Why Hire a Person With a Disability?
In an effort to create a more diverse workplace as well as tap into an underused resource of capable and motivated employees, employers are hiring more and more disabled workers to fill open positions and bring an outsider perspective. President Obama signed an executive order in July 2010 to encourage federal agencies to increase their hiring of disabled workers. Private corporations stand to gain just as much, though, while broadening the perspective of every employee.
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Tax Incentive
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The Work Opportunity Credit gives employers a 40-percent tax break on the first $6,000 of a new employee's salary, if the employee falls under the category of a "targeted group." A certified government agency must designate the employee as disabled, and the workplace must have undergone the appropriate renovations to accommodate the disabled employees. If your company is subcontracting a job to a non-profit who employs a disabled worker, you won't qualify. If the work qualifies as a business expense, though, you may be eligible.
Reduce turnover
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Companies can spend a large portion of their budget on recruiting and training, but because many disabled employees can be recruited and trained through nonprofit agencies, your costs can be greatly reduced. Outside agencies also provide onsite monitoring, decreasing an employer's need to pay for additional quality control. Employees with disabilities tend to be more reliable, because of the 70 percent unemployment rate for differently abled persons; their attendance is shown to be better than their counterparts and they stay on the job longer.
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Diversity Profile
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The International Labor Organization (ILO) recognizes corporations that employ disabled workers as perpetuating equality, dignity and progressive labor standards. An endorsement from this sector of the United Nations helps increase business by bringing in clients who are aligned with the company's ideology of supporting diversity. It also allows a corporation to serve as a business model for other companies who are looking to increase moral standing. The ILO also targets businesses with a high-diversity profile for financial help in training and hiring.
Creative Problem Solving
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Disabled workers make it necessary for employers to develop new methods of training, communication and production that can become standard practice. Consequently, all employees have the opportunity to become more versatile and the potential for output and profits increase.
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References
- Photo Credit disabled sign image by Warren Millar from Fotolia.com
