International Day of People with Disabilities –  Report Shows Workplace Insights

• Content
• People
• International Day of People with Disabilities –  Report Shows Workplace Insights

03 December 2020

Sodexo has published a report of the findings of a survey into the lived experience of employees and customers with disabilities.

The report, “A day without explanation: the future of disability inclusion?”, is the result of a survey carried out by Sodexo and PurpleSpace, the professional network hub for disabled employees.

Nearly 900 people from the PurpleSpace network, partner organisations, Sodexo and its external communities responded to the survey, which aimed to help Sodexo understand how to better support employees and customers with disabilities.

“A Day Without Explanation: the Future of Disability Inclusion?” – Key Findings 

• 79 per cent of respondents believe that people with disabilities find it much harder to build and nurture inner confidence and resilience, which may impact their ability to progress at work.
• 75 per cent of respondents with a disability had informed their line manager. 
• However, many believed that their employer doesn’t do well in sharing information about role models; only 15 per cent have heard about people with disabilities in senior or managerial positions in their organisation.
• When asked about their experiences as a customer, 30 per cent believed that they received a good service where their needs are anticipated, while 45 per cent have to explain individual needs to a different person on each visit.

Sarah Perry, HR Director, Sodexo UK & Ireland, commented: “This research has provided useful insight that we will be using to improve the workplace experience for colleagues with disabilities, and sharing with our clients and partners.

“Sodexo is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader, but the results clearly show that there is more we can be doing to improve the experience of our employees.”  

Sodexo’s Commitment

Sodexo has made a global commitment to provide 100 per cent of its workforce with access to programmes for people with disabilities by 2025.

The company will be participating in PurpleSpace’s #PurpleLightUp on 3 December; a 24 hour global broadcast with webinars, interviews and panel discussions to spark conversations about disability inclusion worldwide.

International Day of People with Disabilities

Coinciding with the release of Sodexo’s report, today (December 3) marks International Day of People with Disabilities, with the 2020 theme being “Not all Disabilities are Visible”. Campaigns are focussed on spreading awareness and understanding of disabilities that are not immediately apparent, such as mental illness, chronic pain or fatigue, sight or hearing impairments, diabetes, brain injuries, neurological disorders, learning differences and cognitive dysfunctions, among others. 

According to the WHO World Report on Disability, 15 per cent of the world’s population, or more than 1 billion people, are living with a disability. Of this number, it’s estimated 450 million are living with a mental or neurological condition— and two-thirds of these people will not seek professional medical help, largely due to stigma, discrimination and neglect. 

Find out more about the campaign here.

Picture: a photograph of a group of people meeting at a table, one of the people is a wheelchair user

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 03 December 2020

Share

Related Articles