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Thank you, Mas and IntoWork. I love my new role, which has come at a perfect time in my life and career journey. I look forward to working alongside many people living with disabilities, organisations that embrace support and inclusion, and champion employers who are either keen and learning or know the benefits of having diverse and inclusive workplaces. Alison Jarman#Disability#employers#trainingorganisations#business#

IF YOU ARE A FAN OF THE GOVERNMENT’S DISABILITY CONFIDENT SCHEME, LOOK AWAY NOW 👉 At Disability@Work, Nick Bacon and I recently demonstrated that Disability Confident organisations are proportionately no more likely to employ disabled people than are non-Disability Confident organisations https://lnkd.in/ednipgX9 One explanation for this might be that they have not adopted the hiring and retention practices that are likely to help attract and retain disabled people. 💡 To assess this matter, we explored 259,250 job adverts on the government’s Find a Job database in May/June 2024, of which 40,118 were with Disability Confident organisations. Of the jobs advertised by Disability Confident organisations: 🔴 very view state that information is available on request in large print (1.04%), braille (0.66%), or easy read format (0.21%) 🔴 Just 4.43% mention the guaranteed interview scheme 🔴 Just 9.15% mention reasonable adjustments 🔴 Only a small proportion are for work trials (0.12%), apprenticeships (7.63%) or student placements (0.44%), despite the offer of such opportunities being a requirement of Disability Confident certification Regarding practices that might help retain disabled people, of the jobs advertised by Disability Confident organisations: 🔴 Just 0.5% refer to enhanced sick pay; 0.15% refer to critical illness cover, 0.35% refer to income protection, and 0.04% refer to healthcare plans 🔴 Just 9.79% refer to employee assistance programmes The situation is slightly better in Disability Confident leaders, but this isn’t much to shout about given that only 3 per cent of Disability Confident organisations are at Leader level. The research briefs are available at: https://lnkd.in/ei-SVGFZ 👍 Vicky Foxcroft (shadow Disability Minister) recently told the TUC Disabled Workers conference that a Labour government will reform Disability Confident: https://lnkd.in/exVVpdDe Our research underlines the need for this to happen. ❓ What should Labour’s reform comprise? The Disability Employment Charter, now signed by approaching 200 organisations, argues that Level 2 and 3 certification criteria should be based on whether organisations meet minimum thresholds regarding the percentage of their workforce that is disabled, rather than on the processes and practices they say they have adopted.   Only then would certification send a meaningful signal to disabled people regarding the organisations that are more likely to hire and retain them. 💪 We will do everything we can to ensure the next government is aware of The Disability Employment Charter's proposals for Disability Confident reform, and also the mass support (demonstrated by the ever-growing number of signatories) for these proposals. 

The Importance Disability Confident consultancy Our recent event highlighted the transformative power of Disability Confident Consultancy, our service is designed to guide businesses towards becoming Disability Confident Leaders. Through expert advice and strategic planning, our consultancy helps organisations implement practical solutions for inclusive practices, ensuring all employees are valued, empowered and supported. 🔹 Key Insights: A Disability Confident business not only enhances its workplace culture but also expands its market reach and improves customer satisfaction. Understanding and implementing inclusive practices can lead to significant improvements in staff morale and productivity. We provide tailored support to help businesses navigate the complexities of becoming Disability Confident, from working through the core actions to providing key evidence of implementing inclusive practices to becoming a Disability Confident Leader. To find out more about becoming Disability Confident and needing support through the scheme, Contact our team at disabilty.inc@wecil.org.uk #WECIL#InclusiveFutures#IndependentLiving#DisabilityInclusion#DiversityandInclusion #AccessibleSociety#DisabilityRights #InclusiveWorkplace#AccessForAll

The latest House of Lords Public Services Committee report, "Think Work First: The Transition from Education to Work for young disabled people," provides a comprehensive blueprint for supporting young disabled individuals as they transition from education to the workforce. It emphasises the importance of early support and intervention, ensuring that young disabled people receive assistance from nurseries and schools to job centres and employers. The report highlights the need for inclusive workplaces where employers uphold the rights of disabled people and provide reasonable adjustments to accommodate their needs. It also underscores the significance of employer-led programs that offer tailored support and vocational training, which are crucial in helping young disabled people gain the skills and confidence needed for employment. Key statistics from the report indicate that the disability employment gap remains at around 30%, highlighting the need for continued efforts to support young disabled people in securing long-term employment. The government is committed to creating a cohesive and effective system that supports young disabled individuals at every stage of their development, including reforms to the Disability Confident Scheme and additional resources to help employers create inclusive workplaces. Overall, the report calls for a shift in mindset, starting with the presumption that young disabled individuals can succeed in the workplace, provided they receive the appropriate support. #Employment #Training #SocialValue #DisabilityInclusion #GovernmentInitiatives #FutureOfWork

You can read our latest blog for Disability History Month below. This years theme focuses on livelihood and employment and it was written by Lottie, your VP Welfare & Community. Lottie writes about the history of disability rights in the UK and what reasonable adjustments she made to help everyday work life. https://lnkd.in/e4H-JscT

