[acb-hsp] Four Ways to Measure Hiring PWDS

[peter altschul]

Four Ways Companies Can Measure Returns Hiring Employees with 
Disabilities
  by Suzanne Robitaille
  In the last few years, disability hiring has undergone a sea 
change, moving its stature from philanthropic cause to good 
business decision.
  That's good news for job hunters and employers alike, and has 
breathed new life into corporate disability-hiring programs 
across all industries, from retail to technology.  As every 
employer knows, even seemingly good business decisions must prove 
successful if they are to be sustained for the long term.  While 
it's still difficult to pinpoint the impact of disability-hiring 
initiatives, companies that learn to measure results with a more 
flexible yardstick will derive more value from their programs.
  For the most part, many of the tools used to assess other 
diversity hiring programs, such as those for women and 
minorities, don't work as well in the disability space.  For 
instance, hiring a women or Asian-American candidate based on his 
or her school, coursework and grades may demonstrate an 
employer's ability to capture top minority talent.  Yet for 
someone with learning or mental disability, a grade-point-average 
doesn't always provide the best picture of a candidates' worth.
  It's also worth pointing out that disability isn't as easy to 
identify as race or gender.  Under the Americans with 
Disabilities Act, employees do not have to disclose a disability.  
And just last year, the Act was expanded to include new 
definitions of disability such as diabetes and epilepsy.
  For these reasons, companies should unfold that yardstick and 
aim broadly, but with clear business needs in mind.  A good 
approach is to focus on the one-of-a-kind benefits that 
disability-hiring programs bring to the table.
  1.  Reward Loyalty The most unique advantage, by and large, is 
more effective human resource management.  People with 
disabilities are more loyal workers, with less turnover and 
absenteeism rates, according to a 2008 disability employment 
report by Rutgers University.  More workers on the job, staying 
in their roles for longer periods, directly correlates to 
productivity gains, a strong measure of success in any 
corporation.  For instance, at a Walgreens distribution center in 
Anderson, S.C., more than 40 percent of the 275-person workforce 
has a disability, ranging from autism to Down syndrome.  The 
Anderson center operates at a 20 percent higher rate of 
efficiency, says Randy Lewis, Walgreens senior vice president for 
distribution and logistics.  "It's literally our No.  1 producing 
facility in the country, with very low turnover and low accident 
rates," he says.
  2.  Strut Your Stuff The second distinctive benefit is a 
stronger all-around reputation.  Disability hiring supports the 
communities in which you operate, helping to boost relations and 
goodwill.  It also helps improve public perceptions in the eyes 
of your customers and shareholders.
  A smart approach is to take on initiatives that celebrate your 
disability programs, including public relations, joining an 
employment council or local group, and seeking awards and 
recognition for your disability programs.  You can then measure 
results based on media coverage, awards won, and other accolades 
in the areas of social responsibility and work environment.
  For instance, Wells Fargo and Motorola participate in the U.S.  
Business Leadership Network, a national organization that 
promotes disability employment.  More than a dozen Fortune 500 
companies have received the U.S.  Department of Labor's New 
Freedom Initiative Award, including IBM, Merck and CVS Caremark, 
for bringing more people with disabilities into the workplace.
  3.  Remember Your Customers A third benefit is enhanced 
competitiveness, which translates, at least indirectly, to 
revenues.  Hiring people with disabilities helps a company more 
demographically reflect its customer base and also attracts the 
larger disability community, representing $200 billion in annual 
buying power.
  That's why companies like Microsoft and Hewlett Packard involve 
employees with disabilities in the design, engineering product 
development, testing and marketing of product lines as a way to 
make their products more accessible to users who would otherwise 
have difficulty using them.  It's also why Google recently 
supported one of its Deaf software engineers in configuring 
Google Voice technology to automatically caption YouTube videos, 
a feature that's extremely beneficial to the deaf and 
hearing-impaired population.  No doubt that the story, written up 
in dozens of blogs, contributed positively to Google's brand and 
increased the search-engine provider's affinity among the 
disability community.  Of course, a happy customer also creates a 
happy shareholder.
  4.  Get Good Grades If you're really looking for the nuts and 
bolts of disability measurement and are willing to take a 
hard-core look at your hiring and customer needs, look no further 
than the Return on Disability (RoD) Index.  Rich Donovan, a 
former Merrill Lynch trader, developed the Index for his 
disability consultancy, Integrated Process Solutions.  The RoD 
Index helps companies determine the performance of their 
disability programs.  While criteria varies depending on a 
company's needs, some hiring benchmarks include cost to hire, 
productivity gains, revenue benefits, or savings from adding to a 
shrinking labor pool.  All of a company's programming efforts are 
then distilled down to a single, standard rating.  "We're proving 
that returns exist in the disability space," Donovan says.
  Whether you're just starting up or have an established hiring 
program, you can take your initiatives farther -- and get the 
resources you need -- if you're able to single out critical 
success factors.  Armed with one or more of these flexible 
measurement methods, your disability-hiring program has more 
gravitas to stand on its own, flourish and perhaps even set the 
gold standard for your industry.