Every summer businesses search far and wide to find reliable, hard working employees, and this year a new initiative by the provincial government is pushing employers to consider the benefits of hiring people with disabilities, saying it鈥檚 a workforce that remains relatively untapped.聽
According to Statistics Canada, in 2012, about 3.8 million Canadians, or 13.7 per cent of the population, reported being limited in their daily activities due to a disability.
Locally, that means there are about 600 residents in Jasper who have some form of disability, ranging from pain and mobility issues to psychological and physical limitations.
鈥淧eople with disabilities are underrepresented in the workforce,鈥� said Daniel Pisterzi, a workforce consultant for Prospect, a human services company that specializes in identifying individuals or groups of people who face employment barriers.
鈥淭here鈥檚 still so many assumptions and biases about people with disabilities, so it鈥檚 important to drive home that people with disabilities are able. It鈥檚 about focusing on their skills and what someone can bring to your organization instead of focusing on what people can鈥檛 do.鈥�
Pisterzi was in Jasper with another colleague last week giving a two-hour presentation at the Jasper Adult Learning Centre about the benefits of building an inclusive workplace.
The workshop coincided with the launch of a new program called DiverseAbilities run by the learning centre and funded by Alberta Human Services.
The program intends to help people with long-term disabilities find meaningful work and to connect employers with one of the largest untapped workforces in Canada.
In attendance for the presentation were more than two-dozen representatives from various businesses and nonprofit organizations in the community, including Mountain Park Lodges, SnowDome Coffee Bar and HIV West Yellowhead.
The interactive presentation focused on understanding and challenging people鈥檚 assumptions about disabilities, the competitive advantages of hiring a person with a disability and disability etiquette.
According to Pisterzi, the biggest assumption employers make about people with disabilities is that they can鈥檛 do a specific task or job.
鈥淓very disability has a range so it鈥檚 really important to focus on the individual, not the disability,鈥� he said.聽
鈥淪tudies resoundingly say that people with disabilities are as productive or more so than anyone else.鈥�
According to one study, actively hiring people with disabilities can reduce turnover and related costs because 72 per cent of people with disabilities have higher retention rates and fewer absences than average employees.
Further proof of this fact comes from Marriott International, which conducted its own study and found turnover for employees with disabilities was only six per cent compared to 52 per cent for non-disabled staff.
According to the provincial government, the cost of replacing an employee, including direct and indirect costs, is between 70 and 200 per cent of the employee鈥檚 salary.
Another assumption employers often make is that accommodating someone with a disability is too expensive.
鈥淢ost accommodations are actually free,鈥� said Pisterzi, explaining the easiest accommodation is simply changing someone鈥檚 schedule.
鈥淭he point is that we鈥檙e already doing it. You鈥檙e already accommodating people with disabilities in your workforce whether you know it or not and/or accommodating other people without disabilities, such as people who take a smoke break or people who have to leave early to pick up their kids. These are all different kinds of accommodations we鈥檙e already making.鈥�
Pisterzi went on to explain that the few occasions where a more substantial accommodation is required it typically costs less than $500 and the benefit usually means a reduction in employee turnover.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a study in the United States that found that for every dollar spent on an accommodation an employer would receive $10 to $35 dollars as a return on investment,鈥� said Pisterzi.
In addition to the direct financial benefits, there are numerous indirect benefits associated with hiring people with disabilities, including becoming an employer of choice and increasing workplace morale, productivity and safety.
鈥淧eople will want to work for you if you鈥檙e an inclusive employer,鈥� said Paul Marken, a project manager for Prospect.
鈥淚t shows that the company cares for its employees and they鈥檙e provided for, which also extends to recruiting and retaining the best talent available.鈥�
