Q. What kind of challenges companies often face while managing their disabled employees?
A. Some of the challenges faced by organisations while recruiting people with disabilities are:
• Job matching depending on the nature of disability.
• Unfriendly work environment in terms of movement, washrooms and other facilities.
• Extra care in managing risks and accidents.
• Patience, understanding and communication by colleagues.
• Interference of family members at workplace.
• Apprehension and doubts over acceptance of disabled employees by clients and colleagues.
Q. What kind of approach do you see Indian companies taking while hiring candidates with disabilities?
A. With growing CSR activities, many corporates are following mixed approach in recruitment process. Some corporates have specific HR policies for recruiting disabled persons for specific jobs. Unfortunately, some consider it a ‘low-cost’ employment.
Of late, some organisations have started contributing to the employment opportunities for disabled persons by creating awareness through different mediums and avenues like seminars, workshops and sponsorships.
Q. Many companies are vigorously pursuing their initiatives in this area. What is your company doing to promote equal opportunities and professional development for all?
A. We have implemented CSV (Creating Shared Value) system in DTDC. This shared value model is based on the idea that corporate success and social welfare are interdependent. It is a mission of creating and sharing wealth amongst differently abled people along with others by making them entrepreneurs and in turn creating job opportunities not only for them but also through them to the economically weaker sections of society. Such independent entrepreneurs with disability have crossed the figure of 25 (aged between 25 to 70 years from different caste and creed) and through them have created job opportunity for over 150 people.
We have in our rolls more than 25 disabled employees who are working in different positions from supervisors, executives to branch manager. At DTDC, it is a combination of both philanthropy and community based development. We believe in ‘joy of giving’ through our philanthropic foundation SSCF (Sri Subhasish Chakraborty Foundation). We have joined hands with an NGO Unnati which provides training in employment and entrepreneurial opportunities to physically disabled, underprivileged and unemployed poor youth.
SSCF has recently started its own project, SSCF Nayi Disha (new dimension to the lives of physically disabled and underprivileged) at Noida. Some of the people trained there have already been absorbed by many.
Q. How difficult is it to exploit the talent and skills of disabled employees in a hard labour business like logistics?
A. DTDC has founded DTDC Institute of Supply Chain Management (DISCM) that concentrates on training and development of internal and external candidates in the area of supply chain management. DISCM is also running a special scheme under which physically disabled youth from economically weaker sections and rural areas are provided free training in addition to stipend and accommodation. They are being absorbed in DTDC at the end of training programme.
Q. Do you have any training programmes in place for workers with disabilities? How difficult is it to push them towards higher productivity?
A. Our learning & development department focuses on imparting need-based training to all the employees as well as channel partners on various hard and soft skills. Disabled employees and franchisees are treated on a par with other employees in providing training in communication, presentation, sales & marketing, IT projects etc. We really do not have to push them towards higher productivity. Generally, they are self motivated and give their best.
Q. What role has government to play in expanding job opportunities for disabled persons?
A. Too often the lives of disabled persons are marred with social barriers, which affects their full participation like from any other citizens. The government should bring further reforms in the labour laws and improvise innovative education and professional training for them at highly subsidised rate, which will provide them wider scope for mainstream placements.
The government should also create separate funds and build ‘One-Stop Career Centres’ exclusively to serve individuals with different disabilities. They should be given access to various work schemes. Facilities like specially adapted equipment, support workers and interpreters should be provided for enhancing the strength of disabled people in government organisations.
Q. How should supervisors and managers ideally deal with their disabled team members?
A. They must keep in mind the following while dealing with disabled staff:
a. Disabled people should be treated as equals.
b. Managers should be aware of individual disability and assign jobs to utilise their full potential.
c. They must allow flexibility in work and office timing, if required.
d. They must encourage mutual respect among all employees.
e. They should organise programmes and try to fulfill specific training needs of each person with disability
