Successful talent inclusion through RQTH: how to unleash an often invisible potential

RQTH is the recognition of the status of disabled worker.

In 2023, in companies subject to taxation, the direct employment rate for disabled workers was only 3.6% (source: DARES), far from the 6% set by the OETH law. A discrepancy that, on paper, may seem like a constraint. But in reality, it mostly tells about something essential: a tremendous potential that is still underexploited.

Behind these numbers, there are people, backgrounds, skills. And very often, An RQTH that remains invisible... while it could become a real accelerator of success at work.

The RQTH is not an administrative stamp. This is not a heavy issue, nor is it a “separate” subject. It is a recognition tool, designed for allow everyone to work in the best conditions, and to help businesses reveal talent that would otherwise remain in the shadows.

And when you look at it that way, the RQTH becomes something else: a Lever of inclusion, innovation and collective performance.

Today, organizations seek to attract, engage, and retain. Many are wondering how to create a work environment that is more flexible, fairer, and more humane. However, the inclusion of recognized RQTH talents brings precisely that:

• More than cosiness at work,
• More than diversity in the points of view,
• More than creativity in the teams,
• And often... more than cohesiveness.

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Understanding the RQTH and what it represents in the world of work

What is the RQTH? A simple and useful definition for HR

The RQTH (Recognition of the Quality of Disabled Workers) is often perceived as a administrative procedure. In reality, it is quite the opposite: it is a recognition tool, awarded by Departmental House for People with Disabilities (MDPH), which makes it possible to obtain adjustments, adaptations or support to work in better conditions.

The RQTH identifies “any person whose possibilities of obtaining or maintaining a job are effectively reduced as a result of an impairment of one or more functions”.

Put more simply:

• It's an official boost for Securing a professional career ;
• A way for the company to better adapt the environment ;
• A lever for promote success to the work of the teams.

The RQTH also allowsaccess dedicated devices, such as post development, financial aid or specialized support.

The RQTH is not a label.

It is a bridge between the person, HR and the company.

Why is the RQTH (often) an... invisible lever

80% of disabilities are invisible.

This means that, in the majority of cases, the people concerned are already working in the company... but without necessarily talking about it. Not because of a lack of trust, but often for fear of being labeled, or simply because they do not recognize themselves in an image that is still too stereotypical of disability.

Consequences:

• Many talents could benefit from a simple layout... but don't dare ask for it.
• Many groups could avoid situations of fatigue, breakups or dropouts.
• Many HR teams have powerful levers in their hands, but not always activated.

That's why we talk about a lever invisible but decisive : when the RQTH is identified, supported, and secured, it can literally change the trajectory of an employee... and strengthen the entire collective.

There is still a long way to go, for companies, HR, managers, and more generally for society. But above all: there is a great deal of room for improvement.

Each percentage point earned in the employment rate, each person accompanied, each RQTH revealed and assumed represents:

• More than stability ;
• More than talents mobilised ;
• More than diversity in the teams;
• And a collective smarter, more agile, more human.

The RQTH is a real strategic lever for organizations that want to combine inclusion, attractiveness and performance.

Why is the RQTH a lever for inclusion

Rediscovering talent and diversifying profiles: moving away from “traditional” criteria

When an organization relies on the RQTH, it opens the door to skills and profiles that could otherwise pass under the radar. In France, out of the 2.7 million people who hold an RQTH, it is an immense talent pool, often underrepresented in companies... but not because of a lack of skills.

The RQTH then becomes an eye-opener: it makes it possible to rediscover different expertise, trajectories, and ways of working. And for HR, it's an opportunity to leave traditional patterns behind and move towards more diverse and fairer recruitments.

Creating a more agile and attractive environment for all

It is often thought that arrangements linked to the RQTH only apply to incumbents. In reality, they often make organizing more comfortable for everyone.

When a company facilitates the work of a recognized RQTH collaborator, it activates levers that greatly benefit the collective:

• Flexibility ;
• Adaptation of spaces;
• Simplification of processes;
• Increased attention to real needs.

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Reducing the risks of absenteeism and turnover: adapted support builds loyalty

A supported collaborator is a collaborator who stays.

An unsupported collaborator is a collaborator who exhausts himself... then leaves.

