Effective leadership and organisational culture for the recruitment and retention of people with disabilities

2. Effective leadership and organisational culture for the recruitment and retention of people with disabilities Mary Murray Research Officer

3. NDA commissioned research • NDA’s recently published research report “Effective Leadership and Organisational Culture for the Recruitment and Retention of People with Disabilities in the Irish Public Sector” • The Disability Act 2005 places new obligations on public bodies to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities. • This research was commissioned to support public bodies in achieving this goal. • Report prepared for NDA by Juliette Alban-Metcalfe, Real World Group

4. Report sections • Employment context • Becoming committed • Preparing the organisation • Recruiting • Induction, training and support • Leadership style/career development – retention • Equality/diversity culture – retention • References

5. 1. Employment context • Employing people with disabilities makes good business sense • Recruiting only non-disabled people restricts talent pool • Retention avoids cost of losing skills • Organisations need to mirror those they serve

6. 2. Becoming committed • Codes of Practice, policies, guidelines • Visible commitment from senior managers is critical • Disability awareness training for all staff

7. 3. Preparing the organisation • Address negative attitudes • Culture of flexibility and accommodation • Make the organisation attractive

8. 4. Recruiting • Advertisements • Interview/Chair/Assessors • Focus on what a person could do • Partnering with other organisations

9. 5. Induction, training and support • Effective induction period is crucial • Accessibility of, and encouragement to take up, training • ‘Buddy’, ‘pairing’, network groups

10. 6. Leadership style/career development • Relationship with line manager • Attribution theory • ‘In-group’ and ‘out-group’ status • Career development culture

11. 7. Equality/diversity culture • A culture where adjustments are “no big deal” • A culture where non-traditional approaches are welcome • A culture of communication • A culture of disability prevention and return-to-work

12. Availability of report Report • is being disseminated by post to public bodies • is available at the registration desk • is also available on our website at www.nda.ie