CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY
Any use of this material without specific permission from McKinsey & Company is strictly
prohibited
Inclusion of People with Down Syndrome
in the Workplace and the Role of Families
in the Process
March 20, 2015
4th World Down Syndrome Day Conference:
Presentation at the United Nations
McKinsey & Company | 1
SPO-BTU269-20140207
We believe people with Down Syndrome benefit from being
included in the work environment
▪ A spirit of collaboration, respect and
freedom
▪ A feeling of being an integral part of,
and useful to society
What the work environment offers
▪ Faster development and learnings
that cannot be acquired in other
situations
▪ The ability to make certain decisions
and make choices when a salary is
received
Interpersonal
relationships
Accelerated
learning
Autonomy
Work brings
me love, it brings me
happiness. When I
don't work I get sad
- DS employee
Today my daughter
believes she can do
much more as she
gets paid
- Mother of a
person with DS
McKinsey & Company | 2
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Legislation Description
Many countries have specific legislation to encourage companies
to hire people with disabilities
Country
▪ 4% for government owned companies, and incentives
for private companies Argentina
▪ 5% for companies with over 20 employees Germany
▪ 4% for companies established 25 or more years ago Austria
▪ Starts at 2% for companies with over 100 employees Brazil
▪ 1.5% to 2%, depending on municipality China
▪ 2% for companies with over 50 employees Spain
US & Canada
▪ 6% for companies with over 20 employees France
▪ 2% for companies with over 56 employees Japan
Italy ▪ 7% for companies with over 50 employees
Portugal ▪ 2% for private companies and 5% for government
owned
UK
SOURCE: UN Disabilities and Economies; International Disability Alliance; www.isocial.com.br; interviews; team analysis
Belgium ▪ 2.5% for government owned companies only
McKinsey & Company | 3
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Description
Companies find it difficult to hire people with disabilities
▪ Urban, architectural and communication barriers
▪ Mindset barriers (employees not prepared/don’t know how to
welcome people with disabilities)
Access problems
▪ People with disabilities tend to have less formal education
▪ The situation is even worse among people with intellectual
disabilities
Lower average
qualifications
▪ General preference for people with physical or sensory
disabilities, as they are easier to incorporate into the work
environment.
▪ On the other hand, only a handful of companies currently
employ significant numbers of people with intellectual disabilities
Difficulty finding
people to fill
positions
SOURCE: Interviews; team analysis
McKinsey & Company | 4
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Description Impact Characteristic
Some characteristics typically displayed by people with Down
Syndrome can have a positive impact on organizational health
SOURCE: Interviews; team analysis
Positive
impact on
organization
al health?
▪ Better
conflict
management
▪ Feelings of
compassion
and empathy
▪ Increased
patience and
tolerance
▪ Emotional
stability in a
pressured
environment
▪ Transparent and simple, do
not use any filters
▪ Limited ability to memorize
recent learnings
▪ Will bond to others,
especially to their direct
supervisor
▪ Unaware of a number of
professional conduct rules
▪ Perceive what others are
feeling and show empathy
Direct
communication
Limited short-
term memory
Affection
Spontaneous
behavior
Empathy
McKinsey & Company | 5
SPO-BTU269-20140207
We believe that Organizational Health may be inferred by
looking at nine dimensions
SOURCE: McKinsey; team analysis
Direction
Coordination
and control Accountability
External
orientation
Innovation and
Learning
Capabilities Motivation
Culture and
climate
Leadership
McKinsey & Company | 6
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Direction
Accountability
Innovation and
Learning
Capabilities
Coordination
and control
External
orientation
Motivation
Culture and
climate
Leadership
During our interviews, we noticed a positive impact on five of the
nine dimensions that make up the McKinsey Organizational Health
Index
OHI Dimensions included in
this survey
SOURCE: McKinsey; team analysis
McKinsey & Company | 7
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Positive impact observed on the leadership dimension
SOURCE: McKinsey; team analysis
▪ Increased tolerance
and patients
▪ More collaborative
leadership
Innovation and
Learning
Direction
Accountability
Capabilities
Coordination
and control
External
orientation
Motivation
Culture and
climate
Leadership
McKinsey & Company | 8
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Positive impact observed on the external orientation dimension
SOURCE: McKinsey; team analysis
▪ Client loyalty
enabled by greater
empathy between
clients and people
with Down
Syndrome
Direction
Accountability
Innovation
and Learning
Capabilities
Coordination
and control
Motivation
Culture and
climate
Leadership External
orientation