The numbers show it: persons recognized as disabled have an employment rate of 39%, compared to 68% for the whole population, and an unemployment rate of 12% against 7%.

This integration deficit creates disruptions, and these disruptions are costly for businesses.

The RQTH precisely allows:

• To secure the routes;
• To reduce dropout situations;
• To avoid exhaustion linked to poorly adapted conditions;
• And therefore to strengthen loyalty.

For HR teams, it's a simple equation: accompany better = keep longer.

A job adjustment or a schedule adjustment can sometimes avoid months of absence or a departure experienced as “inevitable”.

Embracing innovation and differentiation: inclusion makes business stronger

Inclusive organizations are not only “virtuous”: they are more innovative and more resilient. Why? Because they bring together more diverse teams. And diversity is creativity, collective intelligence, the ability to see problems differently.

In a context where competitiveness also depends on the employee experience, companies that invest in inclusion (and therefore in RQTH!) are immediately placed in a differentiating register :

• They are more attractive;
• They gain more loyalty;
• They innovate more quickly;
• They are building a more human culture.

And at a time when 80% of disabilities are invisible, this choice is not a micro-subject: it is a business challenge in its own right.

And, there is still room to make a difference. Today, subject businesses have a direct employment rate of 3.6%, while the legal objective is 6%.

This means that:

• A lot of talent is waiting to be integrated;
• Organizations can make rapid progress;
• And those who take up the subject head-on can become references in inclusion.

For an HR manager, it is not “another constraint”. This is an area where we can act concretely and quickly, with a visible impact on the social climate, the employer brand, and overall performance.

What common mistakes do you see in companies when they welcome RQTH talent and how can you avoid them?

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Five concrete actions to succeed in inclusion via the RQTH

Inclusion is not a yellowing charter on a wall, or a one-off internal campaign. It is something much more alive: a way of acting, of managing, of listening, which can transform daily work. And RQTH really becomes a lever when it is embodied in simple, structuring and measurable actions.

First key: make the subject visible, without ever making it heavy

Name the RQTH, explain it, play it down. Not in “institutional” communications, but in concrete exchanges: team meetings, onboarding, regular interviews. When employees understand what RQTH really is (an aid, a right, a support), they are more daring to find out or talk about it.

Second key: train managers in the “how” rather than the “why”

Managers don't need a disability class. They need to know how to react, how to ask the right questions, How to accompany without clumsiness. Simple, equipped training, rooted in reality, enormously changes the climate around the subject.

Third key: adapt work without complicating the organization

An RQTH does not necessarily involve heavy installations. Often, they are small variations in the rhythm, the timetables, the loads, theenvironment. It is these common-sense adjustments, easy to implement, sometimes invisible to the team, that allow the employees concerned to regain stability, energy and performance.

Fourth key: secure HR dialogue

The RQTH is built on trust. A space to listen, a clear interlocutor, regular follow-up: that is what makes the difference between a theoretical device and a living policy. The more legible the framework is, the more daring employees are to take advantage of their rights.

Fifth key: measuring impact rather than obligations

Beyond the OETH figures, which remind us that there is still room for progress, the real issue is elsewhere: Turnover, truancy, employee experience, attractiveness. A company that observes these indicators on RQTH holders quickly discovers that inclusion is not a cost: it is an investment that strengthens the whole collective.

In your opinion, what simple actions or behaviors promote authentic inclusion, beyond legal obligations?

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Unleash the potential of talent with RQTH (and Qualisocial)

You will have understood it, The RQTH is a real opportunity to reveal talent, diversify teams and strengthen collective performance. Each supported path, each layout carried out, each dialogue established contributes to a more inclusive, more human and more agile working environment.

At Qualisocial, we support companies in the concrete implementation of inclusive policies and in monitoring the careers of employees with an RQTH. Our approach allows HR to:

• Identify and support talents that are often invisible;
• Simplify the management of facilities and rights;
• Monitor key indicators of inclusion and engagement;
• Develop a truly inclusive and efficient corporate culture.

By combining the official recognition of the RQTH and structured support with Qualisocial, inclusion ceases to be a constraint to become a concrete driver of cohesion, innovation and attractiveness. Organizations that take advantage of this lever create a virtuous circle where each employee can give the best of himself, for himself and for the collective.

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