The war for talent might be under a temporary cease-fire for employers experiencing fallout from the recession. But when the battle cries resume, it will be the organizations prepared for a new kind of workforce who claim victory.
“The talent crunch is very real,” said Martha Artiles, chief diversity officer for Manpower Inc., during a Feb. 18, 2009, Conference Board webinar. “It is currently being masked by the current economic climate … but numbers are numbers; we clearly have a population that is ready for retirement and a group of younger people too small to replace them.”
For example, nearly 50 percent of projected job growth in the United States will occur in occupations that require advanced education and skill levels, said Mary Wright, project leader, workforce readiness, with the Conference Board, who also spoke during the webinar.
“The aging process will continue whether folks decide to stay in the workforce or not,” Wright said. “That’s why organizations need to make sure those that come in can replace those who leave.”
Unfortunately, employers tell the Conference Board they are spending money on remedial training because schools and colleges have not ensured that entrants are ready for the world of work.
“Smart employers are looking at how to prepare themselves,” Artiles said. “We need to make sure we tap into all populations that are ready and willing to work.”
Employers have not exhausted all possible talent options, however.
According to Richard Horne, director of the division of policy planning and research at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), just 13.6 percent of employers are recruiting people with disabilities, despite the fact that less than a quarter of the population of people with disabilities is employed.
Recent research conducted by ODEP revealed that employers have concerns about whether employees with disabilities are as safe and productive as the rest of the workforce. Many cited difficulties finding qualified candidates, a finding that Horne found surprising, given the large number who are unemployed.
This might be, in part, because some employers might view people with disabilities as more of a problem than a solution.
But Artiles noted that many of the jobs identified in Manpower's 2008 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill survey, such as sales representatives and those in accounting and finance, IT and engineering jobs, are ideal for people with a wide variety of physical disabilities.
Still, persuading hiring managers to give people with disabilities a try can be a challenge.
“What we have found through our research is that the biggest barrier is the attitudes and behaviors of the supervisor,” Horne added. That’s why he advocates disability awareness training for supervisors.
SunTrust Bank finds web-based training most useful for this purpose, according to Katherine McCary, vice president at SunTrust and former chair of the U.S. Business Leadership Network (BLN), a national business to business networking organization. The training that was created for SunTrust by the Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation, Research and Training Center is free and accessible to the public.
But that’s not the only thing organizations need to recruit people with disabilities.
Artiles said employers need to “create cultures and work practices that are more inclusive.” This might involve modifications to recruitment and retention strategies, use of job redesign and overall flexibility in how talent is used.
On a longer-term basis, employers might choose to invest in training and development, enhance links with schools and develop ties to related not-for-profit organizations.
“No employer knows exactly how to do this,” McCary said. “You cannot do it alone; you have to have these kinds of partnerships.”
However, visible top management commitment is the “most important” strategy employers do—and should—use to increase the likelihood that they will hire people with disabilities. “When diversity policies and practices are inclusive of people with disabilities, it’s going to happen,” Horne said.
“It’s smart business to include people with disabilities in your workforce,” McCary said. “It’s not just the nice thing to do or the right thing to do.” And in most cases, employers already have people with hidden disabilities working for them.
Still, taking action to recruit people with disabilities might be a harder sell for some organizations. Executives and hiring managers want assurances that their organization will benefit from increased productivity or other bottom line results if they hire people with disabilities.
Employers can access real-life examples of employer practices in the online Business Case for Employing People with Disabilities produced recently by EARNWorks.com, a service of ODEP.
How to Become Disability-Friendly
Reaching out to schools, colleges, vocational rehabilitation offices and private disability-related service providers will help an employer become known as a disability-friendly employer. The speakers suggested employers develop a strong campus recruitment effort and make it known to the disability services and career services offices that the organization is seeking students with disabilities. It is important to make sure that job advertisements include statements regarding an organization’s equal employment opportunity policy for people with disabilities.
But employers should not hesitate to seek help, the speakers noted. “Getting started and figuring out how to do this is not simple,” said Jane Rath, principal of CESSI, speaking on behalf of EARN. “The first step is the hardest but is also the most important,” she said. “Use EARN[Works] or BLN to ask questions particular to your organization.”
Rebecca R. Hastings, SPHR, is an online editor/manager for SHRM.