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… % of recruiters feel they offer support % 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 % would not declare their disability for fear of not getting the job

2014 Disability confidence – it makes a difference Biggest barrier remains knowledge at 79%

Some encouraging news… 35% of recruiters on ClearAssured journey report more than 10% of their candidates are disabled Just 6% of other recruiters can report the same

Quick checklist 1.Involve disabled stakeholders 2.Get the criteria right and stick to it 3.Review all documentation and remove killer factors 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 8.Reasonable adjustments – proactive not reactive 9.Ask the right questions and then ask them again and again 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

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. Employability – Overcoming Barriers

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 – 17 th June 2014 Sharon Goymer – Entry Level Talent Programmes

Will Ramsay (wheel chair user) 14 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.

Bryony Smith (Aspergers, EDS3, POTS) 15 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.

Recruitment Process and Adjustments 16 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