We know there are many people successful in senior roles who are living with ill-health, injury or disability, and who have all kinds of ways of managing their health or disability and their work effectively. But they are not necessarily visible – we may not make a big thing about the way we work, or the kinds of challenges we face.
We want to understand the factors that enable people living with ill-health, injury or disability to succeed in senior positions - both the individual strategies we have developed and factors in the work environment. These might include development schemes, training or flexible working, or less tangible aspects of organisational culture. We also want to understand better what gets in the way of gifted people progressing towards senior roles – and how barriers can be overcome.
The contribution that people living with ill-health, injury and disability make is no longer questioned. Not only do we have the skills and experience to do the particular job, but we have often also developed exceptional capability in the areas of problem-solving, innovation and tenacity. Such skills are highly prized in all sectors.
Sometimes, people feel uncomfortable about disclosing their disability or health condition (if they have a choice) in the workplace. This may be because they fear it could have an adverse impact upon their careers. Others choose not to disclose simply because they do not regard their disability or health condition as a relevant factor. In all these cases, we are keen to understand more about the reasons people do or do not disclose, and the effects this might have on their continued progression or job satisfaction.
The work we are doing offers complete confidentiality to those who want to take part, so that we get as much information, as directly as we can, without any unforeseen effects on the people we talk to, or their work.
We think your experience – or that of people you know – will help us discover solutions to commonly experienced challenges, and examples of good practice that others could replicate. We believe this work could impact a wide range of employers and work practices, right through from recruitment onwards.
The result of this research will be the identification of common barriers and solutions, and recommendations for good practice, presented in the form of a report to the principal sponsors of this research. The report will subsequently be publicised more widely.