Employing Disabled People at the DRC

8/8/2019 Employing Disabled People at the DRC

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Disability RightsCommission

Learning lessons:Employingdisabledpeople

perceptionsofdisabledstaff at theDRC;perceptions

oftheDRCasanemployer


2/22

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Contents

Executive summary Page 2

Introduction Page 4

Flexible Working Arrangements Page 5

Reasonable adjustments and Access to Work Page 11

Line managers awareness training Page 15

Culture Page 17

Building on experience and learning Page 19

Concluding remarks Page 21


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ExecutivesummaryTheLearningNarrativesproject contributes to thebroad

legacystrategyof theDisabilityRightsCommission. It

considerswhat theDRChas learnt through its various

activitiessince2000and focusesonspecificactivitiesor

overarching themeswhere theDRChashaddirect

involvement.

Eachnarrative respondstoquestions suchas whydidwe,

theDRC,try todowhatwedid?, whatworked?and what

didntworkandwhy? anddrawsona rangeofdatasources,not least ofwhich is the experienceandexpertiseofDRC

staff,bothpastandpresent.

Thisnarrative exploresa rangeofperceptionsof theDRCas

anemployer, andespeciallyasanemployerofdisabled

people.Using theDRCs flexibleworkingpolicy, thenarrative

explores the impactofworkingpolicyandpracticesonboth

disabledandnon-disabledstaff.

Employing disabled people: key lessons

Anorganisationwillneedtooffer thewidest rangeofpolicies/practices tobenefit from flexibleworking.

Anorganisationwill need topositivelypromoteflexibleworking arrangementsasa keybusiness

objectiveboth internally andexternally.

Whendesigningflexiblearrangements, anorganisationwillneed toconsider the impactonboth

disabledandnon-disabledmembersof staff.

Anorganisationwillneedtostrikea right balancebetween theneedsof thebusiness, thedifferent teams

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andindividuals.Flexibleworkingarrangements should

beseenasapositive tool tomaximiseeffectiveness.

Allpolicies/practicesshouldbe impactassessed toensureboth fairnessand consistencyacross theworkforce.

The linemanager for a disabledstaffmemberwillplaya critical role inensuringtheneeds and reasonable

adjustments of the individualareput inplace,and ina

timelymanner.

Anemployerwillneedtotakeaproactive and centralrolesupporting individuals inapplyingforAccess toWork.Robust internalsystemsand linesof

accountabilitywill beneededwithin theorganisation.

Acomprehensiveandongoingprogrammeofstaffdevelopment and training isneededtounderpinan

organisationspolicies/practices inrelation to flexible

workingarrangements.

Anorganisationwillneedtoestablish robustmechanismsto receiveongoing feedbackonthe

efficiencyofpolicies frombothdisabledandnon-

disabledstaffmembers.Establishingadisabledstaff

group,withclear termsofreference, isonewayof

achievingthis.

To support the implementationof flexibleworking

practices,anorganisationwillneedtodevelopanopenculture towardsdisablementmorebroadly.

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Introduction

This learningnarrativeexploresa rangeofperceptionsof theDRCasanemployer, particularlyasanemployerofdisabled

people. Seventy of the 211members ofstaff at theDRCare

disabled,whichequates to34per centof theworkforce.

Using theDRCs flexibleworkingpolicyasavehicle,we

explore the impactofworkingpolicyandpracticesonboth

disabledandnon-disabledstaff.Learningrelating tobeingan

employeranddeveloped through the lifeof theDRCare

identified for thefutureconsiderationofotherorganisations,includingtheCommission forEqualityandHumanRights.

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FlexibleWorking

ArrangementsFlexibleworkingarrangements formacorepartof theDRCs

commitment to theprovisionofequalityofopportunity and

are alsoclearly a popular factorofworking for the

Commissionwith staff.

The flexibility of theorganisation in termsofhours,

work patterns,differentworkingarrangements,

adjustments put inplace. I think these are all

examplesof theDRCasanexcellent employerand

factorswhich canbetaken forwardasexamples to

otheremployers.Member of DRC staff

Flexibleworkingarrangementshave thepotential tocreate

employmentprospectsfor thosewhomight nototherwise

have theopportunity toutilise their skillsandexperience.

