"Inclusion succeeds!"
With this message, the BDA, together with the other leading business associations, is campaigning for more training and employment for people with disabilities.
Equal opportunities for people with disabilities to prove themselves in the workplace through performance are not only a socio-political task, but also make good business sense and are an integral part of an active corporate culture. The equal participation of people with disabilities in working and professional life is an important social and labor market policy issue. Employers take this responsibility seriously and are actively committed to training, professional inclusion and the sustainable reduction of unemployment among people with disabilities. 1.1 million (BA 2018) severely disabled people in employment are proof of this. When deployed correctly, they are fully capable employees who are often particularly motivated to perform their tasks.
©AdobeStock Jenny Sturm
Inclusion in the best interests of companies
For years, the BDA and its member associations have been committed to breaking down the prejudice that "disabled equals impaired performance" and encouraging companies to train, employ and retain people with disabilities. The website offers extensive information specifically for employers. Coping with demographic change and the resulting shortage of skilled workers as well as ageing workforces offer new opportunities, especially for people with disabilities. As part of a demographically sound HR policy, many companies are consciously dealing with : employees are deployed according to their strengths and supported with their weaknesses. The potential of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses in particular is increasingly becoming the focus of attention. The majority of disabilities are not congenital, but are the result of an accident or illness. For companies, it is in their own best interest to retain their employees, many of whom have been with the company for many years, precisely because of their experience.
"Recruitment counts - employers win" initiative aims to draw attention to potential
With , which was launched in April 2019, the Federal Employment Agency, the Federal Ministry of Labor, the Federal Association of Integration Offices and Main Welfare Offices and the BDA want to jointly target employers who, to their knowledge, do not train or employ severely disabled people. The initiative is supported by and . The aim of the initiative is to draw attention to the potential that often lies in employees with severe disabilities and at the same time to provide employers with information and support.
When discussing the equalization levy and the employment rate, it is important to bear this in mind: The number of unfilled compulsory jobs already significantly exceeds the number of unemployed people with severe disabilities. So even if all unemployed people with a severe disability could be integrated, the employment rate of 5% could still not be achieved.
Creating cross-carrier guides for employers
The structured system of rehabilitation is difficult to understand for both people with disabilities and employers. It is often difficult to recognize which institution is responsible for which support measures. Coordinated, fast, effective and company-oriented support and advice from the rehabilitation providers is crucial for success. However, there is still a lack of a competent cross-agency guide for employers. The project carried out by the Bildungswerke der Wirtschaft - which is now being continued as the "Forum Wirtschaft und INKLUSION" - has impressively shown that such a central point of contact, which guides employers to the right advice and support services offered by the rehabilitation providers, is important for employers. The medium-term goal should therefore be to create cross-agency guides for employers who can quickly and unbureaucratically provide tailored advice in the region.
Insights into practice with recommendations for action on the topic of inclusive leadership: "Inclusive leadership - how to successfully include people with disabilities in the company"
Further information
On the topic of training: "Pretty good employees - experiences, facts and tips on inclusive training"
Further information
Further information
On the topic of training: "Pretty good employees - experiences, facts and tips on inclusive training"
Further information
Special regulations must not lead to exclusion
The many well-intentioned special regulations for severely disabled employees make it difficult to break down the prejudice that unfortunately still sometimes exists among employees and employers that "severely disabled equals disabled" and to encourage companies to hire more severely disabled people. Many protective regulations often have the opposite effect of inclusion by creating additional barriers to recruitment. Professional help and support to overcome objective obstacles and successful examples of successful integration and inclusion are crucial to increasing the participation of severely disabled people in working life. Above all, the professionals in the employment agencies and rehabilitation providers and, last but not least, the integration offices and specialist integration services are called upon here. It would be counterproductive to continue to suggest that people with disabilities have a lower level of performance per se through new - albeit often well-intentioned - protective regulations or further over-regulation in disability law.
REHADAT information portal: With fourteen portals, numerous publications, apps and seminars, REHADAT is the central independent source of information on the professional participation and inclusion of people with disabilities. REHADAT is a project of the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln e.V., funded by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) from the equalization fund.
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Business is involved in many ways
Many companies are committed to improving inclusion. Successful examples of successful inclusion in the interests of all those involved, which are intended to encourage imitation, are also honored annually by the Inclusion Award for Business, which the UnternehmensForum awards together with the BA, the Diversity Charter and the BDA. The BDA will continue to disseminate successful examples such as these and thus demonstrate how successful coexistence at work and in the workplace can be.
Social partners active: In order to jointly ensure more inclusion in companies, the BAVC and IG BCE signed a social partner agreement on inclusion in Hanover on September 2, 2020. The agreement sets out nine fields of action. The main aim is to improve awareness in companies of the importance of inclusion and to point out specific offers of help.
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Further information
