Guide to Job Accommodations
Job accommodations benefit everyone - organizations, employees and clients/customers. So, what exactly is a job accommodation? How is it beneficial to an employer? This guide will answer these questions and separate fact from fiction about hiring people with disabilities.
What is a Job Accommodation?
A job accommodation is the removal or modification of a barrier to facilitate full integration or inclusion of a person with a disability into the workplace.
An accommodation provides the employee with a disability with an equal opportunity to perform his or her job, and provides the employer the opportunity to benefit fully from their employee’s skills and abilities.
Types of Barriers
Environmental
This type of barrier is a structural, physical or technological obstacle within the work environment that impedes the ability of a person with a disability. Examples include:
• Building Structure – heavy doors without automatic openers
• Office work stations with narrow openings
• Standard size computer monitor
Systemic
Systemic barriers often stem from policies and procedures that preclude people with disabilities, although they may have no relevance to the person’s ability to do a job such as:
• Speed testing all job applicants when speed is not an actual job requirement
• Screening out an applicant who has employment gaps in their work history
Attitudinal
These barriers are attitudes about people with disabilities that keep people from appreciating the full potential of a person with a disability. This is when someone allows their stereotypes about disability to impact how much credit or confidence they give someone.
Example:
• Pity – feeling sorry for people with disabilities leading to patronizing
• Low productivity – misconception that people with disabilities are less productive than other workers
Misconceptions
Sometimes the term “job accommodations” may seem intimidating, confusing and/or complicated and leading to many misconceptions about hiring people with disabilities. Common misconceptions are:
Job Accommodations are costly.
Most job accommodations are simple and inexpensive such as changes in job duties and modified hours of work. In fact, according to Job Accommodation Canada, 80% of accommodations cost less than $500. Accommodations have more to do with creativity, flexibility and sound management practices than expensive structural modifications.
Employees with disabilities are more likely to need time off because of sickness than other employees.
According to a DuPont study, 86 % of employees with disabilities have average or above average attendance records. Another subsequent study found 39 % of workers with disabilities to be more reliable than other workers.
Employees with disabilities are not as productive as employees without disabilities.
In a Louis Harris and Associates survey of 930 employers, the majority of managers reported their employees with disabilities work as hard or harder than their employees without disabilities.
Only a small percentage of the Canadian population has some sort of disability
2.3 million Canadians between 15 and 64 years of age have disabilities. This translates to people with disabilities representing 13 % of the working age population.
Hiring employees with disabilities could cause Workers’ Compensation premiums to increase.
The Workers’ Compensation Board cannot increase an employer’s premiums on the basis that some of their employees have disabilities.
There is a lot you have to learn before you can be sensitive and aware around a person with a disability.
It is easy to show awareness. Start by avoiding stereotypes and remember to deal with each person as an individual. Don’t single out the disability. Consider the person before the disability.
Benefits to Employers
Why Accommodate? Here are some benefits:
• Investing in good employees through accommodations builds loyalty, commitment, job satisfaction, and productivity.
• By understanding the needs of their employees, employers will attract and retain quality candidates, and develop a diverse and healthy workforce.
• Increases corporate profile and image by reflecting the diversity of the community. Employers will be in a better position to respond to the product and service needs of customers and clients with disabilities – a growing market.
• The investment also makes the employer’s workplace more accessible to other potential employees with disabilities as well as, clients and customers, like parents with baby strollers and people making deliveries, also enjoy the comforts of a less cumbersome environment.
Obligations under the Human Rights Code
The Ontario Human Rights Code requires that accommodations be made for persons with disabilities in order for them to perform the essential duties of a job for which they are capable. Under the code, employers do have a “Duty to Accommodate”.
“Undue Hardship”
Instances where job accommodation constitutes “undue hardship” for an employer, job accommodation is not required. Factors considered in determining “undue hardship” are:
• Cost
• Outside sources of funding, if any
• Health and safety requirements
Exceptions:
The Ontario Human Rights Code recognizes that in some circumstances, a person with a disability may be unable to perform the essential duties of a job. Before any such determination is made, all efforts to accommodate the employee’s needs must be explored.
For more information about hiring people with disabilities, please contact CPA Ontario Employment Services at 416-422-5644 or toll free: 1-877-1112.
Resources:
Accommodations and Accessibility:
Employment Equity:
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada website: