Of the organizations that successfully recruit and hire employees with disabilities, they are likely to follow 10 important policies and practices, according to a joint survey released by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Cornell University ILR School Employment and Disability Institute.
"The survey provides fresh perspectives on how to proactively recruit and retain a significantly under-utilized pool of American talent," says Susanne M. Bruyère, Ph.D., CRC, professor of disability studies and director of the EDI at the Cornell University ILR School.
Survey findings reveal that 61 percent of respondents say their organization specifically includes people with disabilities in their diversity and inclusion plans, and 59 percent of respondents have policies that mandate subcontractors and suppliers follow disability nondiscrimination requirements. Among the respondents that are hiring, 58 percent say they also train HR staff as well as supervisors on effective strategies for interviewing people with disabilities.
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Fifty-seven percent of respondents report that their organizations maintain relationships with community organizations that advocate for the employment of people with disabilities. Another 47 percent of respondents say organizations must actively recruit people with disabilities.
"Another critical must-have is to cultivate a senior management team committed to recruiting and hiring employees with disabilities," says Mark Schmit, vice president of research at SHRM.
Additional findings show that 45 percent of respondents say training HR staff and supervisors on effective interviewing for people with disabilities is very effective, and 37 percent of respondents say this is somewhat effective. When it comes to requiring subcontractors and suppliers follow disability nondiscriminatory requirements, 38 percent say it is very effective while 30 percent say it is somewhat effective.
The survey also state that 34 percent of respondents say outlining specifical organizational goals related to recruiting and hiring people is disabilities is very effective, and another 31 percent of respondents believe this to be true. Regarding creating internship programs or similar programs targeting people with disabilities, 33 percent of respondents believe this to be very effective while 37 percent of respondents believe this is somewhat effective. Twenty-nine percent of respondents say including people with disabilities directly in diversity and inclusion plans is very effective, and 36 percent say this is somewhat effective.
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