Managers still lacking skills to support workers with disabilities

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Managers still do not feel fully equipped to support disabled employees in the workplace, research has suggested.
A poll of 2,000 people commissioned by OH provider Maximus has concluded that one in five managers do not feel confident they would know what to do if an employee came to them with an issue related to their mental health, with 14% saying the same for a physical disability.
Last week (Friday 3 December) was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, therefore giving the research added topicality, Maximus subsidiary Health Management has argued.
Managers urgently needed training and resources in how best to support disabled employees, as almost two fifths (39%) felt their business could do with more, and more than one in 10 said their business provided none.
Similarly, only 45% of managers said their business had the right systems and facilities in place to accommodate employees with a physical disability, while half (49%) said their organisation did not get any specialist advice or follow any guidelines on how to appropriately employ people with a disability.

Margaret McNab, managing director of Health Management, said: “Employers have a duty of care to make sure their workforce feels fully supported.
“That’s why it’s really important that businesses have the right level of information, resource and support in place to allow their management teams to be in a position to fully accommodate any disabled person in their business.”