Inclusive
Workplaces – Online Survey of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
Executive
Summary
Prepared
for Employment and Social Development Canada
Supplier
Name: Environics Research
Contract Number: CW22236197
Contract Value: $138,871.35
(including HST)
Award Date: 2022-07-13
Delivery Date: 2022-11-28
Registration
Number: POR 015-22
For more
information on this report, please contact Employment and Social Development
Canada at: nc-por-rop-gd@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
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Inclusive Workplaces Online Survey of Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises
Executive Summary
Prepared for Employment and Social Development Canada by
Environics Research
NOVEMBER 2022
Employment and Social
Development Canada (ESDC) commissioned Environics Research to conduct a quantitative online survey of 1,000 Canadian small
and medium enterprises to explore attitudes toward inclusive workplaces and
hiring persons with disabilities.
Permission to reproduce
This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes
only. Prior written permission must be obtained from the Employment and Social
Development Canada. For information regarding reproduction rights: droitdauteur.copyright@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the
Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2022.
Cat. No.: Em4-34/2023E-PDF
ISBN: 978-0-660-46609-5
Cette
publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre Milieux de
travail inclusifs - Sondage en ligne auprès de petites et moyennes entreprises
The mandate of Employment and
Social Development Canada (ESDC) includes taking measures to encourage and
assist businesses across Canada in having workplaces that are inclusive and a
key feature of this is to be inclusive of people living with disabilities.
This project includes both quantitative and qualitative research.
The objectives of the quantitative research phase described in this report are
to:
·
Identify the main barriers, from an employer’s
perspective, to hiring persons with disabilities;
·
Measure where employers fall in the behavior
change model (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action) to develop
strategies that move the audience towards action and hiring persons with
disabilities;
·
Establish a benchmark in attitudes, perception
and behaviours among employers towards hiring persons with disabilities.
The findings from the qualitative research phase are available
under separate cover.
2.
Methodology
Environics Research conducted a quantitative online survey of 1,001
Canadians who are decision makers in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs),
which are organizations with 1 to 499 employees. The survey was conducted from
September 9 to 28, 2022. The survey sample
was supplied by an online panel provider. It is a non-probability sample and therefore
no margin of error can be calculated.
The total contract
value was $138,871.35 (including HST).
-
Quantitative research phase value: $85,315.00
(including HST).
-
Qualitative research phase value: $53,556.35
(including HST).
4.
Key findings
Recruitment and human resources issues
·
Most organizations report challenges in finding
qualified employees at this time.
·
The most common recruitment methods among
organizations today are informal networking and online recruitment.
·
When it comes to recruitment policies and
protocols related to persons with disabilities, organizations most commonly
provide accessibility and inclusion training, equity-based hiring policies, and
inclusive workplace policies. Quotas and incentives are less common.
Recruiting persons with disabilities
·
Most organizations are at least somewhat
comfortable hiring an employee with a disability and just under half are very
comfortable.
·
Organizations tend to give themselves high marks
for accommodating employees with disabilities.
·
Significant proportions agree that employing
people with disabilities will lead to a variety of challenges, such as employees
with disabilities being harder to dismiss, more difficult to train and various
other issues.
·
Organizations surveyed expressed keen interest
in learning more about how to hire persons with disabilities. There is also high
interest in learning how to create an inclusive and accessible workplace.
·
Most organizations either currently employ persons
with disabilities or have in the past. One third have never done so. The most
common reasons for not hiring persons with disabilities are that none have
applied with the required education or qualifications or that no applicants
self-identified as having a disability.
·
Most organizations are at least likely to hire
persons with disabilities in the next couple of years.
·
Four in ten organizations report having taken
steps toward hiring or recruiting persons with disabilities, such as using welcoming
language and inclusion statements in job postings, informal word of mouth
outreach and posting about openings in disability related publications.
Workplace accommodation policies
·
Most organizations have not ever had to deal
with a workplace accommodation request. Organizations that have dealt with a
workplace accommodation request report they always or usually provided the
requested accommodation.
·
Visual, memory and developmental disabilities are
perceived to be the most challenging to accommodate among organizations
surveyed.
·
Employers feel the most helpful ways to create
an inclusive workplace for persons with disabilities are offering flexible work
arrangements, offering staff training programs on accessibility and inclusion,
and having a supportive management culture.
·
The main perceived benefits of hiring persons
with disabilities are that it is good for society, helps businesses learn to
adapt and promotes an inclusive work culture.
·
Most organizations already offer a wide range of
accommodations and adaptations or are willing to offer them in the future.
·
Three quarters of organizations would at least
consider hiring someone with a disability in the future.
·
Most organizations believe they have already
created an inclusive workplace or would like to do so.
·
The most useful tools for helping organizations
prepare to hire more persons with disabilities are practical resources on
making workplaces more accessible and inclusive, connections with community
organizations and information about financial incentives.
5.
Political neutrality statement and
contact information
I hereby certify as senior officer
of Environics that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada
political neutrality requirements outlined in the Policy on Communications and
Federal Identity and the Directive on the Management of Communications.
Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting
intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate, or
ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.
Derek Leebosh
Vice
President, Public Affairs
Environics
Research Group
derek.leebosh@environics.ca
416-820-1963
Supplier
Name: Environics Research
Contract
Number: CW22236197
Total Contract
Value: $138,871.35 (including HST)
-
Quantitative research phase value: $85,315.00
(including HST)
-
Qualitative research phase value: $53,556.35 (including
HST)
Award
Date: 2022-07-13
Delivery
Date: 2022-11-28
For more information, contact nc-por-rop-gd@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca