The future of work is currently a hot topic within HR and wider business circles. The rapid pace of technological innovation, demographic change and globalisation are redefining work practices at lightning speed – and there is much debate over how this change should be managed.

Against this backdrop, it is perhaps unsurprising that many of the HR sector’s most authoritative voices have been focusing their thought leadership initiatives on the ‘future of work’ theme of late; through conferences, editorial opportunities, research projects and advisory papers.

Management Today, Chatham House, The Fast Company, PwC and The Government Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are just some of the organisations which have thrown their hats into the ring to prophesise on what changes we can expect to witness in the coming years. We’ve heard that traditional career ladder has now become a corporate lattice, the workplace as we know it will soon cease to exist and ‘jobs for life’ are close to extinction thanks to the rise of the gig-economy.   

Perceived challenges

One thing all research seems to agree on is that clever businesses need to invest in both skills and infrastructure to facilitate a flexible working culture if they are to achieve better productivity and profitability moving forward.

Meanwhile, as organisations scramble to pipeline talent to immunise themselves against the challenges of tomorrow, disabled people remain hugely underrepresented in the workplace. In fact, just 46 per cent of working-age disabled people are in employment compared to 76 per cent of working-age non-disabled people.

This may be because employers are cautious of perceived challenges associated with engaging with disabled candidates – or simply afraid of getting it ‘wrong’. According to a survey of members of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), which was undertaken in conjunction with the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI), although 28 per cent of recruiters say there has been some progress made, 67 per cent believe that employers remain ‘fearful’ about hiring a candidate with a disability. Disabled professionals could, therefore, be the talent pool that businesses are so eagerly searching for amid the current ‘war for talent’.

It makes sense. Employment levels currently sit at near record levels and retirement age is rising rapidly. Yet many sectors, including construction, education and healthcare continue to face chronic skill-shortages. The talent that organisations need to grow and thrive must come from somewhere, and by opening their eyes to the advantages of engaging with those who are registered disabled, organisations can expand their pools exponentially.

According to the World Health Organisation, life expectancy at birth has increased globally by six years since 1990. As a result, retirement age looks set to increase to 70 in the UK by 2050. When you take into account that 32 per cent of people over 45 in employment have a disability – a figure which rises to 43 per cent among over 65s – getting to grips with disability is likely to become increasingly important from a HR perspective moving forward.

The future workplace presents a host of challenges, however it also creates opportunities to engage more effectively with traditionally underrepresented groups. Projected advancements such as an increase in ‘anywhere working’, the rise of health & wellbeing monitoring and the automation of processes which have historically risked the introduction of unconscious bias all have the potential to assist HR in engaging with, and managing, disabled workers more effectively.

Increasing opportunities

The rise of the gig-economy also offers the opportunity to explore temporary, as well as permanent, job opportunities for disabled people. We know that contract work can provide a crucial stepping stone into permanent employment. However, some employers are reluctant to consider making adjustments for short-term postings.

Recruitment and HR must work together to enhance opportunities for people with disabilities to access self-employment and freelancing roles. Organisations like the Freelancers & Independent Professionals Association (IPSE) are committed to helping drive this agenda.

Increasing awareness and showcasing best practice are key. The anecdotal feedback from REC members is that more needs to be done to raise awareness of the benefits of hiring disabled people, as well as how to get additional support through third-party organisations as well as government initiatives such as Access to Work.

While the future of work is often positioned as a time when appeasing millennials will be top priority as machines reign supreme, the truth is that the ability to secure the brightest talent – whatever that may look like – will continue to be the lynchpin of any organisation’s success. And as attitudes continue to evolve, only organisations with a genuine commitment to driving inclusive recruitment will gain a competitive advantage.  

This is a guest post from Tom Hadley, Director of Policy and Professional Services at the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), and Executive Board Member of the Recruitment Industry Disability initiative (RIDI).