International Day of Persons with Disabilities: 3rd December
International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is a UN day celebrated every year on 3rd December. The aim of this annual observance is to promote the rights, dignity, and wellbeing of people with disabilities. IDPD raises awareness of the challenges people with disabilities face including their right to full participation in employment.
This annual observance is a timely reminder to Organisations of their duties under the Employment Equality Acts which oblige Employers to make reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations provide people with disabilities with important opportunities to access and remain in work.
Ireland’s rate of employment of people with disabilities is persistently low. To help bridge this gap, Employers could use IDPD as a reminder that the following supports are available to develop work opportunities for people with disabilities:
- Reasonable accommodation is the primary support that enables people with disabilities to access and remain in employment. Reasonable accommodation is where an Employer makes a change to the tasks and structure of a job, or makes changes to the workplace environment to enable an Employee to:
- have equal opportunities when applying for work;
- be treated the same as co-workers;
- have equal opportunities for promotion;
- undertake training.
- Advances in assistive technology are becoming more accessible and cost-effective and may provide a person with a disability with the support they need to carry out certain duties.
- There are government supports for Employers under the Reasonable Accommodation Fund and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme.
While compliance with the Employment Equality Acts is vital, a more inclusive approach towards the employment of people with disabilities can also have real business benefits in the shape of improved workplace culture and greater Employee engagement.
Gender Pay Gap – November Deadline
Organisations with more than 50 Employees or more must report their pay data and publish their gender pay gap report in November 2025. The reduction in the Employee threshold to 50 brings more than 6,000 Organisations under the scope of the gender pay gap reporting regime this year.
Identifying the Reason for a Gender Pay Gap
Many Employers will have discovered a gender pay gap exists after going through the process for the first time this year. What’s important in this context is that each Organisation identifies the specific reasons a gender pay gap exists in their operations and the proposed steps it will take to reduce the gap.
Publication
In addition, while it was confirmed that publication through the government’s online portal will not be mandatory in 2025, in scope Employers remain obliged to publish or make available their gender pay gap report under the existing legislation. Organisations that have a website are required to publish their report on their website in a manner that is accessible to all its Employees and the public. Where the Organisation does not have a website, it must make the report available in physical form for inspection during normal business hours by Employees and the public at its registered office or principal place of business.
To guard against compliance risks, Adare’s Gender Pay Gap Analysis and Reporting service will:
- Conduct a full compliance review of your pay data
- Identify gaps and provide strategic insight
- Prepare your GPG report ensuring it reflects the challenges faced by your Organisation
Get ahead of any potential Employee claims by ensuring full compliance.