Are you concerned about reducing costs, increasing productivity and reducing employee turnover? Of course you are. And of course every successful business owner would explore any and all ways in which to do so. Why don’t you hire workers with disabilities?
Strong evidence supports the business case for employing people with disabilities. And that’s outside the traditional corporate social responsibility argument that it’s good for your business image. (Although, this alone could be a compelling enough case. According to The Conference Board, 87% of consumers agree or strongly agree that they prefer to give their business to companies that employ people with disabilities.)
Companies that have started to employ people with disabilities show that these hiring decisions positively impact the bottom line in the form of reduced costs, increased productivity, and reduced employee turnover. It’s true: When Walgreens started employing people with disabilities in their distribution centers, they cut costs by 20%. Simple workarounds, like replacing words and numbers with colors and symbols and decreasing the distances employees need to travel within the facility, was all it took to increase profitability across the board.
Moreover, small changes to tailor jobs to the needs of employees can also increase productivity. As you can imagine, productivity for everyone—workers with and without disabilities—increased at Walgreens’ distribution centers after they implemented those workarounds. And at Carolina Fine Snacks, productivity rose from 70% to 95% after the company started hiring people with disabilities.
Plus, companies that employ people with disabilities see lower rates of employee turnover. This is especially significant as the hidden cost of employee turnover really can extend far beyond the bottom line. Marriott Hotels found that among employees with disabilities, its turnover rate was just 6% as compared to 52% in its overall workforce. Similarly, Washington Mutual (now JP Morgan Chase Bank) found an 8% turnover rate among employees with disabilities, as compared to 45% in the general population. Pizza Hut, too, found a 20% turnover rate among employees with disabilities, as compared to 150% among employees without disabilities.
These established companies show there is a clear business case for hiring people with disabilities. As a smart business owner, why wouldn’t you give this a try?
