Great Britain: an online guidance service for companies to facilitate the employment of those living with disability

On 17 October the government announced the launch of an online platform providing guidance for employers to help them support and encourage the employment of people with illnesses or disabilities. Called Support with Employee Health and Disability, this free website offers advice on managing people living with health issues or disabilities and on adapting workplaces accordingly. The guidance will also provide information on possible legal developments in this area. While all employers can benefit from this service, SMEs are particularly encouraged to log on, not least given that some SMEs do not have an HR department that can address the issue of disability. Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Claire Coutinho noted, “Since 2017 we have seen one million more disabled people in work, beating our target by five years. Now we want to go even further by giving more employers the tools and information they need to ensure disabled people and those with health conditions can succeed in the workplace.” Although £6.4 million (€7.36 million) has been devoted to the website, its current version is still in its ‘test’ phase and will be improved over the next three years in line with feedback from employers and disability-related associations.