In France today, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is twice that of the rest of the population (14% versus 7% for the national unemployment rate for the population as a whole). We still have a long way to go to reduce this gap and truly transform the working environment.
And yet, the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace is a key factor in promoting diversity and guaranteeing equal opportunities. It's a real force for attracting new talent, encouraging innovation, breaking down prejudice and strengthening team bonds... Corporate inclusion and diversity are real assets. So, how do you move the yardsticks and become an adapted company? How can you take concrete action? We'll give you some pointers on how to champion this cause.
What are the company's disability policies?
Employmentand integration of people with disabilities is everyone's business. Here are a few key steps to take these issues into account when implementing your HR, CSR and QVCT policies:
- Knowingand complying with current regulations If your company hires at least 20 employees, the employment of people with disabilities must represent at least 6% of the overall workforce (source: government). Your company must also comply with accessibility standards and obligations. To find out more, visit the agefiph page. Note that accessibility rules apply not only to the workplace or workstation, but also to IT and digital tools. One example is the RGAA (Référentiel Général d'Amélioration de l'Accessibilité - General Accessibility Improvement Reference), which defines the digital accessibility of websites and digital services.
- Raise awareness, train employees and make the recruitment process more inclusiveTransformthe job market and integrate inclusiveness into job interviews for people with disabilities, for example, by offering alternatives to traditional interviews (online interviews, flexible response times). You can also promote diversity and inclusion in job advertisements and at recruitment events, to encourage applications from people with disabilities. From the moment you hire someone, make sure you encourage professional inclusion and diversity, and put them at the heart of the employee experience. You can offer resources, awareness-raising and training related to different types of disability (physical, sensory, mental, etc.) to deconstruct stereotypes during SEEPH (European Week for the Employment of People with Disabilities), for example.
- Creating a suitable working environment for your employeesThefirst step as an employer is to encourage the recognition of disability in order to remove taboos and enable your employees to have a potential handicap recognized. nonprofit OETH (Objectif d'emploi des travailleurs handicapés) can help you to easily start the conversation with an employee who might be concerned. Find out more about the key steps recommended bynonprofit. Once recognition has been established, you can take action on the layout of premises and introduce working hours adapted to your employees' needs.
- Identify and appoint a disability referent: To formalize the process and deploy a genuine internal disability policy, you can appoint a disability referent or a diversity committee. This function is mandatory in all companies with over 250 employees. Its role is to provide guidance, information and support to employees with disabilities within the company, as well as to ensure the implementation of inclusion initiatives. Discover the practical information sheet and detailed role of the disability referent on the OETH website.
Also read: Mobilize your company for inclusion during LGBT Pride Month
Disability in the workplace: changing internal practices
3 tips from the HASC founders
Julie Cherrier, Anne-Laure Baudrillart and Evelyne Moreau-Cormier co-founded HASC in 2017. This ESUS-labeled consulting agency is designed to support companies towards handiresponsible CSR. Together with their team, they train hundreds of managers, HR managers and employees on the issue of disability in the workplace.
All three of them have a disability, and have turned it into a strength by offering fun, entertaining formats that enable everyone to step back and take a real grasp of the subject. Their latest creation, Le Mapping des Peurs, for example, enables company employees to question their fears about mental disability and remove the obstacles to collaboration through a journey through the world of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.
The Wenabi team was lucky enough to meet Julie and Anne-Laure, who gave us 3 of their tips for any company wishing to do better in terms of recruiting and integrating workers with disabilities.
1. Make disability a criterion when choosing partners and service providers. 🤝🏼
"There are over 70,000 disabled business owners in France. People don't necessarily think about us, yet here we are." - Julie Cherrier
Associations, external service providers, disabled entrepreneurs... There's a whole range of services that companies need to seize on to go further, to go beyond what they've already put in place. For Julie Cherrier, this is essential: "When you work with all these external players, you can see and feel it internally, and it has an impact. Committed companies are more successful in attracting and recruiting people with disabilities".
2. Communication: develop the way you present your subject. 📣
Innovating the way we talk about disability in the workplace is a major challenge if we are to change the situation. According to Julie Cherrier: "We need to think outside the box in terms of communication, because all the dusty images of disability just don't work anymore. Sometimes it scares companies to take the plunge, to leave the conventional discourse behind, but it's essential.
Read also : Becoming an environmentally-friendly company
3. Recruitment: think skills before disability. 💡
"Recruiting a disabled person simply to meet the employment rate doesn't work. You have to take on a competent person who wants to work. If they happen to have a disability, we'll adapt their position." - Anne-Laure Baudrillart
883 days. This is the average time it takes a disabled person to find a job. For Anne-Laure and Julie, it's imperative that recruiters focus on candidates' skills and the fit between their profile and the job description : "The question of disability only comes later, because it's a question of technical adaptation. (Julie Cherrier).
Employee involvement: associations need your help
Allowing your teams to carry out community service missions around this cause is a good way of thinking outside the box. It allows you both to raise awareness among your employees and to meet the needs of the many associations working on this issue.
Here are a few examples of solidarity missions you can offer your teams:
- Take part in Duo Day, held every year in November, and welcome a disabled person to your company for a day.
- Become a mentor and accelerate the success of a disabled entrepreneur by supporting him or her in their project with H'Up Entrepreneurs.
- Give advice on CV writing to disabled jobseekers with APF France Handicap.
- Help a disabled person get around on foot, by public transport or by car withnonprofit Mon Copilote.
- Organize a collection of plastic corks to finance equipment for disabled people withnonprofit Les Bouchons d'Amour.
- Take part in a team-building event with HASC to raise awareness among your employees in a fun way.
Did you know? It's perfectly possible to get involved with your company on company time via the Wenabi platform. We can help you become a more inclusive company by building a solidarity commitment program dedicated to this cause.
Wenabi is the solution that makes it easy for companies to get involved in community projects - and all on your own time! Thanks to an intuitive platform, Wenabi enables employees to take part in solidarity missions in support of associations of general interest. Whether through one-off or longer-term missions, Wenabi simplifies access to civic commitment by integrating solidarity into the daily lives of corporate employees.
Also take part in Quality of Life and Working Conditions Week.
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