Q. How difficult is it to manage a workforce of persons with disabilities?
A. There are visible physical infrastructure adjustments, but more importantly companies need to culturally align to remain inclusive – to create an environment that demonstrates consideration as well as non-discrimination. An organisation cannot say that it is set to be inclusive simply by hiring disabled persons and putting the infrastructure in place. There are sensitivities to be considered if a disabled team member needs to feel included in his heart as well as in his body. The point here about sensitivity is to ensure that while care is taken to make the environment ‘friendly’, greater care must be taken to ensure that the person does not feel smothered, overprotected or subject to differential or partial treatment because of the disability.
Q. What is the best thing about hiring persons with disabilities? Are they steadfast?
A. Yes, most often. Some of them display tremendous positivism and grit in the face of adversity, a valuable quality in the workplace.
Q. What is your company doing for the disabled employees?
A. We have made a start in hiring persons with disabilities, but there are day-to-day challenges involved. For example, making sure a lift that is normally switched off during the sparsely populated night shift is switched on when a disabled team member is on the night shift. Ensuring the wheelchair is friendly and having a friend identified to help them settle down. Finally, managers must deal with differently abled employees with empathy, fairness and maturity and ensure a fair treatment from all colleagues.
