Questions & Answers
- Do we have to employ a certain number or proportion of disabled people?
- Will it cost us extra to employ someone with a disability?
- I don’t have time to support disabled employees – what is the benefit to me !
- Does an employee have to disclose their disability to their employer?
- We would like to support disabled job applicants but we have to ask every candidate the same questions at interview, otherwise we would contravene our Equal Opportunities policy.
These are the kind of questions that have cropped up regularly at our training sessions. We have helped employers to explore and understand the answers to these questions.
- Q: Do we have to employ a certain number or proportion of disabled people?
- A: No. Quotas do not exist in UK. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) exists to give every person with a disability the same opportunity to gain employment as anyone else with similar skills and experience. Back to top
- Q: Will it cost us extra to employ someone with a disability?
- A: The DDA requires employers to make “reasonable adjustments” to their premises, processes and procedures so that someone with a disability is not put at a disadvantage. Many such adjustments cost nothing at all and only require changes to normal practices; e.g. allowing extra time for disabled applicants to do assessment tests or reallocating certain parts of a job description to a colleague so that a disabled employee can concentrate on the tasks they are good at rather than struggling with those that may be difficult. Adjustment of attitudes are often the most important and helpful. For adjustments that do have a financial cost, grants can be made by government’s Access to Work scheme. For details contact the Disability Employment Advisor at your local Job Centre. Back to top
- Q: I don’t have time to support disabled employees – what is the benefit to me !
- A: Many employers report that, despite initial apprehension, there have been benefits to their businesses. First and foremost they have found committed and skilled staff. There is also the benefit of having a workforce that reflects the make up of society more closely, thereby bringing different ideas and experiences which help to meet business objectives more effectively. In addition, some of the adjustments made for employees with disabilities can be applied to the rest of the workforce e.g. creating written guidelines for an employee with autism can be used a useful induction tool for all staff. An emphasis on clear communication and instruction also has benefit for the whole workforce. Back to top
- Q: Does an employee have to disclose their disability to their employer?
- A: No. There is no requirement for anyone to disclose their disability. However if the disability is going to affect their work then there are advantages to both employee and employer if they do disclose. Employers are then able to make suitable adjustments that enable the employee to do their job effectively. Back to top
- Q: We would like to support disabled job applicants but we have to ask every candidate the same questions at interview, otherwise we would contravene our Equal Opportunities policy.
- A: By following the same process for every job applicant you are not taking into account an individual’s needs. This clearly promotes inequality of opportunity. (In fact, in public sector organisations the Disability Equality Duty requires employers to proactively promote equal opportunity even if this means providing more favourable treatment for people with disabilities). Back to top
These are the kind of questions that have cropped up regularly at our training sessions. We have helped employers to explore and understand the answers to these questions.
