May 31, 2012

1. SHRM Survey Findings: Employing People With Disabilities : Practices and Policies Related to Retention and Advancement In collaboration with and commissioned by Cornell University ILR School Employment and Disability Institute May 31, 2012

2. Introduction SHRM, in collaboration with and commissioned by the Cornell University ILR School Employment and Disability Institute, conducted a survey of its members about organizational practices and policies related to employing people with disabilities. Areas focused on in this survey research included: • Part 1: Recruitment and Hiring (Released April 11, 2012) • Part 2: Accessibility and Accommodation (Released May 17, 2012) • Part 3: Retention and Advancement (Released May 31, 2012) In addition, the survey explored metrics that organizations track for all employees as well as for employees with disabilities, and potential barriers in the employment of and advancement of people with disabilities. The data findings included in this document focus on Part 3 of the research: Practices and Policies Related to Retention and Advancement.

3. Part 3: Policies and Practices Related to Retention and Advancement

4. Study Purpose, Partners and Funding • Study Purpose: provide new knowledge about differences in HR practices in hiring, retaining and advancing individuals with disabilities, and the relationship between these practices and positive employment outcomes. • Partners: SHRM, in collaboration with Cornell University. • Funding: U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research grant to Cornell University, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employer Practices (Grant No. H133B040013).

5. Definitions For this survey, we define a “person with a disability” as someone who has a physical and/or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. This could include (but is not limited to) individuals with a physical disability, a chronic health condition, a vision or hearing impairment, a mental health condition, or a workplace injury or illness. We define an “effective practice or policy” as one that leads to improved recruitment, hiring, retention, engagement, workplace climate and/or advancement of people with disabilities.

6. Key Findings • What policies and practices related to retention and advancement for people with disabilities are currently being implemented by organizations? More than three out of four (81%) organizations have a return-to-work or disability management program for employees who are ill/injured or become disabled. Over one-half (59%) of organizations encourage flexible work arrangements for all employees (e.g., flextime, part-time, telecommuting). Approximately four out of 10 organizations (42%) invite employees to confidentially disclose whether they have a disability (e.g., staff surveys). • Among organizations that have implemented policies and practices related to retention and advancement of employees with disabilities, which policies and practices were found to be very effective? Over one-half (54%) of organizations indicate that disability-focused employee networks (e.g., employee resource groups or affinity groups) were a very effective practice related to the retention and advancement of employees with disabilities. Nearly one-half (49%) of organizations say that having a return-to-work or disability management program for employees who are ill/injured or become disabled is very effective. Encouraging flexible work arrangements for all employees (e.g., flextime, part-time, telecommuting) was also found to be a very effective practice according to nearly one-half (47%) of organizations.

7. Key Findings (Continued) • Are some organizations more likely to have policies and practices related to retention and advancement for people with disabilities depending on the organization’s staff size or sector? Larger organizations are more likely to have polices and practices related to retention and advancement of people with disabilities compared with smaller organizations. Publicly owned for-profit organizations and nonprofit organizations are also more likely to have some of these policies and practices in place compared with privately owned for-profit organizations. • Which metrics do organizations specifically track for employees with disabilities? Approximately one-third of organizations indicate tracking metrics related to employees with disabilities. These metrics include data on accommodations (32%), the number of job applicants with disabilities that were hired by organizations (29%) and the number of job applicants with disabilities that applied for a position at the organization (23%).

8. Policies and Practices Related to Retention and Advancement Our organization… • Note: Respondents who answered “don’t know” and “in development/under review" were excluded from this analysis.

9. Policies and Practices Related to Retention and Advancement (Continued) Our organization… • Note: Respondents who answered “don’t know” and “in development/under review" were excluded from this analysis.

10. Effectiveness of Policies and Practices • Note: Respondents who answered that a policy or practice related to retention and advancement was “not in place,” “in development / under review” or “don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

11. Effectiveness of Policies and Practices (Continued) • Note: Respondents who answered that a policy or practice related to retention and advancement was “not in place,” “in development / under review” or “don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

12. Comparison by Organization Sector

13. Definition of Sectors • Publicly owned for-profit organization is a limited liability company that offers its securities (stock/shares, bonds/loans, etc.) for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange or through market makers operating in over the counter markets. This is separate and distinct from a government-owned corporation, which might be described as a publicly owned company. • Privately owned for-profit organization is a business company owned either by nongovernmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members. This organization does not offer or trade its company stock (shares) to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the company's stock is offered, owned and traded or exchanged privately. Less ambiguous terms for a privately held company are unquoted company and unlisted company. • Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor a technical definition, but it generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals rather than to distribute them as profit or dividends. States in the U.S. defer to the IRS designation conferred under United States Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c) when the IRS deems an organization eligible. A nonprofit organization may or may not have shareholders.

14. Comparison by Organization Sector Our organization… has a return-to-work or disability management program for employees who are ill/injured or become disabled employees are invited to confidentially disclose whether they have a disability (e.g., staff surveys) • Note: Respondents who answered “don’t know” and “in development/under review" were excluded from this analysis. • Only statistically significant differences are shown.

15. Comparison by Organization Sector (Continued) Our organization… has a structured mentoring program to support employees with disabilities offers special career planning and development tools for employees with disabilities has disability-focused employee network (e.g., an employee resource group or affinity group) • Note: Respondents who answered “don’t know” and “in development/under review" were excluded from this analysis. • Only statistically significant differences are shown.

16. Comparison by Organization Sector (Continued) Our organization… has explicit organizational goals related to retention and advancement of employees with disabilities includes progress toward retention and advancement goals for employees with disabilities in the performance appraisals of senior management • Note: Respondents who answered “don’t know” and “in development/under review" were excluded from this analysis. • Only statistically significant differences are shown.

17. Comparison by Organization Staff Size

18. Comparison by Organization Staff Size Our organization… has a return-to-work or disability management program for employees who are ill/injured or become disabled has a disability-focused employee network (e.g., employee resource group or affinity group) employees are invited to confidentially disclose whether they have a disability (e.g., staff surveys) • Note: Respondents who answered “don’t know” and “in development/under review" were excluded from this analysis. • Only statistically significant differences are shown.

19. Barriers for Employment and Advancement of People with Disabilities

20. Barriers Organizations Experience in Employing and Advancing People with Disabilities

21. Employee Metrics

22. Metrics Organizations Track for Employees with Disabilities

23. Metrics Organizations Track for Disability vs. Other Protected Groups

24. Demographics: Organization Industry Note: n = 637. Total does not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

25. Demographics: Organization Industry (Continued) Note: n = 637. Total does not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

26. Demographics: Respondents by Organization Sector

27. Demographics: Respondents by Organization Staff Size n = 627

28. Demographics: Other

29. Further Information Available • SHRM® Disability Employment Resource Page www.shrm.org/disabilityemployment • HR Tips www.hrtips.org • Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) www.askEARN.org • Job Accommodation Network (JAN) http://askjan.org • National ADA Network www.adata.org • Cornell Employment and Disability Institute publications online http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu • Employment and Disability Institute at Cornell University www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi • U.S. Disability Status Report www.disabilitystatistics.org

30. Survey Methodology: • Response rate = 23% • 662 HR professional respondents from a randomly selected sample of SHRM’s membership. • A series of e-mail reminders along with a call campaign were used to encourage survey participation. • Margin of error is +/-3%. • Survey fielded October 19-December 15, 2011. • For more survey/poll findings, visit www.shrm.org/surveys • For more information about SHRM’s Customized Research Services, visit www.shrm.org/customizedresearch • Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SHRM_Research