Disability in the Workplace: Employers' Organizations and Business
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Disability in the Workplace: Employers’ Organizations and Business Networks Conditions of Work and Equality Department (WORKQUALITY) Bureau for Employers’ Activities January 2016 (ACT/EMP) Disability in the Workplace: Employers’ Organizations and Business Networks INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE • GENEVA Copyright © International Labour Organization 2016 First published 2016 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indi- cated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to ILO Publications (Rights and Licensing), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, or by email: [email protected]. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered with a reproduction rights organization may make copies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. Visit www.ifrro.org to find the reproduction rights organization in your country. Disability in the workplace: employers’ organizations and business networks / International Labour Office. – Geneva: ILO, 2016 ISBN 978-92-2-130264-3 (print) ISBN 978-92-2-130265-0 (web pdf) International Labour Office disability / employers organization 15.04.3 ILO Cataloguing in Publication Data The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presenta- tion of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. 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Code: DTP-WEI-REP Table of contents Acknowledgements 5 Introduction 7 Australian Network on Disability, Australia 9 Bangladesh Employers’ Federation, Bangladesh 13 Business Network for Social Inclusion, Brazil 17 Canadian Business SenseAbility, Canada 21 Society for Industrial Development (SOFOFA), Chile 25 China Enterprise Confederation, China 27 Asociación Empresarial para el Desarrollo, Red de Empresas Inclusivas, Costa Rica 31 UnternehmensForum, Germany 35 Qaderoon Business Disability Network, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 39 South African Employers for Disability (SAE4D), South Africa 41 Foro Inserta Responsible, Spain 45 Employers’ Federation of Ceylon, Sri Lanka 47 Business Disability Forum, United Kingdom 51 Blue Ribbon Employer Council, Viet Nam 55 3 Acknowledgements The ILO Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN) would like to thank the employers’ organizations and business and disability networks that have contributed to this revised publication of Disability in the Workplace: Employers’ Organizations and Business Networks. The first edition was published in 2011 to share practices on how different business orga nizations support and promote employment of people with disabilities. In this publication, 14 organizations introduce and share their initiatives and practices on disability inclusion. The organizations from Australia, Germany, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Viet Nam were also presented in the first edition, but in this edition with updated information on their latest initiatives. We are pleased to also present new examples from employers’ organizations and business networks working on disability inclusion in the workplace from the following coun tries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Spain. Our special thanks go to Joseph Pisicolo and Victoria Tellez who planned and con ducted the interviews with the organizations, as well as to the editor Jorinde Van Heers. During the past years, the ILO Business and Disability Network has increasingly worked with national employers’ organizations and business networks on promoting disa bility inclusion at a national level. What we have learned from the experiences working on the ILO GBDN is that companies are not only willing, but very keen to share their experi ences globally. It is because of this that the GBDN has been supporting the establishment of national business and disability networks in an increasing number of developing countries. Beyond the very useful exchange of practices, networks can also be instrumental in pro moting joint initiatives among companies, for instance in providing training to disabled job seekers in professions and skills that are in demand. Business and disability networks can also support a legislative and policy environment that is more conducive to the employment of persons with disabilities. We hope this revised publication, with diverse practices on ensuring disability inclu sion in workplaces, will inspire business and employers around the world to strive for diverse workforces. ILO Global Business and Disability Network Secretariat 5 Introduction Since 2010, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN agency whose mandate is the promotion of decent work, facilitates the ILO Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN), provides technical expertise to its members and directly supports its activities through the Network Secretariat, based in the ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The GBDN started from companies wishing to share expertise, experience and challenges around disability inclusion with other businesses. Currently, the GBDN initia tive brings positive changes to the workplace through its members. This global network of multinational enterprises, employers’ organizations and business networks on disability was formed to assist employers to manage disability in the workplace and implement their strategic business plans on disability; to promote good practices in the wider business community through businesstobusiness knowledge sharing; and to develop products and services that respond to expressed demands from the members. The GBDN also aims to see changes from policy and practical levels within the members related to the training, hiring or retention of disabled persons, which makes it crucial for the GBDN to support initiatives on a country level where substantial change can happen. Through the International Disability Alliance (IDA), a network of global and regional disabled people’s organizations (DPOs), the Network members also benefit from the invaluable insight of people with disabilities themselves. Companies, employers’ organizations and business networks that are part of the GBDN believe in the benefits of having a diverse workforce, as it makes them be better pre pared to meet the needs of all consumers, including consumers with disabilities. Companies also share with us the positive impact employees with disabilities have generated among other colleagues, which has often led to an increased commitment by staff to the company. They also indicate that the levels of productivity, including absenteeism, of employees with disabilities are similar if not better than that of nondisabled employees. Many employers have also changed their practices to effectively include persons with disabilities, including revising their recruitment processes to ensure barrierfree work places for people with dis abilities. It is also important for companies that their recruiters focus on the abilities of the candidates, and not the disability of a candidate. The Network activities and events have shown that employers are not only willing and keen to share their experiences in this field, but also support and take part in the establishment of national business and disability networks. The Network is increasingly supporting the establishment of national networks in developing countries. We believe that these nationally established networks will be one of the key drivers for increased promotion of disability inclusion among employers. 7 Types of organizations This publication features 14 employers’ organizations and national business and disability networks and their key activities on disability inclusion work, and the different ways that busi ness organizations can engage and encourage their member companies to become more dis ability inclusive employers. Each of the organizations introduces its structure and partners; key activities; key achievements; lessons learned; and key messages for other organizations. The presented organizations