Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to, firstly, present the findings of an empirical study in which the human resource management practices associated with the employment of people with disabilities were investigated. The human resource management challenges related to employment of people with disabilities were also identified in the empirical study and are presented in this paper. A further purpose of this paper is to propose a number of recommendations focused on human resource management practices and principles aimed at assisting managers and human resource management specialists in their endeavours to effectively deal with the employment of people with disabilities. Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper is based on an empirical study in which interviews were conducted with respondents from 19 different organisations identified in the Financial Mail's 'Top 100 Organisations in South Africa' list. Findings: The findings from the empirical study suggest that very few organisations are dealing with the employment of people with disabilities as a priority in their equity strategies. Where attention is being given to this issue, respondents seem to either address it as a legal compliance issue or a social responsibility 'project'. Furthermore, very little has been done to review current human resource management practices to determine whether they are discriminatory towards people with disabilities. Based on the insights gained from these findings and in line with best practice principles identified in the relevant literature, a number of recommendations focusing on human resource management practices and principles in relation to the employment of people with disabilities are proposed. Implications: This paper provides a number of practical steps to consider as part of an organisation's response to equity strategies related to the employment of people with disabilities.Originality/Value: In the Employment Equity Commission's Annual Report (2003-2004), it is noted with concern that there is no indication of real change being achieved in the employment of people with disabilities. Furthermore, there is a dearth of empirical research in this field and thus the exploration of issues related to the employment of people with disabilities is clearly an area requiring urgent attention in terms of South Africa's transformation agenda.
Highlights
South Africa’s present government has placed great emphasis on the promotion of equality in society
People with disabilities is clearly an area requiring urgent attention in terms of South Africa’s transformation agenda. In response to this need, the objective of this paper is to present the findings of an empirical study in which the human resource management practices associated with the employment of people with disabilities were investigated in a sample of the Top 100 Organisations in South Africa
They would be working in their own isolated area, which would deprive the rest of the organisation of an opportunity to better understand people with disabilities, and to accept them as part of the organisation, as noted in the Code of Good Practice for the Employment of People with Disabilities (Republic of South Africa, 2002)
Summary
South Africa’s present government has placed great emphasis on the promotion of equality in society. The Employment Equity Act (EEA), No 55 (Republic of South Africa, 1998) was promulgated with the purpose of achieving equity in the workplace by: promoting equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment through elimination of unfair discrimination; and implementing affirmative action measures to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups, to ensure their equitable representation in occupational categories and levels in the workforce. The EEA (Republic of South Africa, 1998) stipulates that organisations that have 50 or more employees or more than specified financial turnover must conduct an audit of their formal and informal policies and practices to identify any barriers to the employment of people from designated groups and directs employers to implement affirmative action measures to redress the discrimination. There is no indication of real change for people with disabilities as is highlighted in the following quote from the 2003-2004 Employment Equity Commission’s Annual Report (Republic of South Africa, 2004:12) “Of particular concern to the Commission is the fact that employers are not paying enough attention to this dimension of employment equity.” The in-depth exploration of issues related to the employment of
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