Theyalsoenable theDRC toretainvaluableskillsofemployeeswhosecircumstances changeduringthecourse

ofemploymentmeaning anotherworkpatternisnecessary.

TheDRCemploys anumberofdifferent arrangements to

ensure theseobjectivesaremet.Themainmethodsare

consideredbelow.

Flexi-time contracts

Flexi-time contractsarepotentiallyavailabletoallstaffwhere

theworkinghours are subject tocore times surroundedby

flexiblebands.Flexi-timemaybeparticularlybeneficial for

disabledstaffor staffwith caringresponsibilities. Flexible

start and finishtimesmake iteasier for disabledstaffwho find

it difficult totravelat rushhour or for amemberofstaffwho

has amentalhealthproblemand therefore doesntwant to

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travelatbusy times.Flexi-timemeans just that being

flexible. Therefore, thepatternof theworkingdayorworking

week canbeadaptedtoensurethatstaff canwork in away

that takes account of their needs.

As longas Imeetmyobjectives I have flexibility.

I suffer fromseveredepressionand sometimes cant

workbut thenI canworkat theweekends.

Disabled member of DRC staff

Workingaroundcorehoursmeans ifdisabledstaff

require a longerbreak inthemiddleof theday they

couldhave that.Or if someonehadan impairment

whichmeans theyneededbreaks throughout the

day thatwouldbepossible).Member of HR team

Whilst therewaswiderecognition fromstaff that flexi-time

hadapositive impactontheirworkingpractices therewas

somefeeling that theway it is implemented through filling in

a timesheet couldbe improved.

Whenyou fill inyourflexi-timesheet itcomesupwith

thewordissuewhichneeds tobesignedoff byyour

linemanager. Itmakesyou feel likeyouareaburden,

whataboutsaying pleaseaddcomments instead?


Part time working arrangements and job sharing

Opportunities for job sharing where twopeoplevoluntarily

share thedutiesofone full timepost are alsopopularwithstaff at theDRC, andmeanthat there areanumberof job

sharerswho individuallyworkpart time.Basedon

calculationsbytheHRDepartment, 39of the205members of

staff (19%)workpart time. This is reasonablyevenlysplit

betweendisabledstaff andnon-disabledstaff.Fourteenof

the70membersofstaff (20%)withadisabilityhavetakenup

part timeworkandaslightly lowerproportionofnon-

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disabledstaff 25of135members (18.5%)havetakenuppart

timework.

The areawherewehavemadethemostpositive

impacthasbeen flexibleworking.A fairlyhighpercentageofour staffworkpart timeor fromhome.

Member of HR team

V Time

VTime isanother favouredschemewhichenables

individuals to buy additional leaveuptoamaximumof20

daysper annumbyamonthly reduction insalary. Thiscanbe

helpful forstaffwith caringresponsibilities.

Weve reallygonebeyondthestatutory

requirementsof flexibleworking.Anyonecanapply

for itand itcan reallyhelpwithchildcare andcaring

responsibilities. Forexample, youcanbuy

additional timeandpay itbackover the yearwhich

couldhelpaparent taketimeoff to lookafter their

children.Member of HR team

Otherpolicies includea temporary reduction inhourswhich

canbeapplied for inspecialcircumstances,for examplea

transitionperiod incarerarrangementsorworking

compressedhours (suchasworkingsay36hoursover4days).

Home working

Oneof themostsuccessful flexibleworkingpolicies is theDRCs homeworkingpolicy,which isavailable toall staff.

Staffwhoapply for homeworkingmustbeableto

demonstratea soundbusinesscase towork fromhome, and

the role theyperformmustbedesignated assuitable for

homeworking.Requests for homeworkingmaybegranted

asa reasonable adjustment,wheresuitable, todisabledstaff.

For example,homeworkingmeans that, for 3daysout of5 or

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1dayaweek,amemberofstaff canwork athome.Thiscould

meanthat ifamemberofstaff had amobility impairment

theycould comeintotheoffice2daysaweekand,with the

helpofassistive technology,work fromhomeontheother

days.

