I am and I always have been a workaholic. This is probably because I’ve always been lucky enough to find employment which I was able to think of as a hobby rather than as work. That is why even though, technically, I’m semi retired, I’m still probably working almost as much as I was when I was employed full time. The glorious thing now is that I’m able to pick and choose the projects that I take on and I know that I’m very lucky compared to many people for whom work is just a means to an end.
I think this is why I’m slightly sceptical about the government’s approach to getting more people with a disability and people with long-term health conditions back into work. In principal this is a very good idea, however I wonder how it will be implemented meaningfully, in a respectful way, and in a way that enables disabled people and people with long-term health conditions to take employment that takes full account of their particular knowledge, skills and abilities and pays them enough money to be able to support themselves and their families.
What we don’t want to happen is for disabled people and for people with long-term health conditions to be pushed into taking the jobs that nobody else wants to do, at rates of pay that nobody else would be prepared to accept. And I think that’s why I’m slightly concerned about the approach the government appears to be taking. From my reading of the situation, this seems to be about conversing and listening to business people first and at some unspecified time in the future, involving disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.
I hope I’m wrong and that disabled people and people with long-term health conditions are already involved in all the conversations. And I have to be honest and admit that all I’ve learned so far is what’s been reported in newspapers and on the main media channels. None of which seem to indicate whether or not the discussions have gone very far.
In social care and luckily in health as well, co-production is growing as a way of working in partnership with people with care and support needs across all aspects of support and service delivery. I believe that if getting people back into work is going to be successful then each business which is looking to employ people with a disability or people with a long-term health condition also need to start from a position of how they are going to co-produce these jobs in a meaningful way. A way that makes sense to the business and equally to the people with a disability or people with a long-term health condition that will be employed.
This isn’t necessarily about reasonable adjustments and I must confess that I’m not 100% sure what the term reasonable adjustments actually means. It’s about employment that is enjoyable and that makes employees feel good about themselves. Employment where people are respected and valued by their fellow workers and the communities in which they live. It’s about jobs that recognise and celebrate the unique skills, qualifications and knowledge that every individual brings and people not being made to feel that other employees see them as diversity hires and a necessary burden to the business.
In my experience businesses that have employed people with a disability or a long time health condition have been most successful when they have looked beyond that employee’s challenges and recognised them as an essential talented individual who has added value to the team.
Jim Thomas
February 2025
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