Yes. Too much coffee.
This is a lost opportunity for us as an employer, as we are limiting our pool of qualified candidates without even realizing it. We know that a diverse workforce is healthy for business. We go to great lengths to recruit Canadians, and this pool of talented candidates would just add to our recruitment efforts.
That leads to my next point, which is about finding these valuable resources. Many employers do not know where to start if they want to find people with disabilities who are searching for jobs, especially if the job searchers don't apply through traditional channels. If they don't come through the regular application channels, then we're missing a huge opportunity without even knowing it.
There are many great agencies and community partners in existence. This is actually quite confusing for employers, who have to determine which to use for what and in which province. Employers need more information on how community partners and agencies work and on where to start. They also need to understand that hiring people with disabilities is good for business and that working with the right agency is not about placing a warm body into a position to fill a quota, but about ensuring that the applicant has the right skill set and is the right fit for the position, just as in any hiring situation. A centralized source of information regarding community partners in Canada would be very helpful for employers.
Another issue, particularly for smaller employers without human resources expertise, is lack of awareness or ignorance regarding what should and should not be asked during the interview process, or as part of “on-boarding”, pertaining to a disability. Employers don't want to cross the line regarding private medical information and don't realize that they can talk openly about accommodations and functional abilities information. Employers often don't understand that the focus should be on what the individual can do and not on what the individual cannot do. Some clarity on this as it specifically relates to hiring people with disabilities, perhaps a guide or just more information in general, would be very helpful for employers.
I'm going to speak very briefly about incentives. As an organization, we believe wage subsidies have an overall negative effect on hiring people with disabilities. We feel they give the impression that the work done by people with disabilities is of less value, which in turn has a negative impact upon employer perceptions because of differential treatment. This goes against the core principles of integration and equality of opportunity as currently outlined in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
What could really be beneficial for employers and employees is subsidies for employee training, education, and accommodation needs. There's often a need for specialized or additional training and accommodation for employees with disabilities. Making employers aware of any assistance that is available would be key for success in this area.
My last point is to highlight the need for employer champions.
Employers listen to other employers. If the government were to formally support the concept of employer champions, we think it would be beneficial to highlight successes and take away some of the fear and ignorance. Employer champions could provide sessions or information to their peers, meaning other employers. Sessions, workshops, even testimonials could be given by employers who hire people with disabilities to discuss the business case and the successes experienced from hiring people with disabilities.
Information provided by employer champions should also dispel the myths about employees with disabilities, such as myths about higher absenteeism rates, more accidents, and higher accommodations costs. Employers and business owners are very busy with day-to-day operations but are always interested in something that would benefit their organization, especially when it is related to the bottom line. Employers need to know that hiring people with disabilities is good for their business.
This is being done already, both formally and informally, by exceptional employers such as Mark Wafer, who I'm proud to say is part of our Tim Hortons family—he's one of our restaurant owners—and Randy Lewis of Walgreens. Both of these trailblazers provide success stories and how-to information regarding how and why hiring people with disabilities is beneficial to business. Both are internationally recognized.
A more formalized approach to this with support from the government would be beneficial and would go a long way toward highlighting this issue. It would improve business results, and this will ultimately affect the economy in a positive way.
That concludes my comments. Thank you again for your time and consideration.