How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
1 like•1,206 views
This document outlines a webinar on inclusive and accessible recruitment held by AbilityNet. The webinar covered: 1) Common barriers and discrimination faced by disabled candidates in recruitment. 2) A gap analysis of key areas of an organization's recruitment process to evaluate inclusiveness. 3) AbilityNet's own inclusive recruitment practices, including an accessible application process and flexible interviews. 4) A discussion with Michael Vermeersch on Microsoft's approach to inclusive recruitment.
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Similar to How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment
Similar to How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment (20)
More from AbilityNet
More from AbilityNet (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (14)
How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment
- 1. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 1 How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment 2nd March 2021
- 2. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 2 Welcome • Live captions from MyClearText – turn on using CC option on the control panel • Additional captions: www.streamtext.net/player?event=AbilityNet • Slides are available at www.slideshare.net/abilitynet • Slides, a transcript and recording: www.abilitynet.org.uk/Accessible-Recruitment • Please use the Q&A window to ask questions • Feedback form to ask any follow up questions post-webinar
- 3. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 3 AbilityNet: A Digital World Accessible to all “We support people of any age, living with any disability or impairment, to use technology to achieve their goals at home, at work and in education.”
- 4. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 4 Today's session • Michael Vermeersch, Digital Inclusion Lead, Microsoft • Mairéad Comerford, Head of HR, AbilityNet • Amy Low, Service Delivery Director, AbilityNet
- 5. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 5 Poll How confident are you that your organisation (if applicable) is doing recruitment in an inclusive, accessible way?
- 6. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 6 Visualisation exercise to warm us up!
- 7. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 7 Belonging • To be in the right place or a suitable place. • To feel happy or comfortable in a situation or group. • Feeling like an important member of a group. • Sense of truly fitting or meshing. Othering • Suggests intolerance and exclusion. • Individuals or groups are defined and labelled as not fitting the norm. • Negative characteristics are attributed to people or groups • Synonymous with discrimination. Belonging Vs ‘Othering’
- 8. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 8 Disability discrimination in recruitment - 1 • Direct discrimination – 17% had job offer withdrawn due to disability* • Indirect discrimination – 24% of employers less likely to hire a disabled person. 6/10 thought disability would affect a candidate’s ability to do job* *Leonard Cheshire Reimagining The Workplace report 2019
- 9. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 9 Disability discrimination in recruitment - 2 • Harassment– 1/2 disabled people experienced disability related bullying and harassment at work ** • Failure or refusal to make a reasonable adjustment – 66% cited cost of reasonable adjustments and 38% cited designing accessible recruitment process as barriers to employing disabled people* *Leonard Cheshire Reimagining The Workplace report 2019, **Scope research 2017
- 10. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 10 • Awareness training and myth busting for hiring managers • Benefits of employing disabled people • Unconscious bias useful concept • Interrogate recruitment process to ‘design out’ non inclusive practices How to reduce likelihood of discrimination
- 11. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 11 Survey: evaluate key areas of focus Interview: discuss findings and probe level of challenge vs reward of making changes Report: detailing strengths and opportunities and providing improvements roadmap Employee Inclusion Gap Analysis
- 12. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 12 Job advert – candidate concerns I am not a fit for the role They won’t understand adjustments needed I don’t understand the requirements on the Job description I am not qualified for the role I can’t work in that location/those hours
- 13. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 13 GAP analysis poll – Job Advert/description Do you : Focus only on essential requirements for the role?
- 14. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 14 Application process – candidate concerns The application process is daunting I am not sure what to write about and how much to write I need some questions answered but I don’t want to look silly I am worried I will be judged on gaps in my work experience
- 15. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 15 GAP analysis poll – Application process Do you Signpost help with completing application form/cover letter if required?
- 16. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 16 Pre-Interview – candidate concerns I am worried I won’t be able to perform at my best My mind goes blank in these situations I am scared to do presentations It’s going to be really hard/expensive to get to the interview and I probably won’t be successful I struggle to build rapport I don’t know what to expect
- 17. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 17 GAP analysis poll – Pre-interview Do you Allow alternatives for things like giving presentations?
