The business benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities – including reduced costs, increased productivity, and reduced employee turnover – are compelling. And they’ve been the focus of a number of recent news stories.
SAP Hiring Hundreds of Individuals With Autism
In a Harvard Business Review article, Robert D. Austin and Thorkil Sonne discuss software company SAP’s plans to hire 650 individuals with autism. SAP adopted this initiative because it sees the talents that these employees can contribute. And it believes that hiring them will give the company a competitive advantage. Furthermore, Austin and Sonne contend, “The world needs all the talent it can get. Human society can’t afford to set aside people who are different. Their perspectives are desperately needed if we are to innovate our way through today’s global challenges.”
Tim Hortons Benefits from Hiring Employees with Developmental Disabilities
Mark Wafer, the owner of seven Tim Hortons cafes in the Toronto area, told his success story about business benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities in an article in the Vancouver Sun. Wafer has made an extended effort to employ people with disabilities, including those with developmental disabilities. As a result, he’s seen improvements to his bottom line. Specifically, he has seen “lower staff turnover, lower absenteeism, higher morale, better safety and good productivity.” Plus, his customers appreciate his hiring practices. He is using this business-focused, bottom line message to appeal to other businesses to hire more individuals with disabilities.
green industries have opportunity in “Untapped Workforce”
Green industries could see an improved outlook if they took steps to employ more individuals with disabilities. That’s according to a report released by Cornell’s ILR School Employment and Disability Institute and covered in this Cornell Chronicle article. The study’s authors describe individuals with disabilities as “a diverse, talented and largely untapped portion of the U.S. workforce.” By hiring them, green employers can be “expanding their pools of talent, skills and creative business solutions.”
