Many employers say they're "inclusive" now, but words aren’t enough

Scanning a job search site during my last job hunt, I noticed a slew of ads describing workplaces as “inclusive” – and encouraging applicants with disabilities to apply.

It seemed encouraging. But once I scratched the surface, it quickly became apparent some companies weren’t as inclusive as they’d have you believe. Most didn’t ask about any accessibility needs during the interview process. Some had mandatory work-from-the-office rules in buildings without accessible entries or toilets. As someone who’s immunocompromised and lives with an invisible disability, those omissions were red flags.

All of which made me wonder: what can employers do to ensure inclusion is more than a buzzword at their company?

I asked two experts what real inclusion looks like and how employers can work towards better recruitment and retention practices for employees with disability.

“Not doing enough”

While there’s more awareness of disability among employers than there once was, Australian employers are still “not doing enough” to be truly inclusive, says Daniel Valiente-Riedl, general manager at JobAccess, Australia’s national hub for workplace information around disability.

In Australia, just 60.5% of working-age people with disability are in the labour force, compared to 84.9% of people without disability. 

While the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows that this gap is moving in a positive direction and we have come a long way in the past four years, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

What’s more, a February 2023 survey found that while most (53%) Australia HR professionals use inclusive language in job advertisements, just 11% of HR professionals have actually set employment targets to improve the share of people who identify as having a disability.

Going beyond “token gestures”

While it might feel confronting to honestly assess what your workplace could do better on disability inclusion, Dane Cross wants employers to know that “taking the first step often begins with introspection”.

The senior advisor for Access and Advocacy with Spinal Life Australia, says that means “looking internally at your own environment, your current workplace – recruitment, workplace practices – and identifying areas of improvement” that go beyond “token gestures”.

Fostering a culture of inclusivity starts at the top, so disability awareness training for all staff, including managers, is essential, he says: “This helps break down misconceptions and biases.” 

Those old misconceptions about disability, Mr Valiente-Riedl says, include that people with disability “are unemployable; that they can only do remedial work; and if you get them employed, that you won't progress their career as much as you will progress a carrier of somebody without a disability.”

Currently, fewer than half of Australian HR professionals (43%) say their company offers diversity training, so most companies could do better on this front.

Overcoming the “fear factor” around workplace modifications

Many employers could also benefit from learning more about workplace modifications.

“I think that's one of the fear factor elements for employers when looking to employ someone with disability,” says Mr Cross.

Mr Valiente-Riedl agrees: “Employers still have this perception that modifications and adjustments are really difficult to do – but they’re not.”

Workplace modifications are free for employers, as the Australian Government provides funding through the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) to cover the costs of making workplace changes.

“You also have to consider that 90% of people with disabilities… may not require any modification at all, or they may just require some flexibility of work,” says Mr Valiente-Riedl. 

Other modifications are quick and easy to implement: An adapted keyboard for someone with arthritis, a large screen for visually impaired workers, for example.   

JobAccess provides free and confidential advice on workplace adjustments to employers and people with disability. Meanwhile, Spinal Life Australia runs the EnABLED Business program, which provides one-on-one mentoring and disability awareness training to businesses around Queensland and Western Australia.

“Programmes like ours, work with businesses to hold their hand through the process” of employing workers with disability, says Mr Cross. “And at the end of the day, it does help them realise that it's actually not as difficult as some people perceive it to be.”

Don’t miss out on the value workers with disability can add

Finally, Mr Valiente-Riedl wants employers to realise that workers with disabilities add real value to an organisation.

“Because people with disabilities are continuously innovating – they have to adapt to a world that is a world that is not adapted to them – they always think outside of the square,” he says. 

“If we don't have people with disabilities across the board and across organisations, we are actually missing opportunities as a country and as a business.”