29 July 2010 Access to Employment - Right to Work
Inclusion Now - Right to Work
Under the Equality Act 2010 it is unlawful for an employer to treat an employee or job applicant unfairly on the grounds of disability or for a reason related to their disability. It is necessary to make reasonable adjustments for an employee or job applicant and failure to do so can be viewed as discriminatory.
We wanted to find out about your experiences when looking for work, securing a job and retaining employment. We wanted to highlight good practice amongst employers, and investigate areas for improvement.
What we did
Over 100 Trailblazers from across the UK have spent four months researching and collating evidence on the problems faced by young disabled people when trying to secure employment.
Trailblazers filled out questionnaires, visited and telephoned Jobcentre Plus and recruitment agencies, and uncovered a lot that needs to be improved to make these services fully accessible. Trailblazers also wrote blogs and took photos marking our investigation and experiences.
The result of our research is the investigative report Right to Work
Key Findings
• Three quarters of Trailblazers think the job application process puts disabled people at a disadvantage
• 70 per cent of Trailblazers believe their job applications have been rejected because of how employers view their disability
• Three quarters of Trailblazers feel physical access to the workplace is a major barrier to finding a job
• One in seven disabled graduates (average age 26) say they have never been in paid employment.
Action Needed:
We are calling on the government and employers to improve equality in the workplace for disabled employees and job seekers by:
- working in conjunction with organisations like Trailblazers to develop a national disabled graduate scheme
- promoting the business case for employing talented, qualified and dedicated disabled candidates
- promoting Access to Work, providing assessments and funding prior to applicant success
- extending the practical support through Access to Work to all disabled people on internships, work placements and voluntary positions
- increasing the number of disabled people employed as Disability Employment Advisers by Jobcentre Plus
- encouraging flexible, part-time working practice
- ending forced disclosure of disability, including monitoring absence and sickness at application stages-permitting disabled people to disclose when they feel comfortable
- reviewing care packages so it is easy for people to relocate for work reasons
- investigating the possibility of an interactive forum for disabled employees and jobseekers where they can share experiences and discuss ideas and solutions
- encouraging disability equality training for all line managers
- ensuring adequate policies are in place to protect disabled employees from harassment.
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