Fifty Percent of Businesses Do Not Report Disability Numbers

The results of a recent survey carried out by the organization GRiD have been released and it has discovered that approximately a percent of businesses who are employing members of the workforce are seemingly not transparently communicating the number of members of the workforce who are currently on their respective business payrolls.    

Survey Sample?

As the majority of the population is probably aware, the success and failure of a survey rest very often upon the size of the sample taken, the questions which are posed by the survey investigators, and the answers provided to the inquiries in the survey. This particular survey was no exception and the organizers approached over five hundred influential persons who were predominantly employed in Human Resource departments for their views on members of the workforce who have disabilities. 

Our Survey Said…?

The results of the survey is very much of interest to business leaders, those specializing in the recruitment of staff, and persons in management positions responsible for the retention of staff and the management of the workforce because those persons who responded to the survey put forward the following somewhat alarming statistics: 

• as alluded to in the main headline of this article, the percentage of those businesses who have made decisions to take staff on have for one reason or another made the choice not to communicate, notify or disclose the amounts of persons who are afflicted by disabilities in their respective workforces. 
   
• the survey also discovered that approximately just over percent of those businesses approached for their opinion carrying out reporting activity on those affected by disabilities in their workforce and communicating to the investigators conducting the survey the reasoning behind why they take such an approach in this seemingly crucial area. Those who responded to the survey appeared to suggest that they followed this course of action because they had the specific aim of the organization.
   
• percent of businesses who decided to supply answers to the survey investigators communicated the purpose behind the collection of such key information and what they had used it for. This relatively small demographic claimed that they were utilizing the information collected during the survey process to monitor to a close extent the headway, advancement, and forward momentum they were making on the inclusion of disabled persons employed in the workforce. 
   
• just one-fifth of those approached and requested to provide their opinion answered in the affirmative that they used the information gathered to enlighten themselves on practices relevant to the attraction and employment processes of new members of staff
   
• approximately percent of those survey respondents who submitted responses to the respective questions appeared to suggest that they were utilizing the data they had collected to make improvements in the way their organizations oversee, handle and control members of the workforce both from an individual and a collective basis and 
   
• most starkly of all the views which were put forward was the misconception that reporting those affected by disabilities was the strict legal requirement to provide members of the workforce with reasonable adjustments in relation to their particular disability. 

Way Forward? 

Around seventy percent of those approached for a response made it clear their view regarding the proportion of the workforce who were classed as having a physical or mental impairment impacting their ability to carry out their day to day activities and believed that clear communication regarding those affected may assist with the narrowing of the disability disparity. Many were hopeful that such an approach may result in less sharp employment practices.       

ASSESSING FIRMS

#Allen&Overy #BakerMcKenzie #HerbertSmithFreehillsLLP #LewisSilkin #MishcondeReya #Simmons&Simmons #AddleshawGoddard #CliffordChanceLLP #CMS #DACBeachcroftLLP #EvershedsSutherlandLLP #LinklatersLLP #TaylorWessing #TraversSmith #Bird&Bird 

THE ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN USING THE FOLLOWING SOURCES 

[SOURCE 1] Cholteeva, Yoana – Half of the employers do not report on the number of employees with disabilities, research shows – People Management – 1 December 2022 - Half of the employers do not report on the number of employees with disabilities, research shows (peoplemanagement.co.uk)

[SOURCE 2] Thethi, Neha – Preventing disability discrimination in the workplace – People Management – 15 July 2022 - Preventing disability discrimination in the workplace (peoplemanagement.co.uk)

[SOURCE 3] Cholteeva, Yoana – Workplace bullying claims hit a record high, data shows – 11 July 2022 – People Management - Workplace bullying claims hit record high, data shows (peoplemanagement.co.uk)

[SOURCE 4] Cholteeva, Yoana – Mandatory reporting will not close disability employment gap, research says – People Management - 3rd May 2022 - Mandatory reporting will not close disability employment gap, research says (peoplemanagement.co.uk)

[SOURCE 5] Equality Act 2010