Dealing with Disability Problems in Workplaces
In the United States, 34.9% of people living with disabilities are employed as compared to 76% of their counterparts. This translates to one in three people living with disabilities are employed, and the disparity is still on the rise. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the bottom line of these statistics is that it is believed that people living with disabilities have lower work performance as compared to individuals without a disability. This raises concerns about how employers should handle situations where performance problems might be related to an employee’s disabilities. If an employee living with a disability is deemed incompetent, the employer is left in a challenging situation on how to deal with it. However, there are various ways employers could adopt when dealing with such conditions (Bonaccio, Connelly, Gellatly, Jetha, & Ginis, 2019). For example, developing a disability-friendly working environment.
Employee capabilities and performance at work are, in a way, influenced by the working environment. A conducive working environment enhances excellent performance from employees. Therefore, employers would effectively deal with situations in which performance problems might be related to an employee’s disability by developing an informed and disability-friendly working environment. This can be achieved right from the induction process whereby the disabled employee, the management, and other employees are aware of the relevant reactions. Other employees should also be trained on how to interact with the disabled employees to provide a friendly environment for them, thus enhancing better performance.
A real-world example is in the situation when a learning disability keeps mixing messages for ‘K. Fischer’ and ‘T. Fischer’ in his message delivery role. This may cause performance problems. If the employer or the management realizes this disability, they can deal with it by instructing the receptionist to write full first names for messages concerning the Fischers (Lindeman, 2018).
Additionally, a friendly working environment can be achieved by slight adjustments in office settings. For example, rearrangement of the office furniture and equipment to allow easy movement or disabled employees. Consequently, adaptive keyboards and mice can be installed for employees with limb disabilities. This increases their level of competency in the workplace.
An employer hires a more competent employee in terms of productivity and their drive towards achieving the organizational; goals and objectives. With the various strategies put in place by the employers to provide a disability-friendly environment, disabled employees should not receive a “free pass” to perform any less competent than the non-disabled employees. However, they should use the advantage of the conducive environment to be competent in their roles. This is a sensitive topic of diversity that employers and managers should consider the human rights of disabled persons. For example, one of the critical considerations is the right for inclusivity in formal, informal, and social events.
Reference:
Bonaccio, S., Connelly, C. E., Gellatly, I. R., Jetha, A., & Ginis, K. A. (2019). The Participation of People with Disabilities in the Workplace Across the Employment Cycle: Employer Concerns and Research Evidence. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(2), 135-158. doi:10.1007/s10869-018-9602-5
Lindeman, D. (2018, May 25). Dealing with Performance Issues for Disabled Employees. Retrieved June 04, 2020, from https://www.hrexchangenetwork.com/employment-law/columns/dealing-with-performance-issues-for-disabled-emplo