The under-utilised workforce

Today's virtual world has opened numerous job opportunities for a willing yet under-utilised section of the workforce-the physically and mentally challenged people.

TODAY'S virtual world is a boon to physically challenged people. Companies all over the world, including in India, are slowly shedding their biased attitude and are offering jobs to such people.

Laser Soft Infosystems Ltd, with its headquarters in Chennai, is a growing software company with 250 employees - most of them physically challenged. The company, launched in 1986 by 42-year- old Suresh Kamath with a capital of Rs. 200, is expecting ISO 9001 certification this year. It plans to expand its employee strength to 400. Of them, 80% are likely to be physically challenged. Since its inception, the HR policy of the software company has been friendly to the physically challenged. The company prefers to recruit `ordinary people who have a clear mind with no inhibitions'.

The company's recruitment advertisements carry the rider that preference would be given to the physically challenged. In an age where smart faces adorn the front offices of every company, Laser Soft chose a physically challenged girl for that job.

The company even recruited arts graduates (physically challenged) and trained them as software programmers. The company felt that these special people are easy to mould and they do wonders at their jobs too. The average output of an employee at Laser Soft is 12-15 programmes a month, whereas the industry average is only 2-3.

One of the company's special employees, Partha, is a paraplegic, who rose from the position of a software trainee to that of a senior product manager. When he joined the company in 1993 his salary was Rs. 800 a month. Today, he earns Rs. 40,000 a month. Partha is not an exception. A large section of this under- utilised workforce have grown into their software jobs and are steadily climbing up the corporate ladder.

One employment roadblock for the physically challenged job seeker is the view most `normal' people hold about the special person's dependence and passivity in the world. From this stereotype, it's a short step to the assumption that a fast-paced company is no place for a physically challenged person. It requires a person like Partha to explode these misconceptions.

Though it is now becoming relatively easy for the physically challenged to get employment, that is not the case with people having neurological disorders. Organisations willingly make special accommodation to employees with physical impairment. However, employees with mental disabilities have made less progress.

Fear and ignorance of people with mental disabilities exists and such individuals are often looked at askance. The reason is that such persons exhibit odd mannerisms that put off employers. For example, people with autism, a neurological disorder usually manifesting at birth, often have poor social and communication skills and shun personal contact. HR officials can actually recruit such candidates and train them in communication and behaviour therapy to improve their interpersonal skills.

Employees with mental disabilities represent a rich and largely untapped pool of candidates for IT jobs. They like working with computers, as PCs have no prejudice against mental illness. They also like the immediate and unambiguous feedback - something they don't always get from people.

If HR professionals wish to tap this potential workforce for better productivity, they could:

OAccommodate the mentally challenged as it is easy and cost effective

* Provide them with flexible work hours

* Provide time off for therapy appointments

* Provide a quiet place to work

* Provide mentors

Similarly, in this age of `netplosion', organisations looking for new talent may have to do some creative recruiting. Physically challenged individuals can be the prime candidates of such recruiting efforts. The first step should be an analysis of the problem from a logical standpoint. What are the requirements of the jobs available? Some factors are the:

* Layout of the building

* Frequency of disruptive environmental changes

* Expectation of field travel or out-of-office meetings

None of these factors preclude consideration of a physically challenged person, but it is important to discuss all job components with the candidates.

There are enough successful examples to serve as models for any company interested in pursuing the idea of recruiting a physically or mentally challenged person. When initiatives from employers are backed with expertise from organisations specialising in help for these challenged job seekers, this workforce can be better exploited for the benefit of both employer and employee.

VENKAT NIRMAL

nirmal.hyd@careercommunity.co.in