- 18. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 18 Benefits of inclusive design in recruitment Better recruitment process for all ( 75% fear public speaking) Greater likelihood of seeing true strengths Interview widest talent pool Strong message related to values etc (67% job seekers want to join a diverse workforce)
- 19. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 19 AbilityNet application process • Simple process with just CV to submit • Clear step by step process ,simple language, disability friendly advertising • Making it clear it is an inclusive process, seeking feedback to continually improve • Reasonable Adjustments – Clear Talents • Disability Confident – employing disabled people
- 20. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 20 AbilityNet interview process • Experts: https://exceptionalindividuals.com/ • Format of interview – can be altered • Invite questions beforehand • Face to face presentation - recorded • Technical test format • Set questions – each candidate • Feedback to candidates
- 21. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 21 Feedback from staff • “AbilityNet saw me as not someone with a disability, but someone with a gift for talking to people and with an interest in technology.” • “This is my first full time job, which, because of my autism, I was unsure I could do. AbilityNet has given me the flexibility I need to be able to be in the 16% of adults with autism in full time employment. AbilityNet has given me the opportunity to live an independent life, working the way I need to and on something I love doing.”
- 22. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 22 • Welcome to Michael Vermeersch Digital Inclusion Lead UK disAbility ERG Lead D&I Ambassador Inclusive Recruitment Fireside Chat
- 23. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 23 Messaging to candidates “How do Microsoft communicate to potential candidates that you are an inclusive employer with an inclusive recruitment process?”
- 24. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 24 Consistency of approach “In a large organisation like Microsoft, how do you make sure that the processes are applied consistently?”
- 25. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 25 Getting internal buy in from teams “How do you communicate ‘why’ this is important to your internal teams? How do you articulate the benefits?”
- 26. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 26 Tips and advice for others “What is the best piece of advice you can give to organisations who want to make their recruitment processes more inclusive?”
- 27. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 27 Thank you – any questions?
- 28. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 28 Q&A • Please use the Q&A window (not the chat window) • You’ll be directed to a feedback form at the end of the broadcast • Slides, transcripts and a recording of this webinar will be shared via follow up email
- 29. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 29 Contact information • Michael Vermeersch: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-vermeersch • Mairead Comerford: mairead.comerford@abilitynet.org.uk • Amy Low: amy.low@abilitynet.org.uk
- 30. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 30 AbilityNet’s Workplace services Find out more: abilitynet.org.uk/workplace • Employee support • Inclusive workplaces • Bespoke Training on a range of topics • GAP analysis • Helpline & free resources • Working from Home review: www.abilitynet.org.uk/WFH-review
- 31. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 31 AbilityNet Online Training Series • Thurs 4 March: How to produce accessible videos • Thurs 11 March: How to use a screen reader for accessibility testing • Weds 17 March: How to deliver and sustain accessible digital learning • Thurs 18 March: Embedding accessibility at every stage of your project 10% off any future AbilityNet online training courses this year with discount code AbilityNetTraining10 abilitynet.org.uk/training
- 32. How to do inclusive, accessible recruitment - March 2021 32 Thank you • AbilityNet newsletter: www.abilitynet.org.uk/newsletter • Next webinars: www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Editor's Notes
- AMY – Good afternoon everyone. Great to have you here. On the slide we have a word cloud showing a range of words relating to a feeling of ‘belonging and inclusion which is a key theme for today’s webinar’ We are going to kick off with a bit of a visualisation exercise to get us warmed up! So close your eyes Think about a time when you were applying for a role and you had that moment – maybe when looking at the job ad, visiting the company website, reading through the application pack, meeting with the interview panel when you had that big CLICK moment of “This is a role and place of work where I could truly belong and be my authentic self” Wait for 10 seconds Some people might have been able to recall many moments like that, others may have found it more difficult to pull an example to mind. Some people might not have developed a sense of belonging until they had been in a role for a while and that is probably to be expected. Some people may feel that they have not had that at all so far in their career. And that is really a great shame. Engendering that feeling is something that is really important for organisations in building a strong, diverse and inclusive team and that should start at the very beginning with the recruitment process. Ok close your eyes again and now picture a time when you were looking at a job opportunity and you felt the opposite way and took yourself out of the process – this might have been at the point of clicking in to the job ad, reading through the application pack, upon invitation to first or second interview and in the middle of an interview. Sometimes this relates to things like the ethos of the company, an attitude someone has expressed or something connected to the role but actually could have been due to quite mundane and practical considerations such as that the interviews are being held in a far off location, the job isn’t flexible or the application process is lengthy. Wait 5 seconds I expect people were able to recall a lot more of those moments compared with the first example. It would be really interesting if anyone wanted to share any stories of their own experiences using the Q&A function. So Mairead and I are now going to look at the recruitment process and discuss what is going to be important if you want to be able to create that positive CLICK feeling for the broadest possible audience. How can we makie that sense of welcome and belonging explicit to all groups including disabled candidates.
