UK business performance on disability to be evaluated

24th July 2009

Over 100 companies and organisations are taking part in Employers’ Forum on Disability’s (EFD) biennial evaluation of how the UK’s private and public sectors are performing on disability issues.

EFD’s Disability Standard is the only management tool that enables organisations to accurately measure their performance on disability and how it affects their business.  Organisations that take part receive diagnostic reports to help them deliver real business improvement. 

Household names participating in the 2009 Disability Standard include British Airways, BT, BUPA, McDonald’s, Royal Mail and Sainsbury’s.  The public sector is also well represented by government departments and agencies, local authorities and health trusts.

Participants in the Disability Standard submit evidence and material on a wide range of measures which are then assessed and analysed by disability experts. A report on their performance is prepared for each participating organisation.

Material gathered from this analysis is used to produce the EFD Disability Standard Benchmark Report, which provides a snapshot of UK business performance on disability. These findings will be made public in September.

Awards for the best performers in the Disability Standard 2009 will also be announced in the autumn. 

Susan Scott-Parker, Chief Executive of EFD said: “It’s wonderful to see over 100 organisations participating in this year’s Disability Standard, particularly as disability can be overlooked in a harsh economic climate. The Disability Standard shows participants how to be more successful by tapping into the disability market.  It makes good business sense for organisations to become confident about how disability affects their staff and customers.”

Ends

Notes to editors

Members and non-members of the Employers’ Forum on Disability can take part in the Disability Standard.  Visit www.efd.org.uk for further information.

A full list of all 107 Disability Standard participants is available here

Media enquiries, please contact:

Liz Nightingale, Communications Manager
Employers' Forum on Disability
Email: liz.nightingale@efd.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7403 3020

About Employers' Forum on Disability

Employers' Forum on Disability is the employers' organisation focused on disability as it affects employers and service providers. With over 400 members, EFD represents organisations that employ around 20 per cent of the UK workforce.Since its establishment in 1991, EFD has worked closely with government and other stakeholders, sharing best practice to make it easier to employ disabled people and serve disabled customers.

www.efd.org.uk