The prominence of diversity, equity and inclusion as principles that underpin both our work and wider culture has increased a great deal in the past decade both in the workplace and society as a whole. An estimated 80% of these acquire their disability during their working life, and also around 80% of disabilities are ‘hidden’ (i.e., non-visible).
According to the UN, 15% of people of working age (16-64 years old) have a disability or long-term health condition. People with disabilities have always made up a substantial proportion of our workforce. This is part of our wider commitment to an inclusive, engaged and agile culture and our desire to make Elsevier an employer of choice for individuals from all backgrounds.
We want to make sure we have systems, structures and policies in place to ensure that we are fully inclusive of people with disabilities and long-term health conditions so they can fully succeed at Elsevier. Looking forward, I don’t want others to have to rely on individuals like that - there needs to be a process in place. I was reliant on managers going above and beyond.
When I entered the world of work 10 years ago, I didn’t find very much in place to help me to succeed. I am severely sight-impaired and have been lucky during the past several years to have colleagues at Elsevier who have worked with me to ensure I can fulfill my potential. I am personally invested in this role, as I know first-hand how great it feels to be set up for success - and also how isolating it can feel when things don’t go right. More broadly, it’s about looking at the employee lifecycle from the moment someone sees a job with Elsevier, through the application process, joining the company and then succeeding once they get here. As Disability Confidence Manager, my role is to work with colleagues with disabilities across Elsevier, identify disability-related barriers to them fulfilling their potential, and help to remove these.
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