Checklist for employers to help be more inclusive of the disabilities community

Attract, retain and support employees with disabilities and caregivers

  • Nearly 66 million Americans — one in five — care for an aging, seriously ill or disabled family member or friend.1
  • Caregivers take nearly 2x the number of days off work to provide care as their non-caregiving peers.2
  • Turnover can cost employers 50-200% of annual salary or more.3

Employers can make a difference by being inclusive of employees with disabilities and employees with caregiving responsibilities. From inclusive hiring practices, to communication, to employee benefits, this checklist can be a guide to see where your company is today, and where you might be able to improve.

To-do items for employers:

  • Build a culture of understanding.
    • Help individuals with disabilities and caregivers feel comfortable disclosing their disability or special needs situation.
  • Provide support groups for caregivers and employee assistance programs (EAPs).
  • Help make sure caregivers and employees with disabilities know they aren’t alone.
  • Build inclusive hiring and employment practices.
    • Include accessible workspaces, technology, and participate in the Disability Equality Index at DisabilityIN.
  • Include guidance and language for beneficiary planning.
  • Educate employees about potential ramifications to government benefits eligibility.
  • Focus on flexible work schedules and paid family leave.
    • Help employees who are in need of time away from work, but depend on their income to make ends meet, to balance their work and caregiving responsibilities.
  • Review existing employee benefits package.
    • Demonstrate to employees how to make the most of the valuable benefits already offered.
  • Offer special needs planning resources and financial planning guidance.
    • Financial wellness programs
    • Online tools for document creation and storage, including Letter of Intent and special needs trusts
    • Informational resources like Voyacares.com
  • Offer benefits that are of specific interest to employees with disabilities and caregivers.
    • ABLE accounts
    • Paid caregiver leave
    • Care coordination programs

Download a copy of this Caregiver Employer Checklist (PDF).

Learn more about these strategies and how to implement them in your organization with our research paper.

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This material has been provided for educational purposes only. This material was created to provide accurate and reliable information on the subjects covered. It is not intended to provide specific legal, tax or other professional advice.

DisabilityIN, Easterseals and the Voya® family of companies are not affiliated and are not responsible for each other's policies and services.

Voya Cares® and other Voya products and services are offered through the Voya family of companies.

  1. CDC. “Disability Impacts All of Us Infographic.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 May 2023
  2. Findings from an online survey of 510 HR Decision Makers respondents and an online survey of 1,815 employee respondents, both conducted by Voya Cares in partnership with Lieberman Research Worldwide (LRW) during the period of December 2, 2018 - January 14, 2019, unless otherwise noted. 
  3. Sparks, Stephanie. The real cost of employee turnover (and how to prevent it). Jobvite. Nov. 26, 2023.
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