Clear process for workplace adjustments, finds survey

Diversity Network, along with Business Disability International, held our first Workplace Adjustment Survey, and found that for many organisations, there is a clear process for employees to gain workplace adjustments.

Some key findings include almost 60 per cent of respondents have a senior leader in their organisation who is responsible for the quality and impact of the process which provides workplace adjustments or accommodations to employees.

Interestingly, on the subject of disclosure, almost 30 per cent of organisations say their employees are not required to prove they have a disability before they are helped to access adjustments.

For the question about how quickly adjustments are put into place, answers were almost uniform:

10.4 per cent said within 10 days

8.3 per cent said between 14 and 29 days

10.4 per cent said up to 90 days

10.4 per cent said it was more than 90 days

In addition to these answers, 20 per cent of organisations don’t collect the data and 40 per cent of people who replied to the survey didn’t know if this data was collected.

Top regions for respondents were the UK with 41.4 per cent and the US with 38.6 per cent. Australia made up 5.6 per cent of replies with Germany 3.4 per cent and Ireland 3 per cent.

Take a look at the results of the survey – how does your organisation measure up? We’d love to hear your feedback.

Full survey results

“Do you have a named senior leader who is responsible for the quality and impact of the process which provides workplace adjustments or accommodations to employees?”

No – 60 31.3%

Yes, in the country where I work – 112 58.3%

Yes, but located at head office, which is abroad – 20 10.4%

“Can you name the manager responsible for the day-to-day operation of the ‘end to end’ provision of your adjustments service in the following locations? Tick which statements you agree with below:”

At your Head Office – Yes – 100 52.1%

At your Head Office? – No – 76 39.6%

Is this in the country where you work? – Yes – 80 41.6%

In the country where you work? – No – 48 25%

“Are employees who ask for adjustments required to first prove that they have a disability? Tick the statements that you agree with below:”

Head office requires evidence that the employee has a disability in every country in which you do business – 44 22.9%

Only some countries require proof of disability status – 16 8.3%

Employees worldwide are not required to prove they have a disability before we help them access adjustments – 56 29.2%

Don’t know – 76 39.6%

“Do you monitor the number and types of requests for adjustments which are denied by the organisation?”

We do collect this data – 44 22.9%

We don’t collect this data – 56 29.2%

I don’t know if we collect this data – 92 47.9%

“How does your organisation fund adjustments for employees?”

Managers pay for adjustments for their team members – 40 

There is a central fund, so managers do not pay from local cost centres – 76

I don’t know – 76

“How long does an employee in your country usually wait from when they request an adjustment to when it is delivered and operational?”

1 – 10 days – 20 10.4%

14 – 29 days – 16 8.3%

30 – 90 days – 20 10.4%

More than 90 days – 20 10.4%

We do not collect this data – 40 20.8%

I don’t know if we collect this data – 76 39.6%

“Do you routinely survey the workforce to monitor satisfaction with the quality of your workplace adjustment provision?”

Yes – 24 12.4%

No – 124 64.5%

Not sure – 44 22.9%

Survey stats at-a-glance

  • Total number of respondents: 192 from within our community took the time to fill in the survey.
  • Average demographic of respondents: Over 65% Female, from 35 and up.
  • Top job titles: HR Director; DEI Director; Chief People Officer; Manager; HR Lead; CEO / Company owner

With many thanks to everyone who took part in the survey. Your answers are really helpful for our research! 

Share this post :

Facebook
LinkedIn
Email
Scroll to Top

Partnership Query

Please fill this form if you’d like more info on partnering with Diversity Network, and we’ll be in touch!