Retention
Once people with disabilities are recruited and hired, it is important that certain
measures be taken to ensure adequate retention rates. Managers’ attitudes play a huge
role in the retention of people with disabilities. Also, Human resources departments
with limited staffing can contribute to the difficulties in receiving appropriate
accommodations. Lastly, the availability of accessible transportation can determine if
an employee with a disability will be able to retain their job.
Role of Managers: One of the key factors that influence the retention of people with
disabilities within the hospitality industry is the receptiveness of hotel managers to
accommodating the needs of employees with disabilities. A survey conducted within
the Canadian hotel industry stated, “top managers are the key decision makers whose
support is crucial in the development and implementation of programs and initiatives
tailored toward the attraction and retention of persons with disabilities.”
33 When
employees with disabilities have been properly accommodated, studies show they
exhibit high job retention, which directly benefits employers. Once the company
makes that initial investment to train and accommodate a disabled worker, they are more likely to gain a reliable and loyal employee. That loyalty will save them from
the costs associated with the high turnover rates prevalent within the hospitality
industry.
34
Mr. Lee noted the flexibility and accommodations that hiring managers in the
hospitality industry need to provide to workers with disabilities in order to
successfully retain them.
35 At his hotel, an employee named Jeannie with Down
syndrome worked at the hotel for a while at repetitive tasks such as laundry folding.
Though she was well-suited to perform the tasks, she desired customer interaction.
So, through a process of trying out several positions, the hotel was able to place her in
a job that she was not only well qualified for but that also gave her the satisfaction
that she desired from work. The process undertaken by the managers at the Murray
Hill Inn & Suites should serve as a model for the interactive process that should play
a role in helping to retain employees with disabilities.