TheDRCconsiders all positions for flexibleworkingandeach

caseisdealtwithonits ownmerits. Decisions and

arrangementsareusuallymade throughdiscussions

between the staffmember, their linemanager,Headof

Department, ICT, FacilitiesDepartment andHeadofHR.The

DRChas to findabalancebetweenaccommodatingrequests

whilstalsomaintaining theneedsof thebusiness.

The impactof flexibleworkingarrangementscanbe

beneficial for bothdisabledandnon-disabledstaffaswellas

thewiderCommissionand thework theydo.

Flexibleworkingmeanspeopleare abletomake

arrangements thatsuit thembestandhelpthem

performbetter.Disabled member of DRC staff

Itgivesa strongmessageabout the culture inwhich

theCommissionoperates. There isanunsaidculture

thatexistswithin theorganisationthat toget the

mostout ofpeople ifyousuit their needs, theygive

youmore. Its almost likea returnon investment,

youget commitmentand loyalty andproductivity. If

peoplearestressed theywont give100per cent.

Peopleneedto feelsafeandcomfortable andableto

saywhatneeds theyhave.Member of HR team

There isclearly a strongbusinesscasethatcanbemadefor

flexibleworking arrangements. Partof this isbeingable to

meet theneedsofdisabledstaffmore fully.

Itmeans that theDRCcanmeet its objectivesand

businessplanmoreeffectively. Ifyouhavehappy

staffwhoseneeds arebeingmet theywillbemore

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committed to theorganisation. Its difficult to

measure thatbutwehavebeenabletorecruit and

retainahighnumberofdisabledpeople.

Member of HR team

Booking travel and accommodation

Other helpful practiceswhich staffandHRManagers

identified includedtravelbooking formswhere there isa

spaceonthe formwheredisabledpeoplecan fill in their

support needs, for example,havinga ramponandoff a train.

Equally, everyeffort ismade toensureaccommodation

bookingsmeet theneedsofdisabledstaff.Agroupwasset uptoworkcloselywith theDRCs travel agencyandpurchasing

officers tomakesure thataccessible roomsare secured for

disabledstaff andother support needsaremet.However,

somedisabledstaff felt thatdue toa lackof flexibility their

accommodationneedswere sometimesnotmet.

Wehavea set amountfor accommodationandsome

mobility related impairmentsmeanyoucanhavean

increasedamountbutthisdoesnt includeotherimpairments.Forexample,visually impairedpeople

mayneedparticular firealarms(that canonlybemet

bycertain hotels).Disabled member of DRC staff

Assistive technology

Assistivetechnologyplaysa large role insupportingdisabled

staff.TheDRChasanumberofexperts inassistive

technologyand there isahigh level ofknowledgeaboutwhatsoftware isavailable tosupport disabledpeople.

The ITsupport hasbeensuperb, if I haveaproblem

saywithassistive technology I phone themupand

its treatedasapriority.Weneedtocarry thisonin

theCEHRotherwisewewont beabletoperform to

suchahighlevel.Disabled member of DRC staff

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Assistive technologysuchasDragonsoftware isan

important factor inensuringdisabledstaff can fulfil their role.

Disabledstaff felt itwas important tonote thatsometimes the

technologycan take longer thanother situationsandalso it is

not alwayssuitable for openplanoffices.

The right balance?

AlthoughtheDRCs flexibleworkingpoliciescamein for

praisebymoststaff therewas aquestionraisedabout

whether the right balancehadbeenstruckand the effecton

theCommissionsworkofpoliciessuchas the flexible

workingpolicy.Amemberofstaff comingfromaprivate

sectorbackgroundcommentedasbelowandposed the

questionas towhether these arrangementswouldbe

acceptable inother environmentssuchasaprivatebusiness.

I doconsider theDRCasanexemplaremployer in

manywaysbut I actually feel that thebalancehas

gonetoo far infavourof theemployeeand that

strongermanagement isneeded. Therearetoo

numerousexamples togiveherebut tohighlight

just two,onewouldbethat inanorganisationwhere

wehave27days leave,special leavedays, away

daysand flexi timeit isnot necessary tothenfund

non-work related trainingcourses inworkstimeas

welland thenaddstudydaysontopofthat. Takinga

full timeemployeeonsuchtermsactuallyaddsupto

close topart timehours takingall this intoaccount.

