Investing to keep disabled people in work
Evidence from the Department of Work and Pensions shows that 92 per cent of people who left work because of their disability or impairment felt that they could have stayed in their job had interventions been made. However, they were not offered any adaptations, aids or adjustments.
But keeping a newly disabled person in employment has a cost benefit of at least 2.5 times an employer's investment. We are calling on employers to support vocational rehabilitation and adopt proactive employment retention policies.
Benefitting the employer and the employee
The principal benefits of employment retention are that it allows the employer to retain the employee's accumulated skills and experience, and the employee to maintain income and independence. Other savings for businesses include:
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avoidance of redundancy pay or the costs associated with terminating employment
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reduced costs of someone on long-term sick leave
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the costs of recruitment and induction training for replacement staff
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avoidance of costs from a claim arising from disability discrimination cases
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intangible benefits of increased staff loyalty and morale, as well as a workforce more representative of its customers and community.
Read an article on how Amy Winehouse's song "Back to Black" is more relevant than you may think to Vocational Rehabilitation (Word, 148KB)
The full business case for vocational rehabilitation
We've launched a report exploring further the positive impact of job retention on both the employee and the employer. Download our business case for retaining newly disabled staff and those with a long-term health condition:
For more information please contact the campaigns team on 020 7391 2123 or campaigns@rnib.org.uk.