or offices. More than one in seven French people suffer from a disability-related pathology, and 85% of disabilities occur during working life. With more than 80% of invisible disabilities, we inevitably encounter them without knowing it in our organizations.
To break down false beliefs, it is essential to take action. To attract young talent, employers are ready to offer more flexibility or adopt new collaborative working methods. To retain their employees, some managers are able to deconstruct their traditional thought patterns to take into account the constraints of each individual in team organization. Why shouldn’t people with disabilities receive the same attention?
Physical layout
This simply requires taking into account the particularities linked to disability. Contrary to what one might believe, the physical layout of the position is rarely necessary. However, few companies go so far as to offer adaptation of functions or organization to disabled workers. How far are we willing to push the limits? It is crucial to move forward with pragmatism and humility for this to work. Let’s deconstruct the myth of the super employee and explore new pools of skills, even if it means training them.
Work situation, supported employment, Duoday and other initiatives help professionals plan for the integration of a person with a disability within their team. The European Week for the Employment of People with Disabilities (SEEPH) benefits from great visibility every year, but it is essential to maintain this mobilization throughout the year. The goal of full employment must benefit everyone. To obtain concrete results, let’s make inclusion a major national cause with the ambition to generate collective momentum.
Philippe Bouchard is Managing Director of Kliff by Randstad.
2023-12-13 17:28:02
#Opinion #Work #disability #intention #longer
