Business Disability Forum will be hosting a free webinar on Covid-19 and how best to support disabled employees and employees with compromised immune systems.

The webinar will take place on Thursday 26 March, from 2.30 to 3.30 pm.

With advice changing on a daily basis, this webinar will provide HR and diversity and inclusion professionals, with the latest information on how the situation affects their employees.

Business Disability Forum is a non-profit organisation which works with over 300 businesses and organisations, offering advice on issues affecting disabled people in the workplace and as consumers.

Questions to be covered in the webinar, include:

• We are closing our offices and asking all employees to work from home. Some disabled colleagues are saying that they are unable to do this because they do not have the assistive technology or other adjustments that they need at home. What should we do?
• A disabled employee, who cannot work from home, has been told she should self-isolate. She is worried that the time off she takes will trigger a sickness absence review. Can this absence be disregarded?
• What should we do to support the physical and mental health of employees who might never have worked from home before and who might be alone and unable to go out?

The need for answers

Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum, said: “We know that everyone has a lot of questions at the moment and with advice constantly being updated, it can be difficult to know what to do for the best. We hope our webinar will help HR professionals address some of the tricky issues facing their disabled colleagues at this time by providing practical and informed solutions.”

Diane added: “Working from home can work well for many people, but for others, it can be quite difficult. In the current crisis, and with the relatively sudden imposition of remote working, some people will find it stressful. It is therefore important for managers to think about how employees with different attitudes and needs may cope with this stress and uncertainty, and with any blurring between work and home life.

“By taking the time to understand how employees work, in communal workplaces and at home, and how they relate to others, employers can equip their workforce with the tools required to manage stress, remain engaged, and be productive through these trying times.”   

Disabled employees

The Business Disability Forum has also been contacted by disabled employees wanting to know, ‘how is COVID-19 different from seasonal flu?’ ‘Are we setting a precedent for future years?’ ‘What is meant by social distancing?’ And, ‘what is meant by vulnerable groups?’

Click here for further information on the webinar and to sign up, or email events@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk.

To read Business Disability Forum’s guidance on the Coronavirus and disability, reasonable adjustments and working from home, visit their website.