Employing People With Disabilities: Practices and Policies Related to Recruiting and Hiring Employees With Disabilities

SHRM Survey Findings: Employing People With Disabilities - Practices and Policies Related to Recruiting and Hiring Employees With Disabilities .
In collaboration with and commissioned by Cornell University ILR School Employment and Disability Institute
SHRM Survey Findings: Employing People With
Disabilities: Practices and Policies Related to
Recruiting and Hiring Employees With Disabilities
In collaboration with and commissioned by Cornell University ILR
School Employment and Disability Institute
April 11, 2012

SHRM, in collaboration with and commissioned by the Cornell University ILR School Employment and Disability
Institute, conducted a survey of its members about organizational practices and policies related to employing
people with disabilities. Areas of focused in this survey research included:
 Part 1: Recruitment and Hiring (Released April 11, 2012)
 Part 2: Accessibility and Accommodation (Released May 17, 2012)
 Part 3: Retention and Advancement (To be released soon)
In addition, the survey explored metrics that organizations track for all employees and for employees with
disabilities, as well as potential barriers in the employment of and advancement of people with disabilities.
The data findings included in this document focus on Part 1 of the research: Practices and Policies Related to
Recruiting and Hiring Employees With Disabilities.
Introduction
2

Part 1:
Policies and Practices Related
to Recruitment and Hiring
3

Study Purpose, Partners and Funding
 Study purpose: to provide new knowledge about differences in HR practices in hiring,
retaining and advancing individuals with disabilities and the relationship between
these practices and positive employment outcomes.
 Partners: SHRM, in collaboration with Cornell University.
 Funding: U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research grant to Cornell University, Rehabilitation Research and
Training Center on Employer Practices (Grant No. H133B040013).
4

For this survey, we define a “person with a disability” as someone who has a
physical and/or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. This
could include (but is not limited to) individuals with a physical disability, a chronic
health condition, a vision or hearing impairment, a mental health condition, or a
workplace injury or illness.
We define an “effective practice or policy” as one that leads to improved
recruitment, hiring, retention, engagement, workplace climate and/or advancement
of people with disabilities.
5
Definitions

Key Findings
6
 What policies and practices related to the recruitment and hiring of people with disabilities are
currently being implemented by organizations? Nearly two-thirds (61%) of organizations indicate
including people with disabilities explicitly in their diversity and inclusion plans, 59% require
subcontractors/suppliers to adhere to disability nondiscrimination requirements, 58% train HR staff
and supervisors on effectively interviewing people with disabilities, and 57% have developed
relationships with community organizations that promote the employment of people with
disabilities.
 Among organizations that have implemented policies and practices related to the recruitment
and hiring of people with disabilities, which policies and practices were found to be very
effective? Nearly one-half (45%) of organizations found that training HR staff and supervisors on
interviewing people with disabilities was very effective. Several organizations also believe that
requiring subcontractors/suppliers to adhere to disability nondiscrimination requirements (38%)
and having explicit organizational goals related to the recruitment or hiring of people with
disabilities (34%) were very effective practices.

Key Findings (Continued)
7
 Are some organizations more likely to have policies and practices related to the recruitment
and hiring of people with disabilities depending on the organization’s staff size or sector?
Larger organizations are more likely to have polices and practices related to recruitment and
hiring of people with disabilities compared with smaller organizations. Publicly owned for-profit
organizations also are more likely to have some of these policies and practices in place
compared with privately owned for-profit organizations and nonprofit organizations.

47%
57%
58%
59%
61%
53%
43%
42%
41%
39%
Yes No
Includes people with disabilities explicitly in its diversity and
inclusion plan.
(n = 567 )
Requires subcontractors/suppliers to adhere to disability
nondiscrimination requirements.
(n = 525)
Has relationships with community organizations that promote the
employment of people with disabilities.
(n = 568)
Actively recruits people with disabilities.
(n = 574)
Trains HR staff and supervisors on effective interviewing of people
with disabilities.
(n = 580)
8
Policies and Practices Related to Recruitment
and Hiring
Note: Respondents who answered “don’t know” and “in development/under review" were excluded from this analysis.
Our organization…

18%
20%
27%
27%
40%
82%
80%
73%
73%
60%
Yes No
Includes progress toward recruitment or hiring goals for people with
disabilities in the performance appraisals of senior management.
(n = 547)
Participates in internships or similar programs that target people with
disabilities.
(n =525)
Has explicit organizational goals related to the recruitment or hiring
of people with disabilities.
(n = 540)
Takes advantage of tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities
(e.g., Small Business Tax Credit, Architectural/ Transportation Tax
Deduction or Work Opportunities Tax Credit).
(n = 467)
Has senior management that demonstrates a strong commitment to
disability recruitment and hiring.
(n =555)
9
Policies and Practices Related to Recruitment
and Hiring (Continued)
Our organization…

