This includes the next generation of leaders who are pioneering ideas in the working world.

Research by Deloitte in 'The Radical Transformation of Diversity and Inclusion: The Millennial Influence' shows that the millennial generation (born between 1980 and 1995) regard a commitment to diversity and inclusion as a ‘must have’ when they are thinking about who they want to work for.

Millennials, who will comprise nearly 75% of the workforce by 2025, uphold that inclusion is the support for a collaborative environment that values open participation from individuals with different ideas and perspectives.

New Voices

Voices such as Marianne Waite are leading the charge. Included on Forbes’ list 30 Under 30 - Europe - Media 2017 Waite created Think Designable, a non-profit made up of marketing and communications professionals working to educate and help brands be inclusive, from creating products for those with disabilities to including people with disabilities in their advertising campaigns, after witnessing the stigma of disability (her sister has cerebral palsy).

Not only does inclusivity make social sense, it also makes sense financially.

Stronger finances

Companies with a more inclusive set of employees have a richer pipeline of innovative products and a stronger financial position. Our research found that disability-smart working drives down costs by reducing turnover and increasing retention, view our findings in a toolkit released in 2016. 

In 2017 the Government updated its guidance on encouraging applications from disabled people is good for business, reporting that it can help to “increase the number of high quality applicants available; create a workforce that reflects the diverse range of customers it serves and the community in which it is based; bring additional skills to the business, such as the ability to use British Sign Language (BSL), which could result in large savings.”

Undoubtedly businesses benefit from diverse workforces – we know they do. The question is how we best engage these diverse workforces, particularly disabled employees, with a leadership perspective, for the next generation and beyond.

This will be one of the focuses of our conference ‘Disability leading the way’ on Thursday 25 April, which will look at leadership and disabled talent.

Our conference will feature discussions on the following:

'The next generation, change makers and innovators’ - In this discussion hear how the next generation are leading the way creating change through their millennial or centennial view of diversity; or via new technologies and social media platforms for engagement. The panel includes the aforementioned Marianne Waite and Martyn Sibley who have effected change within the working landscape. 

As well as:

‘Tearing down taboos’ - We all know that there are taboos around certain conditions, but why is that? You will hear from speakers such as Meg Matthews who created the site Megs Menopause to help break down the taboos associated with the topic. 

‘Leading the way, our Disability-Smart Award winners’- This panel will share the latest best practice initiatives taking place amongst their peer organisations. Our Disability-Smart Award winners will be sharing nuggets of wisdom about how to lead the way and get it right on disability within your organisation.

'A change in our time? Leaders of today' - This panel will feature senior leaders from across industry sectors giving advice on how they have influenced huge change in their organisations. We will also be hearing from Dr Caroline Casey who heads up the influential #Valuable campaign and the Valuable 500 which was launched earlier this year at the World Economic Forum annual summit in Davos. 

If you’re interested in being part of the conversation, register for the event now on Business Disability Forum’s website.

This article was brought to you by Business Disability Forum

Recruiter readers can receive 20% off the event. Use the code: BDFCONF20.