1. COVER STORY
, HE BUSINESS
T
CASEFOR
CREATING
AN INCLUSIVE
' ORKPLACE
W
So, why are more organizations not embracing the concept?
BY SUSAN STANTON
T I "
he ability to think "out­
side the box" is one of
the greatest strengths
employees with disabilities can
bring to a workplace, according
tions need to do in order to reap
the many benefits of this virtually
untapped pool of talent. "There's
a compelling business case why
it's good for your organization,"
to Sharon Myatt, employment says Debbie Yip, vice-president
development consultant with of human resources and divers­
JOIN, the Ontario Job Opportunity ity at proLearning innovations,
Information Network for Persons a leading HR consulting firm.
with Disabilities. A network of 25 "Employees with disabilities stay
community agencies, JOIN helps on the job longer, take fewer
people with disabilities find jobs, breaks and their performance is
and helps employers recruit quali­ typically higher."
fied candidates. But to capture this talent and
"One of the things I hear often reap the benefits , organizations
from employers who have really need to let go of preconceived
made a commitment is that people ideas about hiring the disabled,
with disabilities bring a fresh per­ fully embrace the new Integrated
spective to the workplace ," says Accessibility Standards under
Myatt. "They've had to think out­ the Accessibility for Ontarians
side the box to be able to communi­ with Disabilities Act (AODA) (see
cate and advocate for themselves." sidebar) to eliminate barriers to
It's an asset that organizations employment, create a culture of
seeking creativity and innovation openness, trust and opportunity
value most in their employees. in the workplace, and make a solid
Ironically, thinking outside commitment to building an inclu­
the box is also what organiza­ sive workforce.
HR PROFESSIONAL

2. PARTICIPATION organization, I still think organ­ • 90 per cent of disabled employees
RATES TOO LOW izations can do more." did as well or better at their jobs
While many business and organ­ So what's keeping organ ­ than non-disabled co-workers.
izations , public and private, in izations thinking " inside the • 86 per cent rated average or bet ­
Ontario and across Canada are box"? To some extent it 's the ter in attendance.
passionate about employment myths and stereotypes that still • when accommodation is neces ­
equity and diversity, many others abound about the costs and dif­ sary for employees with disabil ­
still don't get it. That's clear from ficulties of employing people with ities, 20% cost nothing, and 50%
Ontario stats alone: more than 1.5 disabilities. cost less than $500.
million Ontarians have a disabil­ The government of New
ity (15.5 per cent). Of those, 49.5 EXPLODING Brunswick identifies 19 addi­
per cent are not working for pay THE MYTHS tional falsehoods in its publication,
at a job or business, compared to Sharon Myatt enumerates some of Myths about Hiring P~rsons with
24.5 per cent for people without the things organizations say when Disabilities (see sidebar below).
disabilities. they think about hiring the dis ­ Most recently engaged in
This discrepancy is also appar ­ abled: "I'm too busy. This is going coaching employers and employ­
ent to people who work in the field . to cost me a lot of money. It's going ees on the implementation of the
Myatt is enthusiastic about JOIN's to be time-consuming, and people Customer Service Standard under
Business Leadership Network, are going to take time off. I can't AODA, Yip says it's part of her job
which brings together top com­ treat a person with a disability the to dispel the myths about people
panies across Canada to share same as I can their non-disabled with disabilities in the workplace.
best practices, learn and strat ­ counterpart." During workshops , Yip asks
egize about AODA, promote the From Lamont's perspective , participants how they feel about
hiring of people with disabilities, "Everybody seems to be working persons with disabilities in the
discuss accommodation strategies harder, longer, with less. So employ­ workplace . The most common
and more. "But I have to be really ers will say, 'I want to hire someone response , says Yip , is that "they
candid," says Myatt. "Given the and they have to be on the ground can only be in certain roles." Yip's
number of employers we have in running and fully productive.' This response is, "That's true, but every ­
this country, we are now up to 40 is where the myths come in." body can only be in certain roles .
BLN members. That's great. We Deloitte Canada's 2010 report, I can only be in a certain role . If
are delighted with that. But it's not The Road to Inclusion: Integrating the requirement of the job is to
enough." people with disabilities into the carry 50 pounds above my head in
Anne Lamont, President and workplace, includes statistics that a warehouse, I'm not qualified. So
CEO of Career Edge Organization refute some of these myths: we have to change our thinking-
sees the same hesitation in employ­
ers to hire people with disabil­
ities . Career Edge offers three
paid internship programs, one of
MYIHS &FACTS: ­_ _ __
which-Ability Edge-connects Here are just a few of the 19 myths to be foun d in New Brunswick's publication
employers with bright and talented Myth. about Hiring Person. with Oi.abiliti••:
graduates who have self-declared Employees with disabilities are more prone to on-the-job injuries.
disabilities. Four U.S. studies found that individuals with disa bilities experience fewer
These individuals "manage disabling injuries than the average amployee exposed to the same hal8rd.
their disability extremely well Employeeswith disabilities can only fill entry-level positions.
through accommodation ," says Almost 75 per cent of working age adults with disabjlities had a high school
Lamont. Ability Edge has placed diploma or higher education.
more than 450 interns with Employees with disabilities are more difficult to supervise.
nearly 200 employers-a laud­ Employeeswith disabilities are 110 more difficult to supervise than employees
able achievement. But the Ability without disabilities.
