How to Hire More Disabled Employees for Your Small Business in Key Biscayne, FL
People with disabilities make up the most underemployed and unemployed group in the U.S. Fortunately, the need for skilled workers and the rising demand for diversity are causing many companies to seek out disabled individuals. If your business is not tapping into this group of talent, then you could be missing out on some of the most skilled and resilient workers in the world.
Not sure how to attract disabled employees to your business? Check out this practical guidance from the Key Biscayne Chamber of Commerce!
Handle the Housekeeping
First of all, you want to ensure that your company is somewhere people want to work, which means that you must stay on top of business housekeeping. For example, you should be registered with the state, obtain an EIN, and remain compliant with your taxes. Because the IRS uses your EIN to process payroll taxes, it is essential to have your number before hiring employees. Plus, if you hope to offer your staff retirement plans, you will need an EIN.
Another thing to consider is that you want your finances to be in order. Xero notes that this means that you must keep up with all of your revenue and expenses and create a detailed budget that directs your company towards its long-term goals. Your budget must also be realistic, and you might consider investing time in developing financial forecasts that can help you make decisions going forward. People will be more likely to show interest in your company if you have a firm financial footing.
Focus on Inclusivity
If you want to attract disabled individuals to your team, make sure each employee can fully access their jobs. This includes the physical environment, the digital environment, and every aspect of daily operations.
Understand that most workplace accommodations do not cost anything and that a one-time accommodation averages $500 for each employee with a disability. Still, as ADP points out, your company could receive tax credits to reduce the financial burden or even qualify for total funding from a state rehabilitation program.
Make Your Website Accessible
How do you expect to draw in differently-abled job candidates if they cannot access your career site? There are several practical ways to make your site more accessible, such as making sure it is compatible with assistive technologies such as a screen reader, which helps users translate online content into Braille or audible speech. Try testing your site with a built-in screen reader through your operating system.
Also, consider offering an option to override the timed portions of your online applications. And make all of your images, video, and other visual content accessible. Remember that some of your differently-abled applicants may depend on alt-text and captioning. Moreover, you’ll want users to be able to navigate the content on your career site without a mouse, and you will wish your website to be easy to navigate in general and contain simple, concise language.
Work With Advocacy Groups
Remember that your company is not the only one trying to hire job candidates with disabilities. Many organizations help businesses precisely like yours to gain exposure for job postings. The Ticket to Work program, Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN), and The National Employment Team (The NET) are examples.
Additionally, look to online job boards that cater to people with disabilities. And don’t hesitate to contact the National Association of the Deaf, Amputee Coalition, National Federation of the Blind, and other national organizations that help differently-abled individuals. But be careful that you are not simply hiring to check off a diversity box somewhere. Organizations like the Key Biscayne Chamber of Commerce can help you to learn how to make diversity a growth strategy instead.
You can create recruitment materials to attract disabled applicants and distribute them through these advocacy groups. While creating printed brochures can be helpful for some people, a PDF editor online may help to create a fully accessible digital document. It is important to edit the PDFs so that they include alt text for any images and tags to indicate where text lies on the page. These changes should be easy to add using a free online PDF editor.
If your business is making a concerted effort to hire differently-abled employees, it is critical to strategize your approach. Remember to ensure that your company’s housekeeping tasks are in order and figure out how to make your workplace more inclusive. Also, create a more accessible career site and research advocacy groups that you can work with to find job candidates. Most importantly, keep researching other ways to become the type of business that welcomes all kinds of workers.
Be sure to join your local Chamber of Commerce to connect with other small business owners, learn about membership benefits, gain referrals, and connect with other like-minded individuals. In addition to the resources the Chamber provides, be sure to check out the library of online tools from Adobe Acrobat that will make your day-to-day tasks a breeze.