Member of DRC staff

However, the abovequote shows thatwhenlooking at

flexibleworking andemployment policiesmorebroadly, the

impactonthe individualaswellas their teamandcolleagues

needs tobeconsideredtoensureallmembers ofstaff are

supported incarryingout their role.

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Reasonable

adjustments andAccess toWork

Acentral policywhich theDRCanddisabledstaffmakeuseof

is theGovernmentsAccess toWorkProgramme.This

involvesanassessmentbeingundertakentoseewhat

support needs thedisabledmemberofstaffmayhaveto

enablethemtofulfil their role. Thismaymeanspecial ITsoftware, a particular typeofchair orother factors suchas

employinga supportworker.

TheDRChavea verypositiveattitudetothe

recruitment ofsupportworkers, theywerevery

straightforwardand I didnt needtoargue for it.


Ifa disabledperson isrecruited thenHRortheir linemanager asks about reasonable adjustmentsand

Access toWorkmeets these costs.Sometimes this

can takeawhile sowetry andput interimmeasures

inplaceuntil Access toWork canmakean

assessment.Member of HR team

Despitesomesignificantbenefitsbeingbroughtabout

throughreasonableadjustmentsandAccesstoWork,both

disabledstaff andHRManagersraisedanumberofconcerns

withtheprocess.These tendtorelatetoissuesofcoordination,

timedelaysandlinesofcommunication ingetting

assessmentsmadeandimplementingtheadjustments.

Wecould improveonlookingat reasonable

adjustments.Each individual isdifferentsoeach

requirement isdifferent. Itwouldhavebeenbetter

establishingassoonaspossiblewhat the

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adjustment isandhavingonedepartment

responsible for approving itandmaking ithappen,

probablyHR.Member of HR team

Additionally, therewasa concern that therewas a lackofconsistencyofapplicationby linemanagerswhich couldbe

improvedbymore trainingonthe subject.Onedisabled

staffmembercommented, Ive been luckywithmy

managers, theyve alwayssupportedme,but thiswasnot

everyones experience. There isclearly a rangeof

experiencesasanotherdisabledstaffmemberthought the

processhadbeenhandled reallywell.

WhenI started theygotmein twoweeksearly togo

through the formsand identifyany support needs I

hadsoI couldstart ontime.


OneHRManager felt that infuture, theAccess toWork

programmeshouldbeadministeredcentrallytoensure

strongco-ordinationandconsistency rather thaneach

individualhavingtocomplete their own requests forsupportwhich canbetimeconsumingandabit piecemeal.

There arequite big timingand resource

implicationsfor implementingAccess toWork. In

the futurewecouldhavea small teamofpeoplejust

dealingwithAccess toWorkwhereas at the

moment it issplit betweenHR, Financeand

Facilities.

Member of HR team

Sometimes adisabledmemberofstaff has asked for a

reasonable adjustment andithasnt alwayshappened. It

wouldperhapsbebetter ifonedepartmentwas responsible

for reasonable adjustmentsandthencommunicatedto

other teams.HRcould thencommunicatewithFinance to

ensure the invoice for theadjustmentcouldbepaid.

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It seems there isa need for greater clarityaroundreasonable

adjustments.This could includemoreunderstandingofwho

staff canask regarding reasonableadjustmentsandwho is

responsible formakingthedecisionandimplementingit.

Thiswould speedup theprocessmeaningabetter service for

thedisabledpersonandalsomakeiteasier for thepeople

administering theprocess.

There canbea timedelay.Weare currently

undertakingan impactassessmentonAccess to

Workandreasonable adjustments.Thetimingit

takes toget peoples adjustments inplace iskey.

There arealso inconsistencieswithin theoffices astheyarebeingdealtwithbydifferent regional

offices.Member of HR team

Timedelaysforassessments canreally disadvantage

disabledstaff andmeanadelay to the start of their

employment.

