The majority of employees with disabilities say that workplaces are failing to provide the adjustments they need to help them perform their duties at work, according to a new UK survey.
In fact, only one in 10 disabled employees said it was easy to get needed adjustments, according to the study carried out by the Business Disability Forum. Furthermore, one in eight said that the adjustments process is taking over a year.
Sadly, half of disabled employees said there are still disability related barriers in the workplace after adjustments were made. These include harassment and bullying, and inaccessible spaces and promotion opportunities. Just one in three feel their employer is genuine about removing barriers and making the workplace inclusive.
The Great Big Workplace Adjustments Survey 2023, which looks at the experiences of nearly 1,500 disabled employees and 400 managers around workplace adjustments and inclusion, research revealed that disabled people are still waiting too long for the adjustments they need to reduce or remove the barriers they experience in their jobs.
Employees are also having to push for adjustments or even fund them themselves. Common adjustments include flexibility over hours and location, time off for medical appointments, as well as ergonomic equipment and assistive technology.
DISABILITY- RELATED BARRIERS AT WORK
Disabled people are facing a number of other disability related barriers at work, which go beyond changes to their individual roles, noted the report. These include bullying and harassment, limited promotion and development opportunities, inaccessibility of programmes and initiatives intended to support wellbeing, and wider inaccessibility of buildings and systems.
On a positive note, the 2023 survey shows that managers feel more confident talking about disability than they did previously and play a key role in the adjustments process. However, multiple internal processes and limited powers to make changes in the wider organisation create additional barriers and leave managers feeling frustrated.
ACESS TO WORKPLACE ADJUSTMENTS
The Great Big Workplace Adjustments Survey 2023 found that disabled people are still waiting too long for adjustments and are having to drive the process themselves. Once in place, adjustments are not regularly reviewed. The survey found that:
- 78% of disabled employees said they, rather than their employer, had to initiate the process of getting adjustments.
- Another 58% said getting the adjustments they needed was due to how assertive and confident they are to ask for that support.
- Just 10% of disabled employees said it was easy to get the adjustments they needed.
- Although the speed of getting adjustments has improved by 4% since 2019, one in eight disabled employees are still waiting over a year to get the adjustments they need.
- Another 22% of employees have never had their adjustments reviewed.
“I did all the organisation myself as I waited two years for my manager to do something. In the end, I paid for it myself,” said one surveyed employee on workplace adjustments.
BARRIERS AFTER ADJUSTMENTS
Many barriers remain even after adjustments have been made, according to the study. Although adjustments can have a positive impact on a person’s specific job, they do not address the barriers elsewhere in the organisation that disabled employees continue to experience. The survey found that:
- Only 18% of disabled employees said their adjustments have removed all barriers in the workplace.
- Around 40% have felt patronised or ‘put down’ by other people at work because of their disability or condition.
- And 38% said they had been bullied or harassed.
- Just 44% of disabled employees felt their employee assistance programme was accessible and inclusive.
- Around 62% of disabled people would like to be promoted to a more senior role with higher pay in their current organisation within the next two years. Another 45% would like the same elsewhere.
“Some people try to bubble wrap me, giving me less responsibility even though I am able, when in fact they unconsciously disable me,” shared one surveyed employee on the wider barriers at work.
WORKPLACE INCLUSION: ROLE OF MANAGERS
The research shows that managers feel more confident talking about disability and making adjustments to an individual’s role than they did in past. Nevertheless, managers feel that they are held back by internal processes, and lack the authority to make adjustments to the wider organisation. In general, managers want more help to support disabled employees. The findings showed that:
- 64% of managers are very confident to have a conversation with an employee who tells them they have a disability or a condition.
- 81% said it is a lot easier to make adjustments when an employee tells them they have a disability or condition.
- Only 25% of managers agreed a lot that occupational health helped them understand how to manage and support their employees.
“There are many factors which dictate how easy it is to make adjustments. Often organisational pressure, finance and efficiency seem to be prioritised over good support mechanisms,” shared a manager on the workplace adjustments process.
WORKING EXPERIENCES DURING PANDEMIC
Disabled employees’ experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic were both positive and negative. Many found it easier to work from home but found it difficult to get the adjustments they needed. Others asked to return to the workplace as an adjustment.
For managers, it was often a stressful experience and many felt unsupported and ill equipped by their employer. “Pandemic working put a lot on managers…I did well at supporting others, but that came at a cost to me,” shared one surveyed manager on working during the pandemic. The findings revealed that:
- 72% of disabled employees said it was easier to manage their disability or condition when working at home.
- 49% needed additional or different adjustments during the pandemic, but only 18% said their employer provided everything they needed.
- 14% of disabled employees are still shielding, isolating or restricting contact with others.
“Working from home became much easier once I had adjustments implemented. I was off for eight months waiting for them to be sorted out,” said one surveyed employee on working during the pandemic.
BETTER ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSION
“Workplace adjustments play a vital role in enabling disabled people to thrive at work. Access to adjustments needs to be simplified and improved but adjustments only remove some of the workplace barriers that disabled people experience,” shared Diane Lightfoot, CEO of Business Disability Forum.
“To be fully inclusive, employers need to have a greater understanding of how disability affects a person’s life as a whole. Accessibility and inclusion need to be embedded in all aspects of the organisation and its culture, with policies and premises designed with disabled people in mind. Senior leaders should start by challenging poor workplace culture and driving organisational-wide change which better supports disabled employees and managers.”
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EMPLOYERS
The research found that for both disabled employees and managers, the COVID-19 pandemic had and continues to have a significant impact on workplace experiences. In response to the new research findings, Business Disability Forum is calling for employers to:
- Simplify their workplace adjustment process.
- Provide more support for managers and the role they play in workplace inclusion.
- Develop a wider workplace approach to understanding the experience of having a disability and to removing disability-related barriers.
The Great Big Workplace Adjustments Survey 2023, sponsored by Microlink builds on an initial survey into adjustments conducted by Business Disability Forum in 2019. To access the latest full research findings and key recommendations, click here.
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