Does Your Organisation Have Barriers That You’re Unaware Of?

There may be barriers in your organisation faced by potential customers, applicants or even current employees that you may not have considered before.

Do your forms have lots of long written questions? Do they include timed sessions? Can applicants save their progress and return later? Do you provide alternative ways to complete forms where needed?

Your standard application process may be preventing people from joining your organisation, even when they have the skills and experience required for the role.

For example, an online form may be difficult to complete using a screen reader, while a timed assessment could disadvantage someone whose disability affects their processing speed. Strict requirements around qualifications or previous work experience may also overlook people who have relevant skills but have gained them through different routes.

Research from disability charity Scope found that 43% of disabled adults who had looked for work in the previous 10 years felt their condition or impairment may have played a part in being rejected or not progressing through recruitment. This highlights the importance of considering how recruitment processes are experienced by applicants, rather than assuming that a standard process works equally well for everyone.

Making an application more accessible does not mean lowering the requirements of a role. It means checking whether the process allows people to demonstrate their suitability without facing unnecessary barriers.

 

Check if your recruitment process is accessible by using our quick accessibility check below:

Recruitment accessibility check

[ ] Are all the requirements in the job advert genuinely essential?[ ] Can applicants use a screen reader, keyboard navigation or other assistive technology to complete the form?[ ] Are alternative application formats available where needed?[ ] Can applicants easily find out how to request a reasonable adjustment?[ ] Are interview questions and scoring criteria consistent and relevant to the role?[ ] Can candidates demonstrate relevant skills in more than one way where appropriate?[ ] Do we ask disabled applicants for feedback on barriers they experienced?

Asking applicants for feedback can also highlight barriers that may not have been obvious when the process was designed.

 

Turning Inclusive Recruitment Into Action

Making recruitment more inclusive does not necessarily mean changing the standards a role requires. It means looking carefully at how those standards are assessed, and whether the process gives every candidate a fair opportunity to demonstrate their suitability.

The government’s Disability Confident scheme gives employers a framework for putting this into practice. Its commitments include making recruitment accessible, considering reasonable adjustments and offering an interview to disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a role, in line with the scheme’s guidance.

As a Disability Confident Leader, Halo Staffing recognises the importance of looking beyond a standard recruitment process and considering how barriers can be removed. The scheme is a useful starting point for employers who want to review their own approach, identify where applicants may be disadvantaged and make changes that allow more people to demonstrate what they can offer.

Through our Disability Confidence Consultancy, Halo can support organisations to review their existing practices, identify areas for improvement and develop action plans towards their Disability Confident goals.

An application process should help employers find the right person for the role. With a few thoughtful changes, it can do that without unnecessarily excluding the talent they are trying to reach.

Find out how Halo can support your organisation with Disability Confident: