GM’s Committal to People With Disabilities

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Diversity at GM: A focus on People with Disabilities
GM’s PWD Future
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Individuals with disabilities still experience employment discrimination at their workplaces. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 was enacted two decades ago, it has resulted in marginal improvements.

Presumably, companies are reluctant to hire persons with disabilities (PWDs) because of potential extra costs and other drawbacks associated with disabilities. This briefing focuses on how General Motors (GM) manages workers with disabilities.

According to Langtree (2015), disability entails “physical or mental impairment that considerably limits one or more major life activities” (p. 1).

While some cases of disabilities may impair a person completely, in some instance, some persons with disabilities can perform a job with or without reasonable accommodation and are therefore qualified disabled employees.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 protects such persons from discrimination in the workplace, including access to training and career development. Organizations such as GM have been able to accommodate persons with disabilities as a wider strategy for promoting diversity.

Perceived barriers to employ PWDs exist. For instance, some employers have cited high costs associated with mobility and renovation to accommodate them, poor attitudes at all corporate levels, inability to perform the job well and possibilities of lawsuits.

In addition, others have claimed that PWDs may not promote customer service and retention and quit their jobs.

Researchers have however demonstrated that these claims could be myths.

The US Chamber of Commerce report, Leading Practices on Disability Inclusion concluded that “hiring people with disabilities is good for the bottom-line” with the conclusion drawn from case studies conducted at 3M, PepsiCo, Merck and AT & T. It was established that workplace accommodations are low cost (most of these accommodations do not require more financial supports) such as “scheduling flexibility, allowances in dress code rules or allowing an employee to sit or stand”.

In addition, employers could get several benefits associated with accommodation. These include attracting and keeping talented workers; enhancing output and morale, and company diversity; and reducing employees’ reimbursement and training and development costs.

Further, People with disabilities are loyal, have low turnover rates and they are motivated to perform. The average cost of accommodation is $500, which is far less relative to the cost of employee turnover (Owen, 2012).

Diversity at GM: A focus on People with Disabilities

GM has created the People With Disabilities (PWD) Employee Resource Group to address various issues in all facets of the business (General Motors, 2015).

The company focuses on several aspects of diversity to accommodate PWD. Moreover, GM’s concerns for PWD go beyond the organization by creating Enhanced Products to improve the customer experience for those who have hearing impairment and other forms of impairments.

The company aims to create awareness about PWDs by providing support and information to employees with disabilities and other PWDs outside the GM community.

It supports community organizations with information on disability issues in the work environment, organizes internal company events for PWDs to create disability awareness among employees, as well as support employees with mental health issues.

GM focuses on rebuilding its workplaces to accommodate PWDs. The company works with architects to redesign its locations and improve accessibility to the Detroit Riverfront and Renaissance Center Marriott. Accommodation changes include wheelchair ramps and automatic doors for better accessibility.

Moreover, it also works with PWDs and facility management to create an “evacuation procedure for PWDs, including testing the Evacuation Chair”. The company also intends to create new “parking spaces for PWDs and enhance transportation activities on the Tech Center grounds”.

The company also continuously improves its technology systems to enhance accommodation. GM has embarked on implementing “beta testers for IT improvements to guarantee they are reachable to disabled employees”. Such changes have affected all operating systems, intranet and all internal communications services such as email and IM among others.

Finally, GM sponsors sports and events to support individuals with disabilities such as the May 2012 Special Olympics Summer Games in Michigan as a way of giving back to the community, and it consults with GM Mobility on Universal Design training for GM Dealerships to improve customer experiences.

Consequently, it has trained subsidiaries to cater for clients with disabilities adequately.

GM’s PWD Future

The PWD Employee Resource Group aims for sustained success in attempts to make GM a “Workplace of Choice for individuals with disabilities”. The company has also focused on providing assistance to help employees who care for PWDs and aid them find resources and GM products to enhance self-management and movements.

GM believes such endeavors will allow people with disabilities to drive their vehicles with minimal challenges and anxieties.

Conclusion

This briefing on disabilities shows that PWDs can be beneficial to organizations through accommodation. Accommodation of PWD is low cost and it could even cost nothing and usually has high positive impacts to organizations. The company relies on different methods to enhance diversity.

Overall, it is a form of diversity management in organizations and it is good for business.

References

Armour, S. (2006, August 22). Workplaces quit quietly ignoring mental illness. US Today. Web.

General Motors. (2015). Diversity at GM: Creating Possibilities for People with Disabilities. Web.

Jaeger, P. T., & Bowman, C. A. (2009). Understanding Disability: Inclusion, Access, Diversity, and Civil Rights. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.

Langtree, I. C. (2015). Defining Disability Diversity in Society. Web.

Owen, J. (2012, December 5). The Benefits of Disability in the Workplace. Forbes. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!