- Conference
- 2021 National Disabled Members' Conference
- Date
- 8 July 2021
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference notes that with the easing of restrictions, members are now being asked to return to the workplace, but this can cause additional stress and anxiety for workers with disabilities.
Working from home can be an isolating experience. People with disabilities are more likely to feel isolated due to the lack of communication in accessible manners and issues of obtaining reasonable adjustments for the necessary equipment to carry out work from home.
With the return to work, there is a need for employers to work with employees and obtain a full understanding of the issues people with disabilities are facing. Conference notes that some disabled people have had to collect adjustments from their workplaces such as chairs, monitors, desks etc. which require returning to the workplace, and this adds additional difficulties, such as transportation of equipment. Many employers show a lack of empathy for disability issues.
This conference calls on the National Disabled Members Committee to:
1. Undertake a survey of members to understand the extent of the issues members are facing when returning to the workplace.
2. Develop a set of guidelines for members detailing the steps they can take to ensure they have the appropriate equipment for working from home, and for returning to the workplace.
3. To work with employers to understand the Access to Work process to ensure members are correctly assessed for necessary equipment to undertake the role.
4. To produce a guidance document to reduce the fear and stigma attached of the costs of reasonable adjustments and to what extent the costs of adjustments can be considered in the process of obtaining adjustments.