Diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace

Diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace

Introduction

The concept of disabilities in the workplace has been as controversial as it has existed. Employers and employees who are not disabled still find it challenging to accept people with disabilities in the workplace. People with disabilities continue to face significant barriers to the labor market, leading to a state of diversity in the way that they are accepted in the workplace (Khan et al., 2019). While some employers and workplaces acknowledge and accept people with disabilities, some workplaces still have not considered the ethical benefits and the possibilities of working with people with disabilities. This article discusses the concept of diversity in accepting people with disabilities in the workplace. Specifically, this essay will focus on the factors that lead to diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace and conduct a literature analysis of past research and articles on diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace. The literature review will help the reader to understand the nature of the diversity in the workplace and how the literary works have influenced the job market, especially for people with disabilities. Finally, this essay will discuss how to ensure positive diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace. In essence, the diverse nature of accepting disabilities in the workplace should not translate to some organizations, not accepting disabilities in their workplace. Instead, diversity should translate to different organizations accepting disabilities in different ways.

Factors that influence diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace

In the 21st century, many companies continue to realize and recognize the value that people with disabilities can add to a company. More specifically, many companies are beginning to realize that people with disabilities are as productive as people without such physical limitations. In some areas, people with disabilities have performed better than those who do not phase any type of challenge. However, the acceptance of such people has remained a challenge for both the companies and their employees. The diversity in acceptance of people with disabilities depend on several factors, and the organizational practices and culture are among the factors that most impact the diversity (International Labor Organization., 2010). Company culture and practices influence diversity in accepting people with disabilities by creating an environment that favors their acceptance. In essence, if a company does not hold people with disabilities with high significance and acceptance, the organizational employees may also not accept such people in the workplace. Therefore, company practices influence whether other corporate employees accept people with disabilities or not.

Governments have attempted to formulate regulations that govern the plight of people with disabilities, especially when it comes to their acceptance in the workplace. However, one major factor that has continued to influence the acceptance of disabilities in the workplace is the issue of access to work opportunities among such people (Bonaccio et al., 2019). People with disabilities continue to face discrimination in access to work opportunities, making even their acceptance in the workplace itself difficult. In essence, it is difficult for people without disabilities to respect and accept those with disabilities if they are not given the same opportunities. Access to work for people with disabilities has always been limited to specific duties, with most employers assuming the responsibilities that the people with disabilities can or cannot perform. Most employers still have specific limited categories of work that they allocate to people with disabilities while denying them access to some of the jobs that they can perform better despite their impairments. In essence, limited access to job opportunities among people with disabilities influence diversity in accepting limitations in the workplace by encouraging discrimination by those who are not disabled. Those who have no disabilities fail to accept disabilities in the workplace because they feel that they are not equal just as much as the employers who fail to provide them the opportunities. Therefore, access to employment opportunities among the disabled significantly impacts their acceptance in the workplace.

Another factor that influences the acceptance of disabilities in the workplace is the concept of social stigma. People living with disabilities are a rich source of untapped talent and unimaginable potentials in task completion and organizational objectives achievement. However, a unifying social stigma has always undermined the untapped skills and possibilities of people with disabilities. The social stigma has led to the limited acceptance of such people and has made their employment a more daunting task. Society has always treated people with disabilities as unable to perform some of the most complicated duties in the workplace hence limiting their acceptance in such types of environments (Collier, 2016). Social stigma is, therefore, a significant factor that influences the acceptance of people with disabilities in the workplace, since it leads to doubts over their ability to complete specific tasks among both employers and employees. The problem with social stigma and its influence on accepting of disabilities in the workplace is that it does not give the disabled opportunities to prove themselves as there is no way that they can do this without the opportunities. Therefore, social stigma is a very significant factor that influences the acceptance of disabilities in the workplace. Most workplaces, including employers and employees, have not accepted the concept of inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace. In places where inclusion is practiced, people with disabilities still find it challenging to be entirely accepted, and their role appreciated in organizational success.

Literature review

The issue of diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace has gained significant momentum in recent years. Different scholars have attempted to research and explain the concept of diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace from different perspectives. One perspective looks into how some workplaces easily accept and provide a favorable working environment for people with disabilities, while others don’t. Another aspect researches how different organization accepts people with disabilities in their workplace. According to an article by McLoughlin (2004) and colleagues, recent research on diversity in the workplace has ignored the significant role of disabilities. Instead, much of these research activities and reports on diversity have focused on other organizational topics such as race, gender, and ethnicity. These research activities have ignored the significant role that people with disabilities play in the economy and organizational success. The article by McLoughlin (2004) explores the concept of diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace by exploring different factors that influence how different employees accept disabilities in the workplace. The article explores factors such as employee characteristics, and stigma, and how these factors influence employee acceptance of people with disabilities in the workplace. The research used a sample of 600 persons with disabilities in the workplace and explored how different factors influenced other employees’ acceptance of these disabilities (McLoughlin, 2004). McLoughlin (2004) and colleagues found that stigma is the most significant factor that impact influences diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace. Additionally, employee personal characters also contribute to diversity in accepting limitations in the workplace.

