Top Benefits of Employing People with Disabilities

People with disabilities have been reluctant to seek employment due to fear of prejudice. Employers have been failing to include people with disabilities in their recruitment programs. The result is a pool of untapped talents among people with disabilities. In most cases, it seems almost impossible to find a qualified candidate for a vacant position within the organization. If the organization decides to start recruiting people with disabilities, it will expand the talent pool. This will increase the possibility of finding the perfect candidate for the position. Retaining people with disabilities in the workforce is one of the ways companies can create a talent pool. It can also help in countering the impacts of the shrinking and aging workforce.

Hiring people with disabilities can prevent the organization from certain legal issues. Hiring people with disabilities means that the organization is adhering to the set laws regarding discrimination against individuals with disabilities. For instance, a Disability Act prohibits organizations from engaging in discriminatory practices against individuals with disabilities in areas including hiring, compensation, training, and firing. Organizations that do not consider hiring people with disabilities risk a lawsuit. Lawsuits can cause immeasurable harm to the business, such as damage to reputation and financial loss. The organization can also risk confiscation of the business permit by the government. Thus, employing people with disabilities helps an organization to avoid the possible risks of lawsuits.

Hiring people with disabilities aids in creating a better image in public space. An organization that considers employing people with disabilities helps in establishing a reputation. The public will view such an organization or brand to offer a more diverse workforce. In return, this will make the employer more attractive to prospective employees, business associates, customers, and the community. Employees of all walks will be attracted to the company. The organization will have a chance to hire the market's best talents. The company will reap the benefit of improved employee engagement and customer loyalty. Customers are attracted to brands that ensure workforce diversity. Other employers may be inspired to follow the lead, which will create a more diverse business environment.

In contemporary society, employee retention has become a hard task. Most of the employees are shifting from one employer to the next in search of greener pastures. Also, the number of people leaving the workforce is increasing. Retaining a workforce has, thus, become a basic need in all organizations in the current world. With few organizations offering people with disabilities a chance to be in the workforce, hiring people with disabilities can increase employee retention. People with disabilities are loyal and are unlikely to jump from one employer to another. Employers can therefore tap on this benefit of employing people with disabilities. Retaining employees helps in saving costs due to low turnover rates.

Hiring people with disabilities can result in improved productivity and innovation in the organization. People with disabilities are faced with numerous challenges daily. The challenges make them creative, open-minded, and flexible. Creative thinking, flexibility, open-mindedness, and problem-solving skills will be manifested in the workplace. With such skills, the organization will be sure to reap the benefits of creative thinking. Besides, the skills can be spread to the rest of the workforce, creating a very productive and innovative workforce. The employer will enjoy all the benefits of improved creativity and innovation.

Hiring people with disabilities offers some monetary benefits such as tax credits and deductions. Organizations hiring employees with special employment needs are eligible for work opportunity credit. Some agencies provide organizations hiring persons with disabilities a 100% reimbursement of the employee's wages for three months. Another monetary benefit is that the organization can deduct the cost of making their workplace more accessible to people with disabilities. The fees include the installation of ramps and removing barriers that may hinder movement within the workplace. The costs may also be offering special IT programs to persons with disabilities.

People with disabilities form a reliable workforce. Most of the individuals with disabilities tend to take fewer sick offs. Compared to the rest of the workforce, people with disabilities tend to stay longer in their workplace. Employers can be confident hiring people with disabilities as they are reliable.