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One in five business leaders would be “very
apprehensive” about appointing a disabled person to a senior role,
according to new research which experts said
demonstrated there were many workplace prejudices which still needed to be
tackled.
The poll of 1,002 business leaders
found that just one in 10 (11 per cent) reported having no concerns about
picking a person with a disability to fill a senior vacancy.
This compares to 58 per cent who said
they would have some apprehension, and 20 per cent who said they would be very
apprehensive.
The survey, commissioned by executive
search firm Inclusive Boards and conducted by research firm Survation, said the
main concern around hiring senior staff with disabilities was that it would be
too costly to make the necessary adjustments to cater for their needs.
Another reason, given by 41 per cent of
senior business leaders, was that disabled people might take a lot of sick
leave, and more than a quarter (27 per cent) said their organisation might not
benefit from employing a disabled person.
Angela Matthews, head of policy and
research at the Business Disability Forum, said the survey “highlights some of
the prejudices and inaccuracies around disability which continue to exist and
which make it difficult for people to talk openly about their disability.”
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