Workplaces are still not as inclusive for disabled people as they need to be and employees are still waiting too long for the adjustments they need to reduce or remove the barriers they experience in their jobs, a new survey shows.
The survey is the work of the Business Disability Forum, which describes itself as the leading business membership organisation in disability inclusion, working in partnership with business, government and disabled people to remove barriers to inclusion. Their 500+ members employ over 20% of the UK workforce and an estimated 8 million people worldwide.
One of the major themes of the latest findings is that adjustments are only one part of the experience for disabled employees who reported a range of other issues in the survey, including bullying and harassment, limited career and development opportunities, inaccessibility of programmes and initiatives intended to support wellbeing, and wider inaccessibility of buildings and systems. Only slightly less than a fifth (18 per cent) said their adjustments removed all barriers in the workplace.
However things are improving slowly as Getting adjustments is four per cent faster than the last time a similar survey was done in 2019, and managers, who play a key role in the adjustments process, are showing more confidence in approaching disability too. 64 per cent of managers who completed the survey said they are very confident to have a conversation with an employee who tells them they have a disability or a health condition, and 81 per cent said it is a lot easier to make adjustments.
Find out more about the survey? and see the full survey results..
