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The influence of trade union D isability C hampions on employer disability policy and practice
Author(s) -
Bacon Nick,
Hoque Kim
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
human resource management journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.44
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1748-8583
pISSN - 0954-5395
DOI - 10.1111/1748-8583.12060
Subject(s) - champion , audit , medical model of disability , business , public relations , political science , psychology , accounting , law , psychiatry
D isability C hampions are a new type of lay workplace trade union activist, whose role is to encourage employers to audit and improve disability policies and offer independent advice and guidance on disability issues to employees. Drawing on a survey of the population of D isability C hampions, this article assesses D isability C hampion influence on employer disability policy and practice. While the majority of D isability C hampions report having had a positive impact, they report greater influence on employer willingness to conduct disability audits and to amend and improve employer equal opportunities practices with regard to disability than employer willingness to make reasonable adjustments. The analysis also identifies several factors that are likely to be important in improving D isability C hampion effectiveness. Overall, the results suggest D isability C hampions have the potential to enhance the ability of unions to represent disabled people and help manage disability issues within the workplace. The article makes a theoretical contribution to Disability Champion roles by further developing the ‘Activity‐Support‐Characteristic’ framework for the antecedents of new union representatives' effectiveness.