Effectiveness of Policies and Practices
10
Our organization…
Very
effective
Somewhat
effective
Not
effective
Effectiveness
not known
Trains HR staff and supervisors on effective
interviewing of people with disabilities.
(n = 334)
45% 37% 17% 1%
Requires subcontractors/suppliers to adhere to
disability nondiscrimination requirements.
(n = 310)
38% 30% 3% 29%
Has explicit organizational goals related to the
recruitment or hiring of people with disabilities.
(n = 149)
34% 31% 9% 25%
Participates in internships or similar programs that
target people with disabilities.
(n = 111)
33% 37% 5% 25%
Note: Respondents who answered that a policy or practice related to recruitment and hiring was “not in place” at their organization, “in development/under review”
or “don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.

(Continued)
11
Our organization…
Very
effective
Somewhat
effective
Not
effective
Effectiveness
not known
Includes people with disabilities explicitly in its
diversity and inclusion plan.
(n =349)
29% 36% 7% 27%
Has relationships with community organizations that
promote the employment of people with disabilities.
(n = 326)
28% 37% 7% 28%
Has senior management that demonstrates a strong
commitment to disability recruitment and hiring.
( n = 223)
27% 42% 8% 23%

(Continued)
12
Our organization…
Very
effective
Somewhat
effective
Not
effective
Effectiveness
not known
Actively recruits people with disabilities.
(n = 273)
26% 37% 6% 30%
Takes advantage of tax incentives for hiring people
with disabilities (e.g., Small Business Tax Credit,
Architectural/ Transportation Tax Deduction or Work
Opportunities Tax Credit).
(n = 128)
26% 34% 6% 34%
Includes progress toward recruitment or hiring goals
for people with disabilities in the performance
appraisals of senior management.
(n = 99)
29% 33% 11% 28%

Comparison by
Organization Sector
13

 Publicly owned for-profit organization is a limited liability company that offers its
securities (stock/shares, bonds/loans, etc.) for sale to the general public, typically through
a stock exchange or through market makers operating in over-the-counter markets. This is
separate and distinct from a government-owned corporation that might be described as a
publicly owned company.
 Privately owned for-profit organization is a business company owned either by
nongovernmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or
company members. A privately owned for-profit organization does not offer or trade its
company stock (shares) to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather
the company's stock is offered, owned and traded or exchanged privately. Less ambiguous
terms for a privately held company are unquoted company and unlisted company.
 Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor a technical definition, but generally refers to
an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals rather than to distribute
them as profit or dividends. States in the U.S. defer to the IRS designation conferred
under United States Internal Revenue Code Section 501 when the IRS deems an
organization eligible. A nonprofit organization may or may not have shareholders.
Definition of Sectors
14

15
Our organization…
actively recruits people with disabilities.
Organization sector Differences based on organization sector
Publicly owned for-profits (58%) Privately owned for-profits (41%)
Publicly owned for-
profits
>
privately owned for-
profits
Comparison by Organization Sector
Publicly owned for
profits
>
profits
Publicly owned for-
profits
>
profits
has relationships with community organizations that promote the employment of people with disabilities.
includes progress toward recruitment or hiring goals for people with disabilities in the performance appraisals
of senior management.
Only statistically significant differences are shown.

16
Our organization…
takes advantage of tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities.
Publicly owned for-profits (42%)
Privately owned for-profits (21%)
Nonprofits (23%)
Publicly owned for-
profits
>
profits, nonprofits
(Continued)
Nonprofits (55%)
Publicly owned for-
profits
>
profits, nonprofits
requires subcontractors/suppliers to adhere to disability nondiscrimination requirements.
includes people with disabilities explicitly in its diversity and inclusion plan.
Nonprofits (60%)
Publicly owned for-
profits
>
profits, nonprofits

17
Our organization…
has explicit organizational goals related to the recruitment or hiring of people with disabilities.
Nonprofits (34%)
Publicly owned for-
profits, nonprofits
>
profits
(Continued)
Nonprofits (48%)
Publicly owned for-
profits, nonprofits
>
profits
has senior management that demonstrates a strong commitment to disability recruitment and hiring.

