Removing the Fear Factor and Promoting an Inclusive Business Join Emily Yates from Enhance The UK to discuss the importance of promoting good practice and inclusion within your organisation to help bridge the disability employment gap. Many organisations want to promote inclusion and diversity, yet they don’t know the steps to take Giving you top tips on how to become more inclusive. Communication and Interaction. How to encourage disabled people to apply to jobs. The Fear Factor – how to engage with disabled customers, staff and promote a positive working environment. The importance of disability awareness training for staff and why communication and interaction is key. The Disability Confident Scheme and Access to Work Terminology and removing the barriers that many disabled people face Promoting disclosure and open discussions Inclusive recruitment practices

1. TAKING THE
FEAR FACTOR
OUT OF
INCLUSIVE
RECRUITMENT
# F I R M D AY M A N C H E S T E R

2. THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD PRACTICE:
• The Disability Employment Gap is huge, much larger than it
should be.
• 80.5% of non-disabled people aged 16-64 are in work. The
same is true for just 48.3% of disabled people. It’s even be
claimed that the Government will struggle to halve the gap in
the next 50 years!
• What can you do to buck the trend?
• Many organisations want to promote inclusion and diversity,
yet they don’t know the steps to take.

3. THREE BIG STEPS TOWARDS INCLUSION
• The first is about awareness.
• How many disabled people do you recruit or employ?
• Are there disabled people working for you now?
• Do you encourage the disclosure of disability in a fair, non-
judgemental way?
• Do you post job opportunities on sites that promote inclusion,
like www.evenbreak.co.uk?
• Are your job interviews in accessible venues? Do you have
access to a BSL interpreter?
• If you have an awareness of where you are at now in terms of
inclusion, it’s much easier to know where you need to go.

4. THREE BIG STEPS TOWARDS INCLUSION
• The second is about education.
• Do your staff know how to communicate with disabled
colleagues and clients, or do they panic and avoid the
situation?
• Do you know the correct language and terminology to use
around potential employees with disabilities and on job
adverts and social media?
• Communication around disability is not something many of us
find easy or natural, but it can be taught and you can learn!
• Disability awareness and communication training is vital for
your staff, whether they are in face-to-face, over the phone, or
written communication roles.

5. THREE BIG STEPS TOWARDS INCLUSION
• The third is about implementation.
• So now you actively want to be an inclusive recruiter and your staff
are on-board too, what’s next?
• Physical access: buildings audit, reasonable adjustment,
consideration for those with sensory impairments (colour contrasting
documents/buzzer with video/interviews over skype rather than
phone).
• Promoting disclosure and open discussions. Disability does not have
to be a negative in your workforce.
• Knowledge of Access to Work and Disability Confident Schemes.
Disability doesn’t have to cost any extra if you understand these
schemes.

6. ANY
QUESTIONS?
W W W. E N H A N C E T H E U K . O R G
H E L LO @ E N H A N C E T H E U K . O R G