It took5monthsanddelayed the start dateformy

employmentby5months.Disabled member of DRC staff

Theneed toundertake theassessment for reasonable

adjustments atanearlier stageof the recruitment process

wasalsohighlighted.

Further toproblemsaroundtheimplementationof

reasonable adjustments somenon-disabledstaff also raised

concernsabout the impact that reasonable adjustmentsmayhaveonothermembers of the team.Theseoften relate to the

impactofabsence leave especiallyona teamofa small size.

Aparticularlypressing issue formeat themoment

concerns theissueof reasonable adjustmentsand

theoftenunnoticed impactonother colleagues

particularly inrespect toabsence leave.This is

significantly apparentworking amongst a relatively

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small teamof7orso. Therehavebeenperiodsof

absencesonthe teamwhichhavebeenparticularly

highover the last6months. The impacton

colleagueswhohavetosustainandbear theburden

ofwork loads in the absenceofcolleaguesnever

seems tobequantified).Member of DRC staff

Somenon-disabledstaff felt uncomfortableabout

expressingthese concerns incase theywere felt tobe

discriminatory.However, theydidfeel theywere concerns

whichneededtobeairedanddiscusseddue to the impact it

washavingbothoncolleaguesand thewider organisation.

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Linemanagers

awareness and trainingThroughoutconversationswithstaff at theDRC the roleof

the linemanager insupportingandpromoting the rightsof

disabledstaff andenablingstaff to fulfil their potentialwas

veryclear. Linemanagersareoften the linkbetweenwhat the

policy is, translating itand implementing itontheground.All

staff at theDRCattenddisabilityequality trainingandalso

equalityanddiversity training. There isalsoamandatory linemanager programme.Thiscoversareas suchasmanaging

stressandabsence.

We tryand involve linemanagers intheprocess, its

crucial tohavetheir involvement.Theyneed tobe

awareofwhat their staffs needsare sothat theycan

performto their bestability. For example, ifa line

manager isunaware thatamemberof their staff is

dyslexic thentheywillbeunaware that theyneedanote taker.Member of HR team

Linemanager trainingisvaluableas itcanhelpbuild amore

consistent approachacrosstheCommission.Somepeople

maybenaturallymoreawareofpeoples situationsbut if it

doesnt comenaturally then trainingshouldmake it

consistent. For example,one linemanager hadadisabled

memberofstaffworkingontheir teamwhowashaving

trouble comingtoworkdue tothe chair hewasusing.Access

toWork identified thisandsecuredanewchair. This

happenedbecause the linemanagerwasawareof the

programmeandtheresourcesavailable.Onedisabled

memberofstaff commented that their linemanagerwas

supportive ofher requirements incomparison toprevious

employers.

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I used towork in a library andtheDRCismuch

better. For example, Iwantednewwrist rests and

mymanager said thats fine.


But likemostother organisations thereare differences in

how linemanagersapproach their roleandmanagetheir

staff.

Somemanagersarebetterat respondingto

disabledstaff,wecouldhaveputmoreenergy into

raising awareness aroundtheneedtosupport

disabledstaff, theres noclear cut policyonthat.

Member of HR team

Somepeople felt there couldbe improvementsmade inhow

linemanagersare trainedandmanaged inrelationto

disabledstaffwith the suggestionthat there shouldbean

analysisofhow linemanagersdealwithreasonable

adjustments.

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Culture

The culture ofanorganisationalsoplays a central role intheexperienceofstaffwithin it.Manydisabledstaff said they

reallyvaluedthe informalsupport theyreceive frommanyof

their colleagues at theCommission.

The support fromcolleagueswhoaredisability

awareandhappy togivesupport is reallyvaluable.

For example, theymight readsomething tomeor

helpmefill ina form.This informalsupport is

important and I hope itcontinues [elsewhere].


Furthermore, expectationsof theDRCsworking

environment are highbecauseof theverynatureof itswork.

Wehavethe right toexpect theDRC tobeexemplary

becauseweexpectothers tobeexemplary.


However, therewas theviewamongst somedisabledstaff

that therewas a certain level ofarrogance arounddisabilityat

theCommission.

We thinkweknowitall becausewere theDRC.


