Retaining and Redeploying Employees with Disabilities

Retention and Redeployment Policy

Dundee City Council is committed to adhering to the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) which states that employers must take reasonable steps to retain or redeploy staff who are, by reason of ill health or disability, unable to carry out the existing duties of their post. Line managers who have staff in this situation, or members of staff themselves who are facing difficulties, should, in the first instance, contact either their Personnel Team or the EU.

Job Re-design

If you wish to employ a person with a disability but feel that, because of their disability, they may not be able to perform certain tasks fully, then consider ways in which the job can be re-designed to accommodate the person's special needs. It may be possible to modify a job to accommodate the needs of a person with a disability. This might be by rearranging working methods or giving another employee certain minor tasks the person with the disability cannot do, providing practical aids or adaptations to premises or equipment, or allowing the person with the disability to work at different times or places from those with equivalent jobs.

Examples of Job re-design are:

Making Adjustment to premises

Widening a doorway
Providing a ramp
Moving furniture

Allocating some duties to another person
If the person has a speech impairment then reduce telephone duties, whilst giving them more tasks and duties they can perform.

Altering working hours
Allowing flexible hours to enable additional breaks to overcome fatigue arising from the disability.

Assigning the person to a different place of work
Transferring a wheelchair user's workstation from an inaccessible 3rd floor office to an accessible one on the ground floor.

Giving the person training
Training in additional software for a visually impaired person so they can use the computer using speech.

Acquiring or modifying equipment
Adapted keyboard for visually impaired person or adapted phone for someone with a hearing impairment. (Funding through the Jobcentre Plus Access to Work Scheme may be available)

WORKSTEP
Dundee City Council is the Sponsor of WORKSTEP. This is a Government funded initiative which provides financial assistance to employers with a Wage Subsidy for people who are registered as severely disabled. For further information please click the hyperlink above.

Work Placements

There is a regular demand for Work Placements from people with disabilities. The placements are usually for 6 to 8 weeks and all costs are borne by the Employment Unit. Consider whether your Department or Section can provide such a Placement, to enable someone with a disability to develop skills and gain practical work experience. For further information please click the hyperlink above.

About the Employment Unit

We at the Employment Unit can offer a wide range of expertise and information to help your Department recruit and retain people with disabilities. The Unit can provide:-

Work Experience Placements
Information on employing a disabled person through the WORKSTEP Programme
Advice on financial assistance available for employing people with disabilities
Guidance on interviewing a person with a disability
Guidance on adaptations, specialised equipment and job re-design for disabled people
Guidance on the Retention and Redeployment Procedure
Support staff to assist with employing a person with a disability.

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