Removing Barriers in Recruitment
Jane Hatton
Director, Evenbreak
Kate Headley
Director of Consulting, The Clear Company
Dispelling some myths
Disabled people are:
-
As productive as their colleagues
Take less sick leave
Stay longer in their jobs
Have fewer work accidents
An extension of your talent pool
Enhance your employer brand
Protected by law
Data from Health & Safety
Executive (HSE.gov.uk) 2012
What can get in the way?
-
Fear
Lack of knowledge
Assumptions, not facts
Reactive, not proactive approach
Not having the right support
No expectation for the agency
A lack of trust has developed
Words, rather than actions
At every stage…
-
Brand
Role and candidate specification
Sourcing strategy
Application process
Shortlisting
Interview and assessment
Offer and onboarding
The risk of a tick box approach
In 2011 candidates told us….
- 89.5% of recruiters feel they offer support
- 13.2% of candidates feel they get support
- 75% of candidates state lack of disability awareness
by recruiters as their biggest barrier
- 70% have experienced negative assumptions
- 74.1% would not declare their disability for fear of
not getting the job
2014 Disability confidence – it makes a difference
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
All Candidates
30%
20%
10%
0%
Lack of disabiity
awareness of staff
(79%)
Negative assumptions of Lack of provision of Staff not understanding
staff
(58%) reasonable adjustments
candidate's needs
(53%)
(50%)
Biggest barrier
remains
knowledge at
79%
Some encouraging news…
35% of recruiters on
ClearAssured journey
report more than 10%
of their candidates are
disabled
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
All Recruiters
25%
CA Recruiters
Not CA Recruiters
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
None
Don't Know
<5%
5-10%
>10%
Just 6% of other
recruiters can report
the same
Quick checklist
1.
Involve disabled stakeholders
8.
2.
Get the criteria right and stick
to it
Reasonable adjustments –
proactive not reactive
9.
3.
Review all documentation and
remove killer factors
Ask the right questions and
then ask them again and again
4.
Have an inclusive sourcing
strategy
5.
Get your agencies on board
6.
Ensure accessibility – physical
and technical
7.
Inclusive assessment – valid
and can be adjusted
10. Keep the candidate involved
and informed
11. Ensure stakeholders are
confident
12. Keep it transparent, objective
and rigorous at every stage
13. Collect feedback and use it
“Thank you for the support and also the
adjustments.
I found that the best thing for me was the fact that
the interview and the two role plays were carried out
in the same room, with the same assessors, with the
blinds down. As someone with ASD, I spend a large
part of the day taking in the environment… I didn't
have to do this in this assessment, which helped me
feel a lot calmer.”
Successful E.ON
candidate
Employability – Overcoming Barriers
Place your chosen
image here. The four
corners must just cover
the arrow tips. For
covers, the three
pictures should be the
same size and in a
straight line.
Sustainable and Credible Selection,
Leading to Paid Employment
 Stage 1: Creating the context, and the case for change
 Stage 2: Creating the Demand
 End to end strategic workforce planning
 Stage 3: Creating the Supply
 Deep educational support, with three way experiential
assessment (Candidates, Employers, Educators)
 Stage 4: Matching Demand to Supply
 Joint Assessment of Candidates who are successful in
Stage 3
 Specific to Job Roles
Working Together Conference – 17th June 2014
Sharon Goymer – Entry Level Talent Programmes
Will Ramsay (wheel chair user)
Graduate Development Programme 2014 intake
MEng Mechanical Engineer
Year in Industry Student 2007
Sponsored Student 2008 – 2014
How do you manage your disability at work?
When I go to operational sites, like substations or
power stations, it’s important to find out in advance
about any access issues and whether the visit is going
to be feasible – there aren’t usually any problems
when both sides know what to expect. I always take a
camera so that someone can take a photo / video of
anything important that I can’t see / get to.
How would you describe the diversity culture at
National Grid?
It’s so good that it’s completely unremarkable.
14
Bryony Smith (Aspergers, EDS3, POTS)
Engineer Training Programme 2014
MEng Mechanical Engineering
Year In Industry Student 2010
Sponsored Student 2010 – 2013
How do you view the support offered by the
Resourcing Team?
It was great and much appreciated and helped
me to relax and concentrate on the things I
should be assessed on (teamwork, planning etc.)
and not the practical difficulties of things like
handwriting lots, or feeling awkward because I
needed a break.
How would you describe the diversity culture
at National Grid?
A mature work in progress.
15
Recruitment Process and Adjustments
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Recruitment process audited by disability consultant
Mitigating Circumstances during initial application process
Unconscious Bias Assessor Training
Telephone contact prior to Assessment Centre
Tour of venue and facilities prior to Assessment Centre
Talk through the programme of activities
Briefing notes on disability to Assessors and examples of
rephrased questions etc.
Confidentiality in respect to other candidates
Separate room to access laptop
Use of IPad in Group Exercise to read brief and note taking
Extra time as directed by specialist report
Close access to facilities
Regular breaks
16