- AMY - We thought it might be useful to quickly review some dictionary definitions of belonging. Here are a selection that I will read out to you now. Maybe its just me but even just reading out those definitions makes me feel pretty good. And as organisations we should be aspiring to create that feeling for applicants from their very first interaction with us. It is important to say that contrary to the rather outdated notion of ‘cultural fit’ you really don’t have to assimilate or be ‘like’ everyone else to feel a sense of belonging. But you DO need to feel you occupy a respected place and have a voice. And this is much less about the candidate and much more about the maturity of the organisation and their realisation that welcoming diversity is a truly positive step. But more on that later! So I guess if we wanted to look at the flipside of belonging you could expore this using an antonym ‘othering’ which is a relatively new term for many of use, but useful in its universal application and relatability. Similarly to when you have felt a strong sense of belonging, most people will recall a time when they felt excluded or defined as being different and the discomfort that brings. So some dictionary definitions are (describe points on slide) And what ‘othering’ amounts to in other words is actually discrimination.
- AMY And knowing what discrimination is and how easily it can occur is really important for all participants in the recruitment process applicants, interviewers, those in marketing roles etc. So Mairead can we discuss types of disability discrimination and give some examples? MAIREAD - According to a 2019 report by Leonard Cheshire, 17% applicants that applied for job in last 5 years have had a job offer withdrawn as a result of a disability. 24% of employers less likely to hire a disabled person and 6/10 questioned thought disability would adversely affect someone’s ability to do a job.
- MAIREAD - Further to that, -according to research conducted by Scope, 1 in 2 disabled people have experienced harassment at work in the form of bullying, inappropriate questions or remarks or so called ‘banter’ There is very low awareness of the low cost of reasonable adjustments and the adjustments that can be provided in the recruitment process and this is a real missed opportunity as putting adjustments in place is mostly very low cost and straightforward to achieve. In the Leonard Cheshire report, 66% of employers said the cost of implementing workplace reasonable adjustments would prevent them from hiring disabled people and 38% said designing accessible recruitment processes is a barrier to employing disabled people. When actually this can be achieved with relatively little difficulty or cost.
- AMY - So how do you reduce the likelihood of discrimination or bias occurring in your hiring process? Mairead - Awareness is absolutely key and when we speak to employers a lot of the time there is a fear of saying or doing something wrong and what hiring managers need is better knowledge and understanding so providing disability awareness training and busting some of the myths around disability is really important. Mentioning the benefits of employing disabled people - : increased job loyalty, lower levels of sickness absence, improved culture, better services, stronger teams, better workplace morale Understanding your own potential for having prejudices is also important. There has also been a lot of talk of unconscious bias in recent years and it’s a really interesting fact that apparently people who consider themselves not to have any biases are the most likely to actually act upon them, so communicating the concept is really useful. That being said there is some evidence that people have been cottoning onto unconscious bias it as a bit of an excuse – eg whoops that was my bias, I can’t help it, which is obviously not great so perhaps acknowledging bias but focusing on clearly defining discrimination is a better way forward. Training and self awareness raising is very positive, but only relying on individuals to personally ensure discrimination and bias do not come into the recruitment process is not enough. To make sure efforts are sustainable and scalable you need to keep the topic from of mind for individuals BUT also to spend time focusing on the processes and ‘design out’ as many potential sources of discrimination and bias as you can.