🏛 It was announced in the King’s Speech that the government will be introducing disability pay gap reporting for organisations with 250+ employees. 😀 This is fantastic news! This is one of The Disability Employment Charter’s key proposals. UNISON, in their role as one of the Charter’s founder members, did a massive amount of work to get this into Labour’s manifesto. 👉 However, The Disability Employment Charter also calls for disability employment reporting as well as pay gap reporting. While requiring employers to report their disability pay gap is extremely important, they should also be required to report the prevalence of disabled people in their workforce. If an organisation has a tiny disability pay gap, yet employs only very few disabled people, this is not really an indicator of success. 👉 Also, given the enduring approx. 30 percentage point disability employment gap, the key issue for many disabled people is getting into and remaining in work. Simply put, we need employers to employ disabled people in larger numbers. The key metric in how employers are performing regarding this is the percentage of their workforce that is disabled. ➡ Given this, we will be continuing to lobby the government to introduce disability employment reporting as well as pay gap reporting. 👏 Nevertheless, this really is a landmark moment, and less than two weeks into a Labour government it feels very much as if the world is changing for the better. 🙏 Thank you very much to all our signatory organisations. Through your support for The Disability Employment Charter, you have all played an incredibly important role in making this happen. We look forward to working with the government in developing the policy details.

We've been getting involved with Disability Pride Month, teaming up with Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF) to explore ways to help more businesses across the county achieve Disability Confident status. As a Disability Confident Leader, our commitment to closing the disability employment gap drives us to create a welcoming community for new businesses and engage with them over the coming months. Some of the key Initiatives: - Support for Current Disability Confident Employers: Enhance assistance and provide up-to-date information on sign-up and expiry dates. - Promotion: Assist BBF with their employer support document for better infographics and statistics to highlight the benefits of being a Disability Confident organisation. - Community Engagement: Strengthen connections by welcoming new sign-ups to join the forum and community. - Branding: Watch this space! We aim to see many more businesses earn this important accreditation. If you're interested in learning more or signing up for your business, visit: https://ow.ly/S0HG50SIUCm. #DisabilityPrideMonth #DisabilityConfidentLeader

KEY ANNOUNCEMENT IN HOUSE OF LORDS ON LABOUR’S PROPOSED DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT POLICY! 🏛️ It was wonderful yesterday to hear Baroness Sherlock, Labour Work and Pensions spokesperson, announce in a debate in the House of Lords that a future Labour government would implement several of The Disability Employment Charter’s key policy proposals. 🔴 “… Labour’s new deal for working people will introduce mandatory disability pay-gap reporting for firms with more than 250 staff …” 🔴 “A Labour Government would overhaul Access to Work, with improved targets for assessment waiting times and also in-principle indicative awards, so that disabled people would know what kind of equipment, adaptations or support they could get before they start work” 🔴 “We would make it simpler to secure reasonable adjustments in a timely manner …” Shadow disability minister Vicky Foxcroft MP also committed Labour to these proposals in a speech at a UNISON event in December, as well as to providing statutory rights to time off for trade union equality representatives.  See: https://lnkd.in/eq3UYw6A It would appear that Labour are listening. And have thus far responded very positively. 👉 Thank you also to Lord Shinkwin for citing in the debate my recent research with my Disability@Work colleague Nick Bacon that shows the percentage of the workforce that is disabled is barely any different in Disability Confident organisations than elsewhere (see: https://lnkd.in/egkzBEJq); and my argument to the Work and Pensions Select Committee earlier this month regarding the scarcity of jobs that are advertised on a working from home basis (see: https://lnkd.in/eWzuS8u4) It is a massive privilege to be able to help shape debates in Parliament in this manner, and to push forward the policy agenda via The Disability Employment Charter. 💪 This has, of course, only been made possible by the ever-growing number of organisations to have signed the Charter. A massive thank you to you all! Full debate in Hansard: https://lnkd.in/eWbk_phx

The broadening of the pay gap reporting requirements is extremely good news! We also need to push for all salary points or pay bands to be displayed in adverts and stop the requirement for 'pay bargaining'. Personal pay negotiation simply ports pay inequality into an organisation. Organisations need to publish a rate for the role based on equal value comparisons against other roles. Quite apart from the equal pay implications, it is very unfair on candidates if there is either no salary information, or the ludicrous 'competitive salary'. How are candidates to know whether or not to consider applying for a job when they have no idea whether or not they are applying for a role which could pay less than they are on now, pays the same as they are on now, or is genuinely a pay progression. It needs to stop.

As Disability Awareness Month comes to an end, I want to say how thankful I am to be a part of the Faces of RSM campaign, showing up on the front page of our website no less! Visibility matters! I don’t see many other wheelchair users celebrating their careers. Unemployment among people with disabilities is around 7.2% whereas the rate for those without a disability was unchanged over the year at 3.5%. This number does not include those who cannot work due to disability. This percentage is for those looking for employment actively. I want to show people with disabilities you can have fulfilling careers. https://rsmus.com https://lnkd.in/gvzsw7TR