Businesses 'apprehensive' about hiring disabled people to senior roles, poll finds

Survey reveals widespread discriminatory attitudes at UK firms

Report finds disabled people in the UK face a lack of equal opportunities in education and employment, barriers to access to health services and housing and a widening disability pay gap (iStockphoto)

The majority of business leaders in the UK are apprehensive about recruiting disabled people to senior positions, a poll suggests. The survey found that 41 per cent of respondents felt that disabled people might take a lot of sick leave and 45 per cent said their offices wouldn’t be accessible to those with disabilities.

Respondents voiced concerns including that disabled people’s “capabilities might not be enough to carry the job properly” and that disabled people may not be able to cope with “the high stress involved with executive life”.

Survation polled 1,000 senior business figures and found discriminatory attitudes were widespread. Just 11 per cent said they would have no concerns about recruiting a disabled person to a senior role.

The main reason given for business leaders being apprehensive about recruiting disabled people was that they felt making the necessary adjustments to the working environment would cost a lot of money. This was despite the average cost of reasonable adjustments being just £75, according to the research.

Inclusive Boards, an executive search firm specialising in increasing diversity in UK boardrooms, commissioned the research. The company’s director, Samuel Kasumu, said: “The findings of this poll shows just how far we are as a society from truly understanding how to engage with disability within the workplace.

“There are many disabled people that have just as much talent and leadership potential as anyone else. We need to educate businesses and challenge many misconceptions.”

Two thirds of those surveyed said they did not know any senior disabled leaders and one third did not think their organisation would benefit from employing a disabled person.

More than 7 million people of working age reported that they were disabled in January-March 2019 - almost 1 in 5 of the working-age population.

Mark Hodgkinson, chief executive of disability equality charity Scope, said: “Many businesses are missing out on a huge pool of disabled talent. We know that employers who recognise the potential of disabled people at all levels of their organisation will thrive. Becoming an inclusive employer needs to be a priority for all businesses.

In response to the findings Inclusive Boards is building a toolkit aimed at supporting organisations and

sectors to improve the representation of disabled people on Boards and in senior leadership positions.

The toolkit will be launched at the House of Commons on 10 September.

Theresa May has also recently announced a new Office for Tackling Injustices, which will publish official data of disparities impacting disabled people and other marginalised groups.