An Article by Vornholt (2013) and colleagues also discussed the concept of diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace. Unlike McLoughlin (2004) and colleagues, Vornholt’s (2013) article discussed the concept of diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace by looking at the topic from an organizational point of view. In essence, the report explores the factors that lead some organizations to easily accept and create a favorable working environment for employees with disabilities, while others do not. According to the authors, the lack of social acceptance by the non-disables is among the factors that most contribute to high turnover among people with disabilities in most organizations. The research to determine some of the factors that influence the acceptance of people with disabilities in most organizations involved a qualitative analysis of 48 past research articles, and selected findings from the Web of Science. According to Vornholt (2013) and colleagues, three main variables appear as most significant in influencing the acceptance of employees with disabilities in the workplace. These factors include characteristics of co-workers, characteristics of the disabled themselves, and the employers or employing organization. The researchers found these factors to be most significant in influencing the diverse nature of how both employees and organizations accept people with disabilities. The authors” contribution to the topic of diversity in the workplace provides a new perspective to the topic that most of the other researchers have not explored, exposing the significance of literature review on the topic.

Analysis of literature

The factors that the literature reviews above have to expose have very impactful significance to the whole idea of diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace. They do not only expose the different factors that influence the difference but also provide a clear example of how differently the concept has been explored in literature. In exposing the various factors that influence and contribute to diversity in how people accept disabilities in the workplace, the literature review above has brought to the reader’s attention new realities such as the attitudes and characteristics of both non-disabled co-workers and employers. Additionally, the article shave also exposed the different perspectives through researchers and scholars explore the concept of diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace. The article provides gaps and opportunities for future research, such as the exploration of the magnitude of impact different factors have on the concept of diversity. It also exposes the reader to different perspectives that the idea of diversity can be explored in organizational or workplace settings. The reader is also made aware of the fact that diversity in accepting disabilities in the workplace does not only rely on an organization but also the attitudes of the disabled themselves.

Discussions and recommendations

Research related to the topic of diversities in accepting disabilities in the workplace all seem to point towards two main objectives. One of the purposes is to ensure that future scholars and readers do not narrow down the understanding of this concept to how some organizations accept diversity in the workplace, and others do not. Although this is as significant as other areas. Research related to the topic seems to provide future scholars and readers with the understanding that helps them know that the concept also involves looking at the diverse nature of acceptance among employee staff, employers, and organizations. In essence, the idea of diversity in accepting people with disabilities in the workplace does not only involve organizational differences in how they articulate and provide for persons with disabilities. Instead, it also means looking at the different factors that influence diversity in accepting people with disabilities among non-disabled employees and employers.

The second main objective of research in this field points readers and researchers towards positive difference. In essence, a recent study seems to point readers towards exploiting how diversity in accepting people in the workplace can influence positivity towards people with disabilities in the workplace. In essence, recent researchers seem to point to ways in which diversity cannot necessarily mean discrimination. Positive diversity is about ensuring that the diverse nature of acceptance of people with disabilities does not make them scared of the working environment, but instead makes them feel welcome and part of an organization. Positive diversity involves studying how employee and employer attitudes and characters contribute passively to accepting people with disabilities in the workplace and not negatively. Recent research has pointed to this concept by examining how diversity contributes positively to accepting disabilities in the workplace. However, this essay will be incomplete without considering the benefits of disability diversities in the workplace.

Benefits of disability diversities in the workplace

All types of research on matters of diversity in accepting disabilities in workplaces are motivated by the principle of equal opportunities for all. In essence, equal opportunities should be apparent in any workplace regardless of the nature of the job. That means that people with disabilities should be given equal opportunities to work in hotels, warehouses, delivery services, and in the corporate world. However, the current organizational frameworks do not reflect this aspect of human resource strategies. In essence, opportunities are literally not equal fort people with disabilities as they are for the non-disabled. However, scholars argue that businesses should aim at showcasing equality and diversity in the workplace as it has significant benefits for the organization. Disability diversity in the workplace widens the possibility of an organization finding the most suitable candidate for their jobs. Additionally, organizations benefit from disability diversity in the workplace by attracting more customers, including people with different abilities. In essence, it is logical that a business that encourages acceptance of disabilities in their workplace attracts customers with similar challenges.

Conclusion

People living with disabilities have unique talents and capabilities that go beyond human reality. They are best referred to as ‘abled differently because they contribute to the economy, and can be the best to have in a workplace. Discrimination and stigma have always undermined opportunities for people who are abled differently. The essence of discussing the benefits of a diverse disability workplace is to help the reader understand why it is essential to consider diversities in accepting disabilities in the workplace. This article has discussed the various concepts of diversities in accepting disparities in the workplace. The essay has also submitted how a reader can interpret the idea of diversity addressed in the literature.

References

Bonaccio, S., Connelly, C. E., Gellatly, I. R., Jetha, A., & Ginis, K. A. M. (2019). The participation of people with disabilities in the workplace across the employment cycle: Employer concerns and research evidence. Journal of Business and Psychology, 1-24.

Collier, D. (2016). Inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace: Best practices for HR professionals.

International Labour Organization. (2010). Disability in the Workplace: Company practices.

Khan, N., Korac‐Kakabadse, N., Skouloudis, A., & Dimopoulos, A. (2019). Diversity in the Workplace: An overview of disability employment disclosures among UK firms. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(1), 170-185.

McLaughlin, M. E., Bell, M. P., & Stringer, D. Y. (2004). Stigma and acceptance of persons with disabilities: Understudied aspects of workforce diversity. Group & Organization Management, 29(3), 302-333.

Vornholt, K., Uitdewilligen, S., & Nijhuis, F. J. (2013). Factors affecting the acceptance of people with disabilities at work: A literature review. Journal of occupational rehabilitation, 23(4), 463-475.