​Breaking down barriers: embracing disabilities in the workplace

By Maxine West, Talent Engagement Partner

Our Talent Engagement Partner, Maxine West, shares her experience and insight into why embracing disabled talent is so important in the workplace, and debunks some common misconceptions.

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I felt inspired to make neurodiversity in the workplace the basis of my Guidant promise.
I am a Talent Engagement Partner working with clients across the automotive insurance and power generator sectors.

During our company’s summer conference in June this year, Alice Hargreaves, Co-founder and COO of Sick in the City (SIC), shared her journey about disability and inclusion in the workplace, which resonated deeply with me, as an autistic woman who only received my diagnosis in my early 30s.

When the SIC Summer Conference came round, I was very excited to attend in the hopes of getting further ideas and insight into how we can work better to provide accessibility for all people and talent within Guidant and the customers we work with.

Did you know that 47% of disabled people are unemployed?
Many of the challenges or lack of employment offers for disabled people are largely due to a knowledge gap, leading to misconceptions and myths surrounding the adaptations needed for people with disabilities.

It may surprise you to know that a majority of reasonable adjustments have little to no financial cost. Not knowing where to find resources or being equipped with the right tools and information presents barriers too.

Unconscious bias also plays its part – checking this within ourselves and recognising biases and challenging attitudes is so important.

Making hiring process accessible right from the start is key to closing the disability employment gap.
There are simple things we can do to ensure everyone has the best chance of applying and interviewing for a role, whether that’s ensuring job ads are accessible, or creating adjustments during the interview process.

Here are a number of great disability employment platforms to help you get started:

• Sick in the City’s Magazine

• Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative

• UK Government’s Disability Confident Employer scheme

Empower disabled talent and be transparent about it.
When I had applied for what is now my current role at Guidant, I remember a line in the job advert guaranteeing candidates an initial interview, as long as the skills and experiences were a good fit, regardless of disability.

This one-liner demonstrated the level of care and consideration Guidant has for its employees, which in turn, also gave me confidence to apply and know I was not going to be immediately cast aside because of my neurodivergence.

Having training in place to develop the right attitudes and behaviours of your organisation is a great way to ensure everyone you work with is engaged with the company ethos, making it a comfortable and inclusive place for everyone.

Providing flexible, anti-ableist work solutions and encouraging honest, open dialogue within a safe place for your workforce to do this will contribute greatly to boost retention and make your workplace a great place to be.

Some myths to bust around employing disabled talent:

• Disabled people actually have less time off sick!
  We are also more likely to be more loyal to an organisation, especially if our accessibility needs are provided for.

• People with disabilities and neurodiversities have great strengths and resiliences.
  It makes great business sense to foster, understand and utilise these.

• 70% of reasonable adjustments are very easy and free to implement.
  Some reasonable adjustments may come with a small cost – but this stands at about £75.

• Making the workplace flexible and accessible benefits everyone – not just disabled people.
  In the long run, this will help promote overall diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Some of my favourite highlights from the SIC Conference were...
Dr Mark Fosbrook (he/him), IncludeMe Manager of the West Midlands Combined Authority, spoke of the Purple Pound (the spending power of disabled people and their families) and how it’s a largely untapped market. More than 1 in 5 potential UK consumers are disabled and nearly ¾ of disabled online consumers will click away from a website due to inaccessibility.

Dileepa Ranawake (he/him), CEO and Co-founder of Sumrise, shared Sumrise’s unique toolkit powered by AI to customise accessible emails for people with ADHD and dyslexia.

Julie Reynolds (they/them), an Equity Advocate, spoke to us about many available resources to support not only jobseekers, but also employers. For example, Base UK, a British association for supported employment, offers employers and recruitment agencies support with writing inclusive job specifications and job adverts.

Being inclusive is everyone’s responsibility and we can always do better.
I’ve gained real insight into how making simple adjustments at work not only benefits others, but myself too. I’m looking forward to developing and carrying out my Guidant promise and working with others to understand how we can get ahead of the game when it comes to being inclusive for all.

I truly believe our attitude as a company is progressive and we can look forward to giving and reaping the benefits of being a workplace that is inclusive for everyone.

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