McKinsey & Company | 9
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Positive impact observed on the culture and climate dimension
SOURCE: McKinsey; team analysis
▪ More cohesive and
collaborative
interactions
▪ A more open and
spontaneous
environment
Direction
Accountability
Innovation
and Learning
Capabilities
Coordination
and control
Motivation
Leadership External
orientation
Culture and
climate
McKinsey & Company | 10
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Positive impact observed on the motivation dimension
SOURCE: McKinsey; team analysis
▪ Colleagues get
inspired by the
efforts and
achievements from
people with Down
syndrome and this
makes them also
aim higher
Direction
Accountability
Innovation
and Learning
Capabilities
Coordination
and control
Leadership External
orientation
Culture and
climate
Motivation
McKinsey & Company | 11
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Positive impact observed on the coordination and control dimension
SOURCE: McKinsey; team analysis
Direction
Accountability
Innovation
and Learning
Capabilities Motivation
Culture and
climate
Leadership External
orientation
▪ More resiliency
▪ Improved ability to
deal with problems
Coordination
and control
McKinsey & Company | 12
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Statement Interviewee response
Percent
External
orientation
▪ Interacting with people with Down
Syndrome has made my direct
superior more capable of managing
and resolving conflict, and has
made a positive contribution to people
development
Leadership
SOURCE: Interviews; team analysis
Many of the employees we interviewed agree that there are
advantages to having people with Down Syndrome in the
workplace – example
82
135
83
125
▪ I believe that with the arrival of people
with Down Syndrome, my team has
become more open to the opinions
and needs of our clients, and often
tries to satisfy these needs
Agree
Disagree
Unable to answer
McKinsey & Company | 13
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Results
The outcome of a controlled group comparison
survey on organization health at McDonalds
showed encouraging results
SOURCE: Interviews; team analysis
6655People want to work here because of the
work environment
6450Relationships between people in my
store are based on trust and
transparency
The people in my store have the patience
or tolerance to mutually guide and support
each other
6959
Stores with DS employees
Difference (%)
Stores with no DS employees
Culture and
climate
Coordination
and control
11
14
10
McKinsey & Company | 14
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Although there is no way to ensure the benefits of hiring people
with Down Syndrome, there are measures to maximize them
SOURCE: Interviews; team analysis
Description Opportunity
▪ Allocate people with DS to activities that can
explore/take advantage of their skills
▪ Companies that have not embraced diversity
typically have difficulty in embarking in this journey
▪ Avoid having the company start to include people with
DS without the structure to maintain the program such
that it benefits both sides
Recognize
their individuality
and typical skills
Consider cultural
compatibility
Define the
inclusion model
▪ Companies find it harder to offer opportunities for
professional growth to people with Down Syndrome
Create
opportunities for
growth
▪ The lack of autonomy means they require more
attention from their supervisor, who is the person who
sets the rules and defines the posture of people with
DS in the work environment
Dealing with
lower level of
autonomy
McKinsey & Company | 15
SPO-BTU269-20140207
Family involvement and support are essential to integrate people
with DS into the company environment
Positive ways to involve the
family Benefits created
▪ Recognize that people with
DS have limitations when it
comes to certain tasks
Align
expectations
▪ Increase the employability of
people with DS by making their
skills compatible with company
functions
▪ Understand and support people
with DS so that they may fulfill
their responsibilities and their
commitment to the company
Understand
professional
commitment
▪ Increase the autonomy and
employability of people with DS
with a single, aligned discourse
that includes the employee,
his/her family and the company
▪ Open and candid conversations
with the person with DS and the
company Open dialog
▪ Identify opportunities to align or
make adjustments in the work
environment early
on/preventively
SOURCE: Interviews; team analysis
▪ Families should foster an
environment to develop the
social interactions skills of
people with DS
Promote a caring
but not
overprotective
environment
▪ People with DS that come to
work more prepared to face the
challenges of everyday
professional life
McKinsey & Company | 16
SPO-BTU269-20140207
A well structured program that seeks to maximize mutual gains without ignoring the difficulties is enough to transform challenges into advantages. The result will be a positive impact, not only for the people with DS, the companies that adopt this type of inclusion, but also on society as a whole.