Edge program is still the small­ Employees With disabilities can't be fired or disciplined.
est of the three intern programs, Employees with disabilitiesare subject to the same performan ce sta ndards and
notes Lamont, and the participa­ guidelines as othe r employees.
tion rate is lower than she'd like
Source: rrr.gnb.&8/0018/'CSO'/POF/MYlh~lOBuSIIfS~lOEIG.,df.
to see. "Regardless of the size of
HRPROMAG.com May/June 2012 23

3. COVER TORY
these are the requirements of the really support the concept of build­ She points to the success of Randy
job, what are the abilities of the per­ ing accessible workplaces. Once an Lewis, vice-president of the U.s.­
son applying for the position." organization embraces these con­ based Walgreens and the speaker
And when you look at the require­ cepts, their enthusiasm soars. "They at JOIN's March 28, 2012 BLN
ments of the job, make sure they inspire me by how much they are meeting. Lewis hired 700 disabled
are bona fide, says Yip. "Open your embracing it," says Yip. employees (or 40 per cent of the
mind" to possible accommodations. And there's even better news for workers) at a Walgreen's distribu­
If an employee with one arm applies organizations-employees with tion centre equipped with touch
for the warehouse job, for example, disabilities actually benefit the screens and flexible work stations
"Do they really have to lift 50 workplace. and watched productivity shoot up
pounds over their heads? Is there a 20 per cent higher than the com­
forklift available to everyone? Maybe pany's other distributions centres.
that's not a bona fide job require­ Walgreen's is now using that
ment. Maybe I could hire the person model for its other centres and
with one arm because they could sharing its experiences and strat­
work the forklift." egies with employers around the
Focusing on abilities is essential, globe. "Just by having him speak
says Lamont. "If you bring some­ will get a lot more employers in
body into a supportive environment, Canada saying, 'You know what,
it demystifies the discussion around here's the evidence'," says Myatt.
.a disability. The reality is the ques­ As well as being more product­
tion will come up, 'Do you need any ive, employees with disabilities are
accommodation to do this job?' And often more dependable and loyal
it shouldn't be a threatening ques­ THE BUSINESS than their co-workers without dis­
tion because the individual is work­ CASE EMERGES abilities, and staff retention is sig­
ing for a company that says, 'I know While Canada still has a way to go nificantly higher, according to
I'm hiring someone with a disabil­ in terms of developing its own sta­ Deloitte's The Road to Inclusion.
ity and I'm prepared to provide the tistics to support the business case That adds up to savings of millions
accommodation they require'." for hiring the disabled, says Myatt, of dollars every year in hiring and
When organizations focus on the enough information is available to training costs," says the report.
abilities, rather than the disabil­ show that disabled employees con­ This finding is supported by the
ities of potential employees, much tribute much to the bottom line. experiences of companies oper­
resistance goes out the window, One of the ways they do this is ating in Ontario. BMO Financial
says Yip. Organizations begin to simply by being more productive. Group, for instance, has worked
INTEGRATED STANDARDS UPDATE
By January 1, 2012, private sector organiza­ not intend to apply penalties immediately but • providing individualized emergency
tions were to have come into compliance with rather will try to assist companies to come response information to employees with
both the Customer Service Standard (Ontario into compliance with the requirements." Still, disabilities who require assistance in
Regulation 429/07) and the Emergency organizations "should complete implementa­ an emergency in a manner that they can
Preparedness requirements in the Integrated tion as soon as possible," says Reid. understand, and
Accessibility Standards (Ontario Regulation For an overview of the Customer Service • providing individuals with disabilities,
191/11) under the Accessibility for Ontarians Standard, see the AODA Update by Alison Ada upon request and in an accessible format,
with Disabilities Act (AODA). The deadline in the January 2012 issue of HR Professional. any emergency procedures, plans or pub­
for reporting compliance with the Customer The MCSS has produced plenty of resources lic safety information that are available to
Service Standard is December 31, 2012. to help you come into compliance, including the public.
