Realising potential ñ Disability Confidence builds better business

Companies that manage disability as a human resources priority will see improved performance across the organisation, according to a new publication from the Employers’ Forum on Disability.

ëRealising potential ñ Disability Confidence builds better businessí illustrates that if disability is viewed as part of a flexible working agenda, business will see reduced health and safety costs, reduced sickness absence and improved employee morale.

The 20-page document, produced with the support of InterContinental Hotels, draws on a wealth of research by different organisations and shows that managers who become ëdisability confidentí gain technical skills in areas such as people management, accessibility and usability.

Employers’ Forum on Disability chief executive Susan Scott-Parker says: ìIt is important that, for the benefit of business and the wider community, disability is managed alongside other components of increasingly varied working lives.

ìOver a third of UK businesses have hard to fill vacancies, and yet 3.4m disabled people remain out of work.

ìThis is despite the fact that 43.7 per cent of disabled Europeans say they could work if employers made adjustments.

ìFlexibility and reasonable adjustments will be increasingly needed if business is to build a sustainable, innovative workforce and cut the high costs associated with premature retirements.î