There isa certain amountofarrogance tothe

DRCwearemeant toknowitall but sometimespeopledont ask even if theydont know.


Thisperceivedarrogancecouldbeseenfromstemmingfrom

anawkwardness, oranunwillingness toask about support

needsbecause colleagues felt thatas theyworked for the

DRC, they shouldalready know.

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Weneedtomakesurethatpeoplefeelabletoask

questionsonsupportneeds.Tobreakdownthe

barrierstoensurepeopledont feel intimidatedtoask.


Thismayparticularlybe the casewherean impairment is less

obvious.

I feel thatd/Deafness (similar tohidden

impairments)hasmuchmoresubtleeffectswhich

non-deafpeopleare lessable to realise unless

affectedbypersonalexperienceora closeone.

Working inanoralenvironmentwhere speechand

soundsplaya significant part in feelingpartofan

organisation isahugechallengeandnot one that

canbeaccommodatedbyone-off reasonable

adjustments. Its a challengeexperiencedbyall

d/Deafpeopleand theDRCcoulddomuchmoreto

takeonmoreorganisational responsibility to

highlightamore inclusiveworkingenvironment.


These comments illustratenot only theneedfor ahigh level

ofdisability awarenessbutperhapsmore importantly the

needfor a culture ofopenness.A culturewhere staff are

encouragedtofeel theycanaskquestionsabout howbest to

support colleaguesandalsobesure that requests for support

will be respondedtopositively.

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Buildingonexperience

and learningThere is a feelingthat theDRChas comea longwayand learnt

a lot inrelationtobeing anemployerofdisabledpeople inthe

sevenyears since itwas set up. Thisbegsthequestionofhow

toensure thatotherorganisations,aswellas thenewCEHR,

canbenefit fromthis learningandbeupto thehighstandards

that theDRChasset inmanyways.Linemangersmaynotbe

asawareofdisability-relatedpolicyandmayneedtrainingondisability equalityandspecificallyhowonmanaging

disabledstaff.

Furthermore, the importanceofa voice for disabledstaffwas

identifiedasplaying a central role in influencingemployment

policiesandsecuringequality for disabledmembers ofstaff.

Thiscanhappenthrough formalmechanismssuchas the

DisabledStaffWorkingGroupandalso informal

opportunities for involvementandconsultation. Thesemechanismscanalsohelpdisabledstaff to feel connected

withother individualsandorganisations (including the

CEHR)willneedtomaximise theopportunities for contact so

disabledpeopledont feel isolated.

Disabledpeoplecanbeexcludedbydefault unless

positively included. TheDRCoperates inavery

networkedenvironmentandits important to

maximise theopportunities forcontact sodisabled

peopledont get isolated.


Lastly, neworganisationsneed toensurereasonable

adjustments are inplacebythe timetheyopentheir doors to

ensure the full inclusivenessofdisabledstaff in theirwork.

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Reasonableadjustments for staffneedtobe

identifiedasearly aspossibleandupand running to

ensuredisabledpeoplearent discriminatedagainst

inthe early stages.Disabled member of DRC staff

ADisabledStaffGroup can contribute to thisprocess.For

example, theDRCsDisabledStaffGrouphave recently

writtenabriefingpaper for the teamcreatingtheCEHRwhich

helpfully outlineda rangeofconsiderations thenew

commissionwillneed todealwitheffectively toensure that it

isanaccessibleorganisationandagoodemployerof

disabledpeople.

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Concluding remarks

Flexibleworkingarrangements at theDRCnot only formpartof theCommissions commitment to theprovisionofequality

ofopportunity, but are alsoa keyelement of the offer of

working for theDRC,

TheDRChas approachedthevariouswaysof flexible

working inan innovativemannerand,witha cando attitude,

has shown it ispossible toachieve a lot.

Nevertheless, ithasnt alwaysbeeneasy implementingflexibleworkingpolicies, and their impactonall staff needs to

betaken intoaccount. In implementing its ownpolicies, the

DRChas learntmanyvaluable lessonswhich couldbeofuse

not onlyto theCommissionfor EqualityandHumanRights,

but anyorganisationthatemploysdisabledmembers ofstaff.


Employing Disabled People at the DRC

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