However, it's likely that enforcement a webcast. toolkit, guide, template and online Tip sheets and guides are available from
actions will not be taken immediately, says reporting tool. You'll find them at www.mcss. MCSS to help companies and organizations
Holly Reid, a lawyer with Blake, Cassels gov. 0 n.ca/en/m c ss/p ro gra ms/ac cess ibi Ii ty/ come into compliance with these obliga­
& Graydon, LLP's labour and employment custo merSe rvi ce/ index. aspx. tions, says Reid (www.mcss .gov.on.ca/en/
group. "What we've heard from the Ministry According to Reid, the emergency pre­ mc ss/p rograms/a c cess i bil i ty/oth er _sta n­
of Community and Social Services (MCSS) paredness obligations in the Integrated dards/emergencies.aspx). For some addition­
to date suggests that the government does Standards include: al advice, check out the article, Emergency
24 May/June 2012 HR PROFESSIONAL

4. with JOIN to develop recruitment Consider these sound business stand their markets, and be seen
programs for people with disabil­ reasons for hiring people with as an employer of choice "support
ities in its customer contact centre disabilities: the hiring of people who represent
in Mississauga, ON. It has hired The talent pool is decreasing. their communities and in their
64 employees with disabilities and "Workers are getting older and communities are people with dis­
reports that its turnover rate for there are fewer skilled people in abilities," says Lamont. This opens
employees with disabilities at the the current labour pool to fill jobs up huge markets, and builds a
centre is 6 .3 per cent compared to as they become available," notes positive image of the organization.•
17.3 per cent for the total population. the Road to Inclusion. "To find the
"There's no question that inclusion people to fill these positions, busi­ MOVING FORWARD
at BMO has instilled a much deeper ness and governments must look There's no doubt that once busi":
sense of engagement from our for talent in every corner of the com­ nesses in Ontario comply with the
employees and that has a very direct munity and be more open about who Integrated Accessibility Standards
and positive influence on employee they hire. People with disabilities requirements, they are going to
success and the bank's bottom line," are part of an untapped market­ be in a better state of "readiness"
says Jennifer Reid, vice-president, people with a variety of skills at a when it comes to hiring and man­
Customer Contact Centre. variety of levels." aging disabled employees.
And then there's Mark Wafer, They contribute to creativity. But is that enough? "What 's
who owns six Tim Horton's stores innovation and problem solving. also needed is leadership," says
in Toronto and has hired more Ernst & Young, one of Canada's Lamont. "And with the leadership,
than 70 people with disabilities for Best Diversity Employers for 2012, accountability has to be expected
positions ranging from customer says that companies with sustain­ of people."
service to management. Wafer says able inclusive initiatives have a com­ Leadership is needed to build
that not only do disabled employ­ petitive advantage in a globalized a culture of openness and trust
ees stay on the job much longer, economy. "Diversity of thought and in the workplace, where disabled
but other employees also stay put experience can help lead to improved employees have opportunities to
because they feel good about the problem-solving and the ability to grow and advance, and where non­
inclusive environment. Wafer's take advantage of global opportun­ disabled employees can express
stores boast a 35 per cent turnover ities, says Fiona Macfarlane, chief any concerns they have.
rate compared to 70-80 per cent inclusiveness officer. "If we can get people with dis­
in other Tim Horton's stores in They are part of the commun­ abilities actively engaged in
Ontario. The benefits are tangible, ities and markets companies the economy," concludes Anne
says Wafer, in terms of training need to reflect. Organizations that Lamont, "then let them get on
costs, productivity and more. want to better serve and under- with that." HR
Preparedness: new rules if you employ people both Reid and proLearning's Debbie Yip sug­ ment standard should be relatively easy,
with disabilities, at www .healthandsafe­ gest you work on your employment standard says Yip. "You've already adopted the phil­
tyontar io.cal HSO/m edi a/HS 0/ Netwo rk Ma g/ requirements-even though they are not yet osophies (of accessibility), so I don't think
NetworkMag2!Article3a.html . in force . it's that different. It's a matter of reviewing
Expected soon from the MCSS are policies ·Companies tend to review and revise policies, looking for systemic barriers and
and resources for the remaining require­ their employment-related documentation providing required training to managers
ments in the Integrated Accessibility relatively regularly: notes Reid. "So what and employees." According to Yip, the cost
Standards, which cover employment, infor­ I have been saying to clients is, 'If you are of coming into compliance should not be
mation and communications and transporta­ already doing a review of your job applica­ too onerous.
tion. "What the Ministry has said is that they tion, your employee handbook, your offer Holly Reid agrees: "There's significant
are going to try to replicate the Customer of employment, your human rights policies, focus on training, accessibility policy and
Service Standard experience by providing you know these obligations are coming up plan development as well as ensuring that
policies on the Integrated Standards that in the future and it would be efficient if you employment documentation references and
give more guidance," says Reid. dealt with them now'." recognizes accessibility issues," says Reid.
If your company is already in compliance For HR professionals who have already " I think the cost to businesses is "time" in
with the Customer Service Standard and worked on the Customer Service Standard, most respects."
the Emergency Preparedness requirement, the transition to working on the employ-
HRPROMAG.com May/June 2U12 25.