Are you a Disability Confident Employer?

Over 7.7 million people of working age in the UK are disabled or have a health condition.

Many of them are more than able to work, but the disability employment gap (which measures the difference between the employment rate of disabled people, compared to that of non-disabled people) is sitting at 29%, meaning that more than two million qualified candidates are missing out on job opportunities, and employers are missing out on top talent.

Industry leaders

The good news is research shows that charities have consistently been ahead of the pack when it comes to recruiting disabled workers. The number of disabled people employed in the charity sector has risen from 14.1% to 20.6% in the last decade. Compared to a 15.4% average across other sectors in the UK.

The stats are encouraging but there’s room for improvement …

Want to improve the stats andwiden your candidate pool? You can start by becoming a disability confident employer.

The Disability Confident Scheme

The Disability Confident scheme is a free, voluntary government initiative designed to support organisations in employing and retaining disabled people.

Developed by employers and disabled people’s representatives, it was introduced to increase understanding of and challenge attitudes towards disability and remove barriers to ensure disabled people are able to reach their full potential in the workplace.

The scheme has three levels of accreditation. All employers start at Level 1 and progress through the others at their own pace.

Level 1: Disability Confident Committed

Level 2: Disability Confident Employer

Level 3: Disability Confident Leader

The benefits of becoming Disability Confident

Encouraging applications can help you to:

• Increase the number of high-quality applicants applying for roles

• Create a workforce that reflects the diverse range of customers it serves and the community in which it is based

• Improve staff morale, commitment, and loyalty by demonstrating that you treat all employees fairly

Simply put, being Disability Confident could help you discover someone your business just can’t do without.

How to make your recruitment process more accessible

If you want to find out more about the scheme and sign up, you can do so here. In the meantime, here are a few things you can do to make your recruitment process more accessible.

Ensure your hiring staff have disability awareness training

Unconscious bias can come into play when assessing or interviewing applicants with disabilities. By providing appropriate training, you’ll reduce the likelihood of discrimination.

Training can also avoid staff unintentionally offending disabled applicants by using inappropriate language and/or etiquette.

It goes without saying, if you’re using a recruiter, it’s important they understand the disability employment market.

Make it clear you want a diverse workforce

Disabled people might be put off applying for jobs over concerns that their accessibility needs won’t be met during the interview process, so make it clear in your job adverts that you’ll make adjustments where needed.

Make your job adverts accessible

It’s important that people with disabilities can read your job ads, so make sure they’re posted on websites that are compatible with screen readers. If you don’t, your ads will be inaccessible to some applicants, (such as those with sight impairments). You should also make the information available in different formats such as audio format, braille, and large print.

Make the interview accessible

Ahead of the interview process, ask applicants if they have any access requirements and make adjustments as necessary. And if the interview involves a test, be clear about what is involved and ensure candidates have access to any adjustments they might need (e.g., dyslexic candidates may need extra time, sight impaired candidates may need assistive technology). This will ensure no-one is unfairly disadvantaged.

Here are some things to consider:

Create an accessible environment

Is your building accessible? Do you have an access ramp? Are there any stairs people in wheelchairs or with vision impairment should be aware of? Is the physical space for the interview large enough to welcome a person in a wheelchair?

If there are barriers for wheelchair users, can you conduct the interview by video call instead?

Provide a quiet area for candidates to wait before the interview

A quiet waiting area can help people with disabilities feel more at ease. Candidates with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), for example, can be sensitive to noise and their surroundings. A bustling waiting room could make them uncomfortable, which is not going to put them in the right mindset to ace an interview.

Offer the opportunity to break

For some people with disabilities, concentrating for long periods of time can be challenging. So let them know at the beginning of the interview that they can ask for a break whenever they need one.

Final Word

Recruiting disabled staff isn’t an act of charity - it’s what smart employers are doing to get ahead of the competition.

We have a diverse pool of candidates ready and willing to help your charity grow. Call us on 0203 750 3111 to discuss your requirements.