Comparison by
Organization Staff Size
18

Smaller organizations Larger organizations Differences based on organization staff size
1 to 99 employees (37%)
2,500 to 24,999 employees (64%)
25,000 or more employees (78%)
Larger organizations > smaller organizations
19
Our organization…
actively recruits people with disabilities.
2,500 to 24,999 employees (75%) Larger organizations > smaller organizations
has relationships with community organizations that promote the employment of people with disabilities.
Comparison by Organization Staff Size
includes people with disabilities explicitly in its diversity and inclusion plan.
500 to 2,499 employees (66%)
2,500 to 24,999 employees (72%)

20
Our organization…
100 to 499 employees (12%) 25,000 or more employees (39%) Larger organizations > smaller organizations
has explicit organizational goals related to the recruitment or hiring of people with disabilities.
25,000 or more employees (52%) Larger organizations > smaller organizations
includes progress toward recruitment or hiring goals for people with disabilities in the performance appraisals
of senior management.
2,500 to 24,999 employees (28%)
participates in internships or similar programs that target people with disabilities.
(Continued)

21
Our organization…
500 to 2,499 employees (36%)
2,500 to 24,999 employees (43%)
takes advantage of tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities.
has senior management that demonstrates a strong commitment to disability recruitment and hiring.
(Continued)
requires subcontractors/suppliers to adhere to disability nondiscrimination requirements.
500 to 2,499 employees (68%)
2,500 to 24,999 employees (69%)

Industry
Percentage of
Respondents
Manufacturing 26%
Finance and insurance 12%
Professional, scientific and technical services 12%
Retail trade 12%
Wholesale trade 9%
Transportation and warehousing 8%
Accommodation and food services 7%
Entertainment and recreation 5%
Information 5%
Utilities 5%
Construction 4%
Educational services 4%
Demographics: Organization Industry
Note: n = 637. Total does not equal 100% due to multiple response options.
22

Industry
Percentage of
Respondents
Health care and social assistance 4%
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional and similar organizations 4%
Repair and maintenance 4%
Real estate and rental and leasing 3%
Administrative and support and waste management and
remediation services
2%
Management of companies and enterprises 2%
Public administration 2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 1%
Mining 1%
Personal and laundry services 1%
Other 8%
Demographics: Organization Industry
(Continued)
Note: n = 637. Total does not equal 100% due to multiple response options.
23

Demographics: Respondents by Organization
Sector
Other
Nonprofit organization
Publicly owned for-profit organization
Privately owned for-profit organization
3%
14%
28%
56%
Note: n = 611. Percentages do not equal 100% due to rounding.
24

Demographics: Respondents by Organization
Staff Size
25,000 or more
employees
2,500 to 24,999
employees
500 to 2,499 employees
100 to 499 employees
1 to 99 employees
7%
18%
24%
28%
23%
n = 627
25

Demographics: Other
Does your organization have U.S.-based
operations (business units) only or does it
operate multinationally?
U.S.-based operations only 60%
Multinational operations 40%
n = 617
What is the HR department/function
responded for throughout this survey?
Corporate (companywide) 57%
Facility/location 26%
Business unit/division 17%
n = 519
Is your organization a single-unit organization or a
multi-unit organization?
Multi-unit organization: An organization that
has more than one location 80%
Single-unit organization: An organization in
which the location and the organization are
one in the same
20%
n = 635
26
For multi-unit organizations, are HR policies and
practices determined by the multi-unit corporate
headquarters, by each work location or both?
Multi-unit headquarters determines HR
policies and practices
51%
A combination of both the work location
and the multi-unit headquarters
determine HR policies and practices
46%
Each work location determines HR policies
and practices
3%
n = 516

Further Information Available
27
 SHRM® Disability Employment Resource Page
www.shrm.org/disabilityemployment
 HR Tips
www.hrtips.org
 Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN)
www.askEARN.org
 Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
http://askjan.org
 National ADA Network
www.adata.org
 Cornell Employment and Disability Institute publications online
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu
 Employment and Disability Institute at Cornell University
www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi
 U.S. Disability Status Report
www.disabilitystatistics.org

 Response rate = 23%
 Sample consisted of 662 HR professional respondents from a randomly selected sample of
SHRM’s membership.
 A series of e-mail reminders along with a call campaign were used to encourage survey
participation.
 Margin of error is +/-3%.
 Survey fielded October 19-December 15, 2011
28
Survey Methodology
• For more survey/poll findings, visit www.shrm.org/surveys
• For more information about SHRM’s Customized Research Services, visit www.shrm.org/customizedresearch
• Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SHRM_Research

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