2003 is the European Year of Disabled People, but who’s noticing? Susan Scott-Parker examines why so few companies seem to be truly engaging with this key CSR issue, despite the clear business case for doing so.
It’s fair to say that in this, the European Year of Disabled People, the UK leads Europe in establishing disability as a business priority. Disability has come a long way since the early 90s, when legislation still failed to position disability as a discrimination issue on par with gender and race. It is also true that for a select few, disability is now truly on their corporate social responsibility agenda.
However, it is far too naive to say that on the whole, UK business is now reaping the benefits of a truly diverse workforce and a fully inclusive customer base.
The official unemployment rate for disabled people is still at least double that of the rest of the population. This is despite the powerful business case, some innovative partnerships, and the fact that companies are collaborating and learning from each other on this issue.
The truth is that when it comes to responding to the disability dimension of social responsibility, many corporations are only scratching the surface of good practice.
Barriers to action
Disability can seem too remote and ‘difficult’ to take on as a business imperative. Those who quietly mumble under their breath “it’s got nothing to do with me” seem to have a blind spot to the number of relatives and friends with diabetes for example, or dyslexia, or who are hard of hearing. Or, as a diversity manager recently asked me in Frankfurt, ‘would we offend people if we mention the word disability in our diversity strategy?’
It is estimated that one in four people is disabled or close to someone who is. We suspect the actual figures are even higher, especially when the many who do not disclose their disabilities are taken into account.
Another barrier – and a very significant one – is deep-rooted fear and prejudice. Only when the focus shifts from what we assume disabled people cannot do, to what they can do, will true engagement begin. Meeting disabled people face-to-face is fundamental to casting aside stereotypes. All too often disability related CSR activities link business with well-intentioned non-disabled intermediaries, not disabled people themselves.
Perhaps another reason why companies have yet to put the “D” into diversity is that other issues seem to be more pressing. Will the most expensive disability discrimination case thus far – £284,455 awarded in 2002 – be enough to convince CEOs of the need to act?
As the Disability Discrimination Act (1996) gains momentum in the lead-up to its extension on physical access in October 2004, and as legislation shifts across Europe, expectations of disabled employees, customers and stakeholders in the wider community will only continue to rise.
Customer Care
Companies cannot afford to ignore 8.6 million disabled UK customers with a £50 billion spend. Those that respond to this ever-growing consumer market often find that the adjustments needed benefit a greater audience than ever imagined.
Last year, for example, Barclays needed to make it easier for customers with learning difficulties to manage their finances. The bank commissioned the Employers’ Forum on Disability to produce an easy-to-read guide introducing the basics of managing money day-to-day. However, the guide proved useful to a whole range of potential customers – including those with English as a second language, people who dislike complex documents and even school leavers.
Three years ago a Forum associate who is a wheelchair user could not get into his local sports store. They fitted a ramp. Every year since he has spent more than £500 with them. Add his recommendations to friends and family and the ramp is outstanding value for money. Admittedly, it is not always that simple, yet still far too many organisations fail to see the business case for action.
Recruitment
While the law matters, the key driver in employing disabled employees should be the resulting improvements in efficiency, productivity and business success. The Royal Mail, for example, reports multi-million pound savings linked to becoming more efficient at making adjustments for disabled employees. They recognise the business imperatives – the immediate payoff being that disabled employees tend to have better attendance records, stay with employers longer and have fewer accidents at work than non-disabled employees.
Lloyds TSB has also gone beyond compliance – with real innovation in recruitment, training, retention and career development of disabled employees, as well as training of staff, focusing on both employee relations and customer service. An investment of £26.2 million over six years supports its disability strategy and is part of its broader commitment to CSR.
Centrica’s recruitment and retention of nearly 100 unemployed disabled people to permanent call centre jobs is also groundbreaking. By working in partnership with Jobcentre Plus, Centrica built opportunities for disabled people to work while initiating a best-practice method called Recruitment that Works. CIS, BT, Tesco and Guys and St Thomas Hospital NHS Trust are just some of the companies already adopting this approach.
As well as reaching previously untapped reserves of talent, the long-term payoff for a disability strategy includes enhanced reputation and brand loyalty – internally and from external stakeholders and customers.
Communication
Given what we know, it is surprising that companies with a genuine commitment to diversity continue not to address disability directly – and that those with a strong record in both CSR and disability reporting continue to miss a trick.
In July 2002, we launched the Global Inclusion Benchmark. For the first time, 50 top global social reports were examined to see if disability was mentioned, and to what extent. In only ten reports were disabled people truly visible as valued employees, customers and members of the community.
Most telling were the comments of companies after the results were released. Those who had a record for engaging on disability issues – and hadn’t reported this – were shocked they had failed to take the credit. Now other companies are using the benchmark to drive changes internally.
The benchmark will be conducted again this year; the expectation is that more reports will include reference to disability as an aspect of corporate social responsibility.
Few other issues touch on as many core CSR priorities – human rights, consumer rights, exclusion, health, stakeholder relationships, economic empowerment, digital divide – as disability. Leading companies should take the opportunity that the European Year provides to communicate the advantages that a progressive approach to disability can bring. Maybe then, those companies that still fail to engage will awake to this CSR elephant in the bedroom.
Susan Scott-Parker is chief executive of the Employers Forum for Disability www.employers-forum.co.uk
Briefing sound-bite: Maria Eagle, Minister for disabled people
“The European Year of Disabled People is about celebrating ability, about demonstrating the enormous contribution disabled people can and do make to society. We have come a long way, but the barriers that still face millions of people every day need to be challenged. The Year will give us all individually the opportunity to positively change our behaviour and attitudes to really make a difference to disabled people’s lives.
But I also want to encourage companies to contribute by supporting the Year in their area – businesses could offer mentoring opportunities or get involved in sponsoring European Year of Disabled People projects.
There are over 8.5 million disabled people in the UK with a collective spending power in excess of £45 billion. So getting involved in the Year is not only the right thing to do but it makes good economic sense too. Let’s make 2003 the year when equality for disabled people stops being an ideal and starts being a reality.
Together with funds from the European Commission, we recently announced funding totalling £2.3 million for 171 European Year projects across the UK to promote rights and participation of disabled people.”
COMMENTS