Inclusion in the workplace: how to make real participation in working life a reality

Workplace inclusion – a topic that has preoccupied many people for decades, but continues to receive little attention in society. Instead of asking what measures can be taken to make a workplace barrier-free, many people with disabilities are still excluded and labelled as "not employable".

The German Academy for Advanced Training in the Economy (FAW) proves that things can be different – and must be different. At REHACARE 2023, the academy presented integration opportunities in the labor market for people with disabilities. In doing so, FAW acts as an intermediary between job seekers and companies. 

"We don't have a protected framework with training workshops, but rather see to it that we support people in the workplace – with all the necessary assistance they need to be able to learn the ropes there and work well independently," says Xenia Rechner. She is the deputy head of the rehabilitation department at FAW and knows what requirements the companies have to fulfil in order to accept people with disabilities, but also what advantages this can bring for the companies.

"First you have to 'open up' the company, in the sense that the company has to understand that it is more than just an internship. As a company, you have to spend more to make it work in the end. But you also gain from it, because in the end you have a new colleague and can actively participate in shaping the workplace and see what the greatest benefit for the company as an employer is," says Rechner.

Just as with other employees, so-called ability management also plays a major role for employees with disabilities. Ability management is about recognizing the talents, abilities and strengths of employees that match the company's goals. These must then be further developed in a sustainable manner.

Because people with disabilities also have abilities that can make them valuable for a company. "People with disabilities often have above-average qualifications and are highly motivated," said German Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil (SPD) in December 2022. Nevertheless, the unemployment rate of people with severe disabilities was more than one and a half times higher than the general unemployment rate. In mid-2023, the German Bundestag and Bundesrat therefore passed the "Act to Promote an Inclusive Labor Market".

The aims of the law:

• To get more people with disabilities into regular work,
• to keep more people with health impairments in work, and
• to provide more targeted support for people with severe disabilities.

A rapid implementation would be beneficial for all parties involved in the long run. But in practice, concrete results are still a long time coming. While many people with disabilities or chronic illnesses long for financial and social security, their labor is also of great economic importance for companies and the state. Lack of accessibility and inclusion is therefore detrimental in both directions.

If people with disabilities then find themselves in a company – for example, through the mediation of the FAW – it makes sense to observe certain rules of conduct and to appoint a contact person for the person with disabilities and the responsible sponsor. Many people with disabilities do not want special treatment. They want to be seen as the normal part of a team that they are. They should therefore be included in discussions and decisions; just as other staff members are. At the same time, perhaps well-intentioned but inappropriate attempts to help them without their prior consent and discriminatory language should be avoided.

So the process of inclusion in the labor market definitely requires conscious and ambitious cooperation from companies. But Xenia Rechner knows: "Often employers have reservations at the beginning, but these dissolve as soon as they are involved in the process, get to know the new team member and realise that it can work out well. On the other hand, employers must also be prepared to think away from their usual structures and not to think in terms of fixed job descriptions, but to say goodbye to them for a while and consider what tasks there are in the company for which everyone is responsible but which no one does. Carving something new out of that – that is the challenge".

Matthias Groß
REHACARE.com