Former Argos boss calls on firms to help disabled workers
>
The ‘last unspoken bias’ in business: former Argos boss calls on companies to help disabled workers
The former Argos boss has called on companies to do more to help workers with disabilities – calling it the “latest unspoken bias” in business.
Sara Weller, who ran the catalog retailer for seven years and was a non-executive director at telecom giant BT, told the Mail that even the term ‘disability’ carried unnecessarily negative connotations.
She said conversations on the subject were “still in limbo” and many executives and companies were afraid to talk about it.
Call to action: Sara Weller, who ran Argos for seven years, said even the term “disability” carried unnecessarily negative connotations
A group of CEOs committed to the inclusion of people with disabilities is preparing to present several recommendations tomorrow at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“Disability is the last unspoken bias in business,” Weller said. “I think people are afraid to talk about it.”
But she said these problems could be overcome by treating disability as “a form of diversity.”
Weller, who has multiple sclerosis and plans to complete the London Marathon this year, said: ‘We need to create a culture in organizations where people feel it’s okay to come forward and explain their circumstances , just as they would with gender. race, LGBTQ+ or any other background.”
According to the Valuable 500, an organization that promotes disabled people in business, only three FTSE 100 companies – BT, British Gas owner Centrica and real estate group Land Securities – have someone who discloses a disability in senior management.
This was an increase from 2021, when there were zero.
The proposals being drafted by Valuable 500 – a corporate collective of 500 CEOs – in Davos include targets for companies to monitor disability representation, as well as staff training and digital accessibility improvements.
Founder Caroline Casey, who is registered blind, said low representation means companies are ‘ignoring’ the 22 per cent of the population who have a disability, potentially cutting them off from a consumer market worth around £251bn.
Encouraging more people with disabilities to reveal themselves and nurture their talents could also help boost the economy, Weller added.