As both US and UK governments make moves of the DEI agenda, Dr Naeema Pasha explains how HR needs to respond to ensure people with disabilities are not left behind.
Alongside the news that comes across the pond each day, which still shocks many of us, we’re now seeing shifts in politics and policy here in the UK which might impact HR leaders.
The UK government’s recent policy shift, involving cuts to disability support, has sparked significant concern in some quarters. I’ve discussed previously that as we’ve so many people out of work in the UK; the Office for National Statistics (ONS) says there are almost ten million people who are not actively looking for work, or available to start a job. The government are calling them ‘economically inactive’. Ten million!
The government announced, unsurprisingly, that it wants more people back in work and it wants fewer people ‘not working’ who might not be in employment because of sickness and is, to quote ”overhauling the health and disability benefits system to better support people to get jobs and stay in work”.
A stated aim of this government is to encourage more disabled individuals into employment. You’ll see this in the headlines on things like introducing newer and stricter tests for personal independence payments (PIP) coming in. And even rebranding job centres as the “National Jobs and Careers Service” to change the thinking on employment.
Of course many people with sickness and disabilities do want to get into work. So what these headlines do not take into account fully is the enormous difficulty in getting into employment if you are disabled – because of the huge levels of discrimination from employers. There is a recognition of this by government and it’s also announced that it is additionally going to focus on what employers are doing to help disabled and sick employees. It stated that it wants employers to recognise that employees will want to stay in work and not leave if they are sick or become disabled. Essentially, it’s asking HR leaders to find ways of engaging with employees who are poorly, sick and disabled. Not sure what it’s going to do with employers that don’t – but it’s on the table anyway.
Disability Rights
What this debate on disability, including reduced disability payments gives us, is a focus on the pervasive “disability pay gap” in workplaces. This is the disparity where disabled workers earn substantially less than their non-disabled counterparts. I think we would agree, it represents a profound inequality that hinders their economic and social inclusion – as well as all employees – and so too the growth and innovation of an organisation. Everyone benefits from equity at work but we still see inequalities at our workplaces. The organisation Disability Rights UK says that the disability pay gap is now 17.2% – meaning that non-disabled employees earn on average £2.35 an hour more than disabled workers.
Just to add, disabled women face a larger pay penalty than disabled men. And Black and Asian disabled people earn even less.
The government’s focus on reducing welfare expenditure, rather than addressing the root causes of pay disparities, might be seen by some as a misguided strategy because it’s not going to the heart of the matter – inequity. There are many inequalities that create significant barriers to disabled individuals entering and progressing within the labour market. For example, studies show that exclusion from training and promotional pathways perpetuates a cycle of low-paid employment. And the financial strain is further compounded by the “disability price tag,” which encompasses the additional costs associated with living with a disability.
The Crucial Role of HR Leaders
While the government has introduced measures like consultations on mandatory disability pay gap reporting and employment support packages, these initiatives are overshadowed by the detrimental impact of benefit reductions and the negative media focus. It’s possible that we need to do more now. I’ve spoken to employees with a disability and they especially feel vulnerable at this time. It’s now that HR needs to actively challenge discriminatory attitudes and behaviours on disability.
HR leaders have always played a pivotal role in fostering inclusive workplaces. We know HR responsibilities extend beyond compliance. Many leaders have seen their role widen to become champions of a culture of equity and accessibility.
While we see a push back on DEI, HR teams really need to ensure ongoing support in regular disability awareness training – especially now. We need to (re)educate all employees to dispel misconceptions, and to foster empathy. This is especially important when the government (and therefore the media) focus on disability. Obviously, it’s doing the expected stuff (eg. job descriptions and recruitment processes should be accessible to all applicants and reasonable adjustments should be made throughout the hiring process). But also the big thing is to work with leaders on how they can do more in facilitating career development. It’s useful to consider mentoring and career progression programmes that cater to the needs of disabled employees. Maybe they’ve been included and there’s clear access to promotions, rewards and progress. But maybe not?
So essential to this is working on the disability pay gap data – and then to implement strategies to address disparities. Once you know where the falloff in pay gap happens – that’s where to address it – for example how do people showcase their skills, ambition and abilities informally? In the olden days of leadership, they used to say that promotions were made on the golf course and especially at drinks after the 18th hole.
Clearly leadership still values relationships and networking. That should remain. It’s more the structure of relationship building to consider. The golf course can (but not necessarily always) mean people with disabilities – physical and hidden, childcare responsibilities or employees with religious sensibilities, might not find this “accessible” in the widest sense as a way of career building. Nowadays our more inclusive workplaces will find ways relationship-building spaces that ensure inclusivity.
Supporting Mental Health – a note.
Recent research in Henley showed that GenZ employees said they wanted employers to recognise the importance of good mental health. While we all might nod and agree – especially when we look at the amount of people not wanting to go back into work, we still hear so many leaders saying we’re “pandering” and people need to buckle up.
But then looking at the stats of ten million out of work and many of them not wanting to work – and now having to be considering this new government drive to get people into work – I think HR needs to consider the psychological contract of good work which needs to ensure fairness. Good work is one where employee development and assistance strategies are in place, and that they are accessible to all employees, including those with mental and physical health disabilities. Reducing the pay gap gives the momentum. Not least because it will benefit all employees – and therefore the organisational success.
Essentially, HR leaders are key to creating workplaces where employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. As ever.
