Large enterprises have a unique opportunity due to their size, scale and capabilities. As a large enterprise, you are often the employer of thousands of people. This means that you have a direct opportunity to be an ethical, inclusive and accessible employer. Doing so can bring great benefits to you, potential employees and the employment market at large.

Too many disabled people are left out of jobs due to stereotyping and mismanagement. The pool of unemployed disabled people in the U.K. is filled with talent and skilful individuals ready to bring value to your enterprise. Leaving them behind is a big business mistake.

On this page, we at Careers with Disabilities want to tell you a bit more about the benefits for a large enterprise of employing disabled people. We believe in the power of the disabled community and we want to help connect everyone for a better future. If you are considering becoming more inclusive as a company, keep reading to find out why we think that is an excellent idea. 

Socially Responsible Image

By making your company accessible and inclusive, you are advertising your company as a socially responsible enterprise.

Studies show that the public prefers and is even more likely to purchase services or products from a company that hires disabled staff. In addition to this, non-disabled employees will recognise your businesses as having a supportive and accommodating workplace. This can lead to an influx in applications to your enterprise’s job postings. 

In turn, you are more likely to hire better candidates due to your company culture having an improved reputation. Given the state of the global economy, you need to take every opportunity you can to access the top talent out there, and this is something you can be proud to advertise.

There are now multiple ways to do this, too, with numerous charters or systems of accreditation for employers who support disabled staff. The government has a scheme, called the Disability Confident Campaign in which they encourage you to advertise as being ‘Disability Confident.’ This scheme has an array of benefits for large enterprise employers. You can read more about it and how to get involved on our site. 

Skills Gap Filling 

The disability employment gap is not indicative of the skills of disabled people. In fact, employing disabled people can help you to fill many of the skills gaps that exist in your current workforce. As so many disabled people are left unnecessarily unemployed, there is a lot of skill and knowledge left untapped by your competitors. 

By engaging in inclusive recruitment, you can find some gems within the workforce and take your company to the next level. Large enterprises require a vast range of skills and knowledge to make it work, and disabled people can be exactly what you need in this operation.

Long-Term Success

As a large enterprise, you have the time and resources to plan for the future. Due to the large number of employers who wrongfully overlook potential candidates because their own workplace is inaccessible, you can outmanoeuvre the competition.

Studies show that this neglect by many traditional employment channels has made disabled employees far more loyal than their non-disabled counterparts. As a result, your staff is more likely to stay with your company in the long run, because they listen to their colleagues’ appreciation of the opportunities your company has provided them. Staff turnover is one of the biggest costs associated with running a large enterprise and so improving staff retention is a big money saver.

As you work to make your enterprise more accessible through adjustments and modifications, you also provide a better place to work both now and in the future for many members of staff. Becoming more inclusive and accessible now harvests long-term growth and success, which is what every company wants.

Funding and Financial Opportunities 

It isn’t crude to state that hiring disabled people is financially advantageous for large enterprises in the U.K. The government has endeavoured to eradicate the costs for businesses to make their workplace accessible, and in turn, end the barriers for disabled people to reach their future potential. Their main method employed to do this is a scheme called Access to Work which can provide you with up to £60,700 per year per employee.

The Access to Work scheme can help you improve and grow your physical workspaces in many different ways. Even though you are primarily providing support to the one employee requesting reasonable adjustments, you are also making sustainable and long-lasting changes within your enterprise for employees to come. This means that accommodating one disabled person opens the door to supporting many more down the line. Each disabled person you accommodate allows your business to grow and adapt for the future. 

If you want to read a little more about the financial opportunities for businesses employing disabled people, check out our funding page on Careers with Disabilities. 

Connection with a Diverse Pool of Talent 

The very best benefit of working with disabled people is the connection with a diverse, highly skilled pool of candidates. There are millions of talented and knowledgeable disabled people out there, waiting for the perfect employer to work with. If you scale your company in the right way, you can connect with this pool of talent.

At Careers with Disabilities, we can help you do exactly that. Our services for employers can help you take your large enterprise to the next level with equality, diversity and inclusion. We can help to promote you as an inclusive company, screen your adverts for inclusivity, and ultimately connect you with the employees you need via our inclusive job board. 

Take a look at our unique packages today and get in touch with our team if you have any questions.

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