Why it makes good business sense to hire people with disabilities

Hiring people with disabilities makes good business sense for many reasons. There are some changes that companies need to make in terms of setting up support like infrastructure facilities and building greater sensitization before it sets about to do so.

These take time but are well worth the effort and thought go into it. Apart from Corporate Social Responsibility, hiring disabled people also has a positive impact on the business as a whole besides creating a truly diverse workplace.

So, what are the some why some companies must proactively seek to hire people with disabilities?

• Every organization needs people with different perspectives to grow. People with disabilities bring that a certain kind of thinking or attitude that may otherwise get overlooked.
• People with disabilities remain an untapped potential so far. They have the ability, patience and drive to work hard and achieve their goals. They are looking for opportunities to prove themselves at a work situation.
• There are certain roles that people with disabilities are especially suited for. They can fill this space. Like there are certain roles in the retail industry that have been found to be very suited to disabled employees.

The very nature of the retail industry has opened a big opportunity for creating jobs for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in our country. Out of the various roles identified in the retail industry, almost 31 roles were mapped to people with locomotor and speech and hearing disabilities, thus creating an opportunity to engage millions of such youth within the industry.- B S Nagesh, Founder, TRRAIN

• Companies that hire disabled employees can claim tax incentives for any infrastructure changes they make to accommodate disabled employees. These fall within the space of assisted or adaptive technology. The National Policy for Persons with Disabilities provides incentives and awards to private sector employers for ensuring that at least 5% of their workforce is made up of people with disabilities.
• Different studies have shown that turnover is significantly lower in people with disabilities. This is deal for organizations as they seek to establish high retention rates. This way they can save on hiring and training costs by inducting more people with disabilities.
• People with disabilities also report lower absenteeism rates. They are focused on the job and they tend to be more satisfied with their jobs causing them to be regular at work.

ALSO READ: Tips for interviewing people with disabilities

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