Best Practices for Inclusive Employment

1. Focus on Skills, Not Labels:

• Explanation: When recruiting, it is essential to prioritise candidates' skills and potential over their backgrounds, disabilities, or past challenges. This approach allows organisations to discover untapped talent and build a more diverse workforce.
• Example: An individual with a history of addiction was given a chance to rebuild their life by focusing on their potential as a barista, rather than their past. Through training and support, they developed their skills, gained confidence, and pursued further job opportunities.

2. Create Opportunities for Marginalised Individuals:

• Explanation: Offering targeted training programs, internships, and paid placements to marginalised individuals, such as those with a criminal record or disabilities, can help them transition into permanent roles. These opportunities are crucial for integrating underrepresented groups into the workforce.
• Example: A partnership between local schools and businesses introduced students to careers in hospitality through hands-on experience. This initiative was particularly beneficial for care leavers and those with limited work experience, helping them ease into the workforce.

3. Foster a Supportive and Open Environment:

• Explanation: Cultivating a workplace culture where employees feel safe to disclose their challenges or disabilities is crucial. Encouraging transparency and open communication ensures that all employees can thrive without fear of judgement or discrimination.
• Example: An employee with an invisible disability only felt comfortable disclosing their condition after securing job stability, highlighting the importance of creating an environment where people feel safe to be open from the start.

4. Conduct Inclusive Interviews by Focusing on Skills, Offering Reasonable Adjustments, and Creating a Supportive Environment:

• Explanation: Traditional interviews often place undue emphasis on how candidates perform under pressure, which may not reflect their true abilities, especially for those with disabilities or gaps in employment. By focusing on the candidate's skills and potential, offering reasonable adjustments such as providing questions in advance or allowing more time for responses, and creating a supportive environment, organizations can ensure a fair and accurate assessment.
• Example: An organization successfully accommodated a candidate with a disability by providing interview questions in advance and offering additional time to respond. They also invited the candidate for a trial work period, allowing them to showcase their skills in a real-world setting. This approach led to a more accurate evaluation of the candidate's abilities and ultimately resulted in a successful hire.

5. Recognize and Value "Experts by Experience":

• Explanation: Individuals with lived experiences, such as former prisoners or people with learning disabilities, possess unique insights that can drive positive change within the workplace. Recognizing these individuals as "Experts by Experience" not only empowers them but also enriches the organisation by leveraging their firsthand knowledge.
• Example: In some workplaces, people with lived experience are not just employed but also empowered to take leadership roles. This approach highlights their insights as valuable, reinforcing the idea that lived experiences can contribute significantly to organisational growth

6. Partner with Local Organisations:

• Explanation: Collaborating with local charities, rehabilitation centres, and educational institutions can connect marginalised individuals with employment opportunities, providing them with the support they need to succeed.
• Example: Partnering with an organisation that provides job coaching for young adults with mental health needs can be instrumental. Such collaborations offer tailored support to help individuals secure and maintain employment, particularly those reintegrating into society after significant life challenges.

7. Break Down Barriers and Combat Stigma:

• Explanation: Misunderstanding and stigma can prevent capable individuals from securing jobs. By addressing these barriers and educating the workforce, businesses can create a more inclusive environment where all employees are valued for their potential.
• Example: The phrase "Tickets take you places—labels stick" reflects how people are often judged by their past rather than their potential. By providing advocacy and support, organisations can help employers see beyond labels and appreciate the abilities of all candidates.

8. Ensure Accessibility and Flexibility:

• Explanation: Making physical and digital spaces accessible, and offering flexible working conditions, ensures that all employees can perform to their best ability. This includes adapting recruitment processes and workplace environments to meet the diverse needs of employees.
• Example: An employee who struggled with disclosing their disability due to fears of being judged found comfort in a workplace that offered flexible interview processes, such as providing questions in advance and allowing more time for responses. Such accommodations can make a significant difference in creating an inclusive work environment.

9. Support Small Businesses in Inclusive Employment:

• Explanation: Small businesses often face unique challenges in adopting inclusive employment practices. By providing them with resources and support, larger organizations and local networks can help these businesses take meaningful steps toward inclusivity.
• Example: Engaging with local business networks can provide small businesses with the support they need to confidently hire and support employees with additional needs, fostering a more inclusive employment landscape.
  

10. Build and Leverage Community Networks:

• Explanation: Establishing local or regional communities for disabled employees or those needing support can provide valuable resources and a sense of belonging. These networks are especially useful for smaller organisations that may lack the capacity to create internal support structures.
• Example: Creating a local or regional community network offers a shared space for resources and mutual support, helping employees who need additional assistance navigate their employment journey and feel more connected.

11. Celebrate and Learn from Diversity:

• Explanation: Recognizing and celebrating the diversity within the workforce fosters mutual respect and understanding, making the workplace more inclusive and welcoming for everyone. It also provides opportunities for continuous learning and cultural exchange.
• Example: A company that organised cultural lunches to celebrate its diverse workforce demonstrated how embracing and learning from diversity can enrich the workplace. Such initiatives enhance understanding across different cultures and backgrounds, contributing to a more harmonious and inclusive work environment.

Impactful quotes 

“Nobody wakes up in the morning and says I want to be an addict”

“The amount of admin for being disabled is ridiculous”

“I didn’t want to look sickly so I didn’t disclose disability until I had a full time job”

“People may need support to get support”

“Give people a chance - it could be the best thing that’s ever happened to them”

Local projects and highlighted organisations

United Response: support people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health support needs in York.

Askham Grange women’s prison: Each woman in Askham Grange creates their own learning plan as part of their induction. There are opportunities for classroom learning as well as vocational training and community-based paid work placements.

Hospitality Connect: Tackling ongoing recruitment challenges and working to positively change the image of the sector, the programme will introduce school students to the world of hospitality, highlight pathways for learners and amplify education options that lead into the sector. 

Staying close: (p15) programme supporting care leavers in the City 

Chopsticks: supports adults with disabilities to develop new skills in a workshop environment

Everyday Enable: practical advice and guidance, disability awareness training and ongoing support to businesses supporting them to be as accessible as possible

Choc and Co: supporting vulnerable people in our community through chocolate for eating and drinking

Clean slate solutions: support people across Teesside and North Yorkshire with a past conviction into paid employment

University of York Resources 

• Information about Neurodiversity for students and for staff.
• Information about sensory rooms available on campus.
• Information related to accessible facilities on campus. Plus a list of Inclusive Facilities on campus. 
• Inclusive and accessible events good practice guidance and checklist.
• Accessibility information for users of the University Library. The Borthwick Institute for Archives also has information on the accessibility of the Archives reading rooms and collections.
• Dyslexia support at York
• Good practice to assist individuals with hearing loss
• Staff journey for a new member of staff with a disability
• Student journey for a new undergraduate with a disability
• Disability section of our Glossary of EDI Terminology 
• University has an AccessAble Guide for campus.

The University’s online practical guides and skills guides are all open access:

• the Presentations practical guide, which covers all aspects in both PowerPoint and Google Slides, including how to design effective slides and also has information about delivering your presentation. 
• Essential spreadsheets - this is a very thorough guide to using spreadsheets effectively, covering Excel and Google Sheets
• Searching for jobs online 
• Media editing - there has been a real growth of interest in media editing skills - this guide does reference university software but highlights common pieces of software and free tools, as well as explaining principles and methods