Here’s How IBM Is Helping Differently Abled People Integrate into the Labor Market
Whether through contingent staffing or transitioning into full time employment, most of us would agree we want a workforce that represents society at large. Different people bring different perspectives, and that diversity of thought can have far-reaching benefits for organizations.
However, not all people have the same opportunities when it comes to penetrating and integrating themselves into the labor market and need a helping hand to assist them in reaching their true potential. Differently abled people bring their own set of challenges when it comes to joining a workforce, and not enough companies go the extra mile to encourage them into the fold.
However, one brand which is bucking that trend is computer giant IBM which has been establishing some innovative partnerships over in Spain to assist differently abled people into the labor market.
IBM
8.5% of Spanish people are differently abled – a proportion which amounts to 3.8 million people. Of these, only 35% are currently employed with reports citing low motivation to enter work brought about by the depression which often goes hand in hand with physical issues, widespread stigma regarding the ability of differently abled people to work, and an ineffective infrastructure of employment regulation and support.
This situation is presumably what has lead IBM Spain to join forces with not for profit equal employment opportunities advocate, The Randstad Foundation and IT services provider, Viewnext, to advance and expand the labor options in this demographic of people.
The partnership will work closely with differently abled people and offer services such as personalized counselling and support services for both them and their families. These sessions will help differently abled people entering the workforce with issues including all issues related to the management of legal procedures, job orientation, or the provision of psychological help.
"At IBM we take our responsibility to ensure meaningful action in areas such as promoting education, diversity and inclusion very seriously, and we strongly believe in the transformative power of education in our society and its ability to achieve greater social inclusion," said IBM Human Resources Director for Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Israel, Felipe Alves Claramonte. "With commitments like this, we seek to mobilize all actors in our society to create new opportunities for those communities at risk of exclusion and the historically disadvantaged."
Contingent Staffing
This initiative by IBM Spain has the potential to greatly benefit those of us responsible for the procurement of temporary staff. Encouraging and supporting differently abled people to enter or re-enter the workforce will significantly increase the pool of potential contingent staff which can be accessed.
Differently abled people may find the flexibility of contingent employment suits their lifestyle better than a traditional full-time role and will allow them to work in a manner which allows them to better manage their health issues alongside their professional activity. With the COVID-19 crisis motivating increasing numbers of businesses to offer remote working as an option – something which is likely to continue far past the pandemic as people have stated they would like to continue working in this manner and would be willing to change jobs to maintain it – this may further incentivize differently abled people to enter the contingent workforce.
Most people want to work and the fact that there is often so little help available to allow differently abled people to do so is a shame. However, with industry titans such as IBM taking proactive steps to assist them in integrating into the workforce is an encouraging sign and we can only hope more brands follow suit.
"It is key that a person with a disability can develop personally and professionally with equal opportunities as the rest," said Viewnext Director of Human Resources, Irene Barrena. "This requires effort on the part of all, exercising more empathy, knowing their realities and needs, making their talent visible and facilitating their path, which, at times, has more barriers. For this reason, we have implemented measures that go in this direction such as free health insurance, flexible hours, and adapted teleworking, among others. Now, with this agreement, we take another step forward."
Final Thoughts
With the statistics on differently abled people and the workforce being so discouraging, it could be simple to simply ignore the problem. However, it is far better that we work together as an industry to make more opportunities available to people from all levels of society and offer the assistance and support to make it possible.
You can hear IBM’s Global Strategist & Business Analytics Program Manager, Subcontract Services, Jill Roberts, speak at ProcureCon Contingent Staffing 2022, taking place in March at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown, AZ.
Download the agenda today for more information and insights.