‘Differently-Abled’: A ‘Right Fit’ in Indian Companies?
Synopsis
According to the Census 2011, there were 26,810,5571 of differently-abled people in India. And almost 8 in 10 persons among them were job-less. However, an improving economy and initiatives by various companies were helping lower the unemployment rate for the Persons with Disability (PwDs) and were trying to integrate them into the mainstream workforce of the country. Off late companies in India have been finding the ‘right fit’ in differently-abled people and were recruiting them into their workforce. For instance, Café Coffee Day, recruited people with hearing and speech disability as brewers and claimed that they were the best brewers across all its stores. Mirakle Couriers in India has the rarest distinction of hiring only PwDs for its operations involving high customer interface and mobility requirements. Similarly, Coca-Cola, IBM and others have taken up initiatives to integrate them into the mainstream. This Case Flyer tries to discuss various issues related to PwDs like – Can the PwDs be as productive as the able-bodied? If yes, what kind of job profiles are they suited to? Would they end up being discriminated, exploited and robbed off their due share of progress? Can they be integrated into the mainstream in a true sense?
Before the Classroom Discussion/Prerequisite Conceptual Understanding (PCUs)
The participants are required to come prepared with the concepts outlined in the following suggested chapter for an effective classroom discussion:
- a) Gary Dessler and Biju Varkkey, “Chapter 5: Human Resource Planning and Recruitment”, Human Resource Management, 12th Edition (Indian Adaptation), Pearson Education, Inc., 2011 – To understand the importance of having a more diverse workforce within an organization, especially focused on the recruitment of disabled people, and special steps required to integrate them with the mainstream employees
Positioning of this Case Flyer
This case flyer can be used in the following courses/modules:
a) Human Resource Management
- • Human Resource Planning and Recruitment – Recruiting a More Diverse Workforce
b) Strategic HRM
- • Building a Diverse Workforce
Expected Learning Outcomes
At the end of this case flyer discussion in the classroom, students should be able to:
- • Appreciate the various initiatives taken by Indian companies and MNCs in India to integrate PwDs into mainstream workforce
- • Contrast PwDs’ competencies vis-à-vis able-bodied employee workforce from the stand point of view of Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), Meaning Quotient (MQ) and Ownership Quotient (OQ)
- • Make suggestions about the inclusive recruitment initiatives from the stand point of view of PwDs’ career growth and workforce integration in true sense
Suggested Orchestration
The classroom discussion and analysis for this case flyer was facilitated under two broad sections [Exhibit (TN)-I]................
Case Flyer Analysis
I. Persons with Disability (PwD): Building Synergies
• A disability is a lack of ability relative to a personal or group standard or norm. In reality there is often simply a spectrum of ability. Disability may involve physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive or intellectual impairment, mental disorder (also known as psychiatric or psychosocial disability), or various types of chronic diseases. A disability may occur during a person’s lifetime or may be present from birth.
• While an able-bodied person can be categorized as the one without the physical, sensory, cognitive or mental impairments.
• Disability can be classified into several different types like – physical, sensory, intellectual, mental health and emotional disability, pervasive development disorder, developmental disability and non-visible disability.
• In general people believe that PwDs are inferior and are not suitable for hiring. But research indicates otherwise [Exhibit (TN)-II]. Researches also show that PwDs have Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), Meaning Quotient (MQ) and Ownership Quotient (OQ) comparable to able-bodied individuals.
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Exhibits
Exhibit (TN)-I: Classroom Discussion Dashboard
Exhibit (TN)-II: Common Myths and Realities about PwDs
Exhibit (TN)-III: Disability and Suited Job Profiles
Exhibit (TN)-IV: PwDs and Job-fit
Exhibit (TN)-V: Employment Scenario of PwDs (Distribution Per 1000 Persons)
Exhibit (TN)-VI: Able-bodied and PwDs: Behaviour at Workplace
Exhibit (TN)-VII: Terminology to Avoid while Communicating about PwDs
