Findings from the Research A review of the Part 5 reports (2006-2016) shows some examples of public bodies having the following induction processes in place: Confidential questionnaires for employees which ask them about their disability and if they require reasonable accommodations to help them perform their job to the best of their ability Disability training for all new employees, along with information about the Disability Liaison Officer, including the Officer’s contact details. A number of the interviewees and focus group participants said that their organisations had a pre-induction process and that the Disability Liaison Officer has an important role in this process. The Disability Liaison Officer meets with an employee with a disability before they start working at the organisation to identify the reasonable accommodations needed. They bring the employee into the workplace to review their office and discuss the type of work they will be doing. The Disability Liaison Officer then meets with the employee every 6 months to review how they are progressing in their job. A few focus group participants commented that in their organisations, induction programmes are an opportunity to provide employees with a briefing on their organisations’ policies, for example, Disability Policies, Equality Policies, and Dignity in the Workplace Policies. New employees are also provided with Disability Guides. A Disability Liaison Officer in one of the focus groups said that they were responsible for encouraging employees to make contact with them through email. They were also responsible for making managers aware of the Disability Liaison Officer’s role in supporting employees with disabilities. However, other participants noted that the role and responsibilities of Disability Liaison Officers can vary. In their organisations employees with a disability may be more likely to go to the Occupational Health and Support Services to discuss reasonable accommodations. Across the different strands of research, there was little evidence regarding mentoring or buddying schemes, or line managers supporting new employees to assume leadership roles. In the online survey, 9.8% of employees with a disability reported that they disclosed their disability during their organisations’ induction process because of the supports they received from the Disability Liaison Officers and Human Resource staff. Reasonable Accommodations The literature recommends that public bodies provide employees with disabilities with reasonable accommodations to help them perform their work to the best of their ability. Please see Chapter 3 for further details.
Findings from the Research A review of the Part 5 reports (2006-2016) shows some examples of public bodies having the following induction processes in place: Confidential questionnaires for employees which ask them about their disability and if they require reasonable accommodations to help them perform their job to the best of their ability Disability training for all new employees, along with information about the Disability Liaison Officer, including the Officer’s contact details. A number of the interviewees and focus group participants said that their organisations had a pre-induction process and that the Disability Liaison Officer has an important role in this process. The Disability Liaison Officer meets with an employee with a disability before they start working at the organisation to identify the reasonable accommodations needed. They bring the employee into the workplace to review their office and discuss the type of work they will be doing. The Disability Liaison Officer then meets with the employee every 6 months to review how they are progressing in their job. A few focus group participants commented that in their organisations, induction programmes are an opportunity to provide employees with a briefing on their organisations’ policies, for example, Disability Policies, Equality Policies, and Dignity in the Workplace Policies. New employees are also provided with Disability Guides. A Disability Liaison Officer in one of the focus groups said that they were responsible for encouraging employees to make contact with them through email. They were also responsible for making managers aware of the Disability Liaison Officer’s role in supporting employees with disabilities. However, other participants noted that the role and responsibilities of Disability Liaison Officers can vary. In their organisations employees with a disability may be more likely to go to the Occupational Health and Support Services to discuss reasonable accommodations. Across the different strands of research, there was little evidence regarding mentoring or buddying schemes, or line managers supporting new employees to assume leadership roles. In the online survey, 9.8% of employees with a disability reported that they disclosed their disability during their organisations’ induction process because of the supports they received from the Disability Liaison Officers and Human Resource staff. Reasonable Accommodations The literature recommends that public bodies provide employees with disabilities with reasonable accommodations to help them perform their work to the best of their ability. Please see Chapter 3 for further details.
Good-practice-in-employment-of-people-with-disabilities-in-the-public-sector.docx