Taking A Caregiver While On An Executive Business Travel

There are few written policies within firms that can rally support to persons with disability. Garnering no help from the corporation, working can be an arduous task for disabled employees. Worse, it will hinder them with their everyday work. 

Traveling—as an example—especially on executive and representative official travels can be a grueling concern for any PWDs. There will be definite cases wherein the disabled individual shall require the aid and attention of a caregiver. 

In most instances, a caregiver’s role is to support the individual’s daily activities like dressing and bathing. A caregiver also monitors all health-related issues and progressions, especially on a mentally challenged person. These professionals also coordinate appointments and transportation logistics during travels. To this specific niche of the community, there is a demand for caregiving services. 

The question now stands on who shall shoulder the cost. Is it the services’ recipient, or should the firm shoulder it. Are the caregiver’s necessities also covered? 

Luckily for these people, NDIS is an institution that can help them with this predicament. Below articulates what NDIS can do and offer to both the disabled and the caregiver. 

Disability in Contemporary Corporate Context

International institutes assessed Australia as one of the disabled-friendly countries, but that is not the case all the time. “Disability Prevalence” is still a phenomenon, with the country having a sixth of its population incapacitated with a disability. However, despite the growing social policies for the disabled, not all sectors give the much-needed considerations to this community. 

The support for a disabled person in the private sector is still unheard of. This mentality is still effectively true in most corporate settings. Many firms frowned upon disabled employees, let alone applicants. Managers and HRs still treat disabled people as liabilities, despite the obvious merits and achievements that come with it. The lack of support for the community reflects even in the minuscule designs and policies within an average nine-to-five firm. 

Despite the age of webinar software and digital progress, the average office environment design is not disabled-friendly. Cubicles designed for employees to mind their tasks constrict a disabled persons’ movement. There are still buildings and infrastructures without disabled-friendly like the braille etches on elevators and even the PWD ramps.

Apart from unwelcoming designs within one’s workspace are the fruits of this history-age of the stigma manifesting in the behaviour within the organisation. Cases like discrimination within promotions still exist, more so during hiring processes. 

Should the Company Shoulder the Caregiver’s Expenses?

Another thing to remember is that a disabled worker can still function like a normal employee with proper support to assist them with their task. So, while there are no discriminatory acts against disabled individuals in firms, there aren’t supports systems and company policies to help them either. 

In the case of caregivers, they are the individual’s necessity commonly required at homes and other personal spaces. Thus, it’s only natural that the cost for acquiring caregiving services should fall unto its beneficiary.

However, during official business travels, representatives and executives fall under unconventional work hours as they attend business meetings and conferences. This meant one thing: services like caregiving and other PWD necessities should fall under the company's expenses. And yet, because of the absence or vagueness of supporting company policies, this intuitive move remains only as an obligatory necessity without materialising.

NDIS As A Solution

Fortunately for these executive employees, NDIS is a statutory agency built to help disabled persons with their careers. Executives with disabilities subscribed to this agency’s programs will reap benefits and features to help them perform their work better. 

Depending on what the NDIS agreed to cover per their program, the agency can fully subsidize the caregiver’s professional fees. This covering expense is possible because NDIS is one of the Australian government’s funded social program schemes for the disabled. 

Apart from removing the caregiving-related fees, another benefit that the executive employee can enjoy is the high-quality service of the caregiver on duty. NDIS assures and sees that the caregiver employed comes from its partner carer’s organisations. 

Shouldering expenses for oneself is costly, more so with fees for two. NDIS can also cover the caregiver’s costs throughout the travel, still depending on the agreements. This caregiver’s expenses include accommodation like hotels, food, and even transportation. 

NDIS Plan

All of the benefits that the disabled executive received came from the agency’s program, the NDIS Plan. Individuals eligible for NDIS services are also qualified to avail of NDIS plans. 

NDIS plans are the participant’s formulated proposition which the NDIS shall review before the approval and funding process. Within the NDIS plans are goals that the participant intends to achieve and fulfill and the means to achieve them. This agency mostly funds expenses relating to the participant’s health and career development. Health-oriented activities that incur costs include therapies, consultations, daily maintenance, and even the purchase of disability assistive technologies. In turn, career-related expenses include classes for pursuing careers, corporate forums, and official executive conferences. 

NDIS also supports funding the daily necessities of the disabled person. Factors may include transportation, social interactions, and even specific health concerns daily. This is all done to ensure that the participants can function normally in society. 

How NDIS Supports Caregivers

Unsurprisingly, caregiving is a growing demand within Australia because of the number of disabled individuals. Thus, it’s natural for both the government and the private sector to protect this industry.

While the caregiving industry is not under NDIS, the agency still indirectly protects and helps this profession. NDIS helps through well-compensated contracts and employment basis that assigns them to participants. The agency ensures the need to compensate fairly to preserve the profession's quality. NDIS also owns contacts, networks, and linkages regarding carers and caregiver’s organizations for close coordination of the client’s circumstances.

NDIS also allows caregivers for respite sessions—periods of breaks from caregiving duties. Respite will enable carers to take care of their physiological self while replenishing their mental health.