- AMY - To help organisations take a structured approach to evaluating their working practices throughout the employee journey, AbilityNet have developed an Employee Inclusion GAP analysis. It is designed to take a selection of people throughout the org through a range of questions having them provide their experience as employees or hiring managers focusing in on each stage from job ad, to application process, to pre interview and interview and job offer. the GAP analysis has various sections you have zone in on through the whole employee journey taking in onboarding, ways of working , development and promotion and so on but we will cover those in future webinars planned for later in the year). We don’t have time to go through all the recruitment focused questions today but will have a quick interactive session where we pick a few of the questions and poll the audience to get a feel for where we all are with these sorts of ‘inclusive by design’ considerations.
- So for each step in the employee journey we are looking for ‘gaps’ or concerns that might lead to candidates declining to continue. So first lets look at how a candidate faced with a Job ad could feel that sense of not being a fit to the point that they might decline to continue at that stage. READ OUT CONCERNS
- So over to Annie for our first poll Amy to reflect on what is coming up and then ask: Mairead what are some of the benefits of only listing essential requirements? MAIREAD Not putting people off with ‘nice to haves’ like ‘great communicator’ someone might not identify as being that but do have the other really important skills and perhaps communication is a non essential requirement for a role that might be predominantly independent working perhaps. . Some other considerations at job ad stage might be: Mentioning flexible working -11% of jobs advertised as flexible, 87% of population want to work flexibly! Mentioning tech adjustments gives people confidence that not only will their needs be met but that the culture of the organisation understands tech tools for accessibility and inclusion Avoid stipulating minimum qualification requirements for jobs Use plain language
- AMY So now lets look at how a candidate faced with an application pack could have concerns to take themselves out of the process - read slide points
- Poll question same format as before Amy to reflect on replies and then ask Mairead – why are these considerations important Mairead? MAIREAD – these are really about normalising the notion of asking for help with the form or clarifying questions. People often feel like they will be judged for asking for support with the application process but any sensible employer should welcome this as it gives the candidate a better chance of meeting the criteria and not missing the point and actually if someone needs support with the application form you might learn something about it perhaps not being a very accessible process to follow having someone fill in a lengthy form and you could lose good applicants as the task seems so daunting. Some other considerations might tbe Provide clear instructions to apply? Require minimal form filling? Supply model cover letter or cover letter guidance (should contain X, Y, Z?)
- Now lets look at pre interview and which concerns could make someone decline to continue at that stage.
- Poll question as before Amy to reflect on results and ask Mairead why you would do these? What are the benefits? MAIREAD Many people don’t perform at their best providing a live presentation so offering the option to pre record one and take Q&A after may give you a far better view of someone’s capability and thinking than if they are struggling with the stress of delivering it live. Other considerations could be Sending questions in advance Provide and stick to a clear agenda Offer flexibility on interview location Variety of time options Reimbursement for travel Ask about disability requirements
- MAIREAD So just summing up some of the benefits of inclusive design in recruitment. Firstly you are going to provide a better recruitment process for everyone (eg 75% of people have a fear of public speaking so offering an alternative to a presentation can really help people shine). When people are relaxed you have a better chance of seeing their true strengths and getting to know the real them . Less likely to have people declining to interview or apply so a wider talent pool to choose from. Give a strong message to all candidates via inclusive irecruitment practices that they can expect a diverse and inclusive working environment.
- MAIREAD –
- MAIREAD
- MAIREAD
- So a very warm welcome to Michael Vermeerch from Microsoft. I am very happy to be sitting down for a nice fireside chat with Michael about the inclusive recruitment processes implemented at MS!
- So for my first question, I know very well from my interactions with Microsoft that inclusion is very central to your goals and how you work. But how does MS communicate to potential candidates that you are an inclusive employer with an inclusive recruitment process?
- So when it comes to inclusive practices in recruitment, how do you make sure that the processes are applied consistently?
- So its all very well having processes that people are asked to follow but getting the ‘why’ across is such an important ingredient in making adoption of processes stick. How do Microsoft achieve that?
- I am sure you could give a lot of tips for how organisations can be more inclusive in the way they recruit. If you had to choose one piece of advice to give to people that makes the biggest difference in your opinion, what would it be?