Retention
The majority of people with disabilities become disabled during their working life and the incidence of disability increases steadily from the age of 45. Employers need to consider how best to make reasonable adjustments in order that an employee who becomes disabled or whose condition changes/deteriorates is not put at a substantial disadvantage in their job.
Keeping an employee who becomes ill or disabled at work generally costs less than having to recruit and train someone new. Retaining an employee who already has the relevant skills and a good working knowledge of your organisation is a way of ensuring your work force has the required experience.
There are local and national services which support organisations to enable employees who become disabled to succeed in their original role. The following services specialise in providing appropriate strategies and will work with employers in order to ensure any necessary adjustments can be easily accommodated:
- Access to Work (run by Jobcentreplus)
- Staying in Work Service (run by the Shaw Trust)
- RETAIN (run by the Richmond Fellowship)
- The Community Head Injury Service (based in Aylesbury; no website available so please contact Ruth Tyerman on 01296 337760)
Useful Changes/Adjustments Which an Employer Can Make to Aid Job Retention:
- A range of assistance services are available such as those listed above. It would behoove an employer to encourage and support employees with disabilities in contacting them.
- Changes to duties and/or allocating minor tasks which can no longer be carried out by the person with disabilities, to another employee.
- Transfer of the employee to another, more suitable post.
- Provision of practical aids and equipment, as well as the implementation of strategies to ensure that tasks can be carried out successfully, e.g. the use of moving and handling equipment to transfer items which had previously been lifted.
- Adjustments to working practice can be developed such as allowing an employee to have four 15 minute breaks instead of a single one hour break or the use of a note pad/diary to aid memory.
