Getting employment right for young people with disabilities
If you’ve been following the news lately, you may have seen that the Government has announced a new initiative to help thousands of young people with disabilities find long-term work.
In a nutshell, from April 2027, eligible young people on health benefits will be offered a guaranteed job on a voluntary basis from week 13 of? their Work Capability Assessment.
As part of the initiative, they will receive mentoring and tailored support for their mental health, finances, and housing to prepare them for work, while employers will be supported with onboarding costs. In fact, the government claims that, as part of this programme, it will cover 100% of wage costs up to 25 hours a week for six months.
Great!
But one quick question… Is there a plan to help employers better understand disability and support these workers before the initiative begins? Since this hasn't been mentioned anywhere, I fear that the answer, once again, is no.
Now, I don’t like to be the one who immediately casts shade on a positive movement, but it appears that whenever the Government develops a workplace disability initiative, it forgets to consider that being an inclusive employer requires at least a foundation of knowledge of disability, a strong willingness and understanding of how to best support staff, and a culture and workforce that embraces difference. Without these, I’m sorry to say that some employers are destined to fail these young people.
Again, I don’t want to appear negative as I believe this initiative is a positive, strong step forward for disability inclusion, but it needs some significant foundational to succeed.
While financial incentives may encourage organisations to recruit employees with disabilities, they must also make some adjustments to do this well. Now, these don’t necessarily need to be world-changing, expensive or disruptive. In fact, by implementing the right training, focusing on a little managerial development and making some small cultural shifts, a company should be ready to go.
On the other hand, if managers have limited knowledge of disability, reasonable adjustments, or how different disabilities can affect people at work, problems could arise. If staff have misconceptions or feel uncomfortable discussing disability, or there are workplace practices that disadvantage employees with disabilities (even unintentionally)- then the scheme is unlikely to succeed. Why? Well, consider the following:
Knowledge gaps
Providing a pathway into the workplace is wonderful, but the journey doesn’t end with employment. If staff encounter an employer or manager who has no knowledge of disability, or if they are unfamiliar with reasonable adjustments or use the wrong language, for example, a person’s first experience of employment could be a negative one, causing barriers and even being damaging for them, and a negative first experience could have lasting consequences.
Insufficient training for managers
It goes without saying that if a manager hasn’t received adequate training, they will have limited knowledge of support requirements, reasonable adjustments, communication, and general line management of someone with a disability. A lack of knowledge can translate into poor support, difficult situations and decisions that unintentionally create a work life that becomes disadvantageous for people with disabilities.
Creating the right workplace culture
Creating a culture that embraces disability fundamentally leads to employees feeling comfortable. This comfort means they feel safe and heard when discussing their needs, that managers understand their responsibilities, and, most importantly, that all colleagues have some awareness of disability. Remember 67% of people in the UK said they feel uncomfortable talking to people with disabilities, so internal training and an inclusive culture should be necessary to ensure that employees feel confident in their communications and are understanding of disability.
A company-wide approach, (not just for HR and managers), is essential. Make sure the training you provide takes a holistic view of all disabilities, covering physical, invisible or hidden disabilities, mental health, neurodiversity and so on, and like our training, it should be user-led (meaning it is developed and delivered by those with lived experience of disability).
What this scheme cannot be is a sausage machine of people with disabilities entering organisations and leaving after 6 months just because the business was only interested in free labour.
Retaining staff with disabilities
Obviously, this Government scheme offers financial support that covers the first six months of employment, but the overall aim is to create long-term roles, so staff retention is very important. If an organisation hasn't laid the groundwork to build a culture that supports employees with disabilities, it’s likely that the employee could move on, even before the scheme ends.
The programme's objective should be to help people with disabilities build sustainable careers. This means creating strong policies, providing reasonable adjustments, offering training opportunities for all staff, and building disability into all aspects of how your company operates. This will generally set the foundations for an inclusive workplace that supports long-term roles for the future. (Incidentally, Bascule can provide training on how to retain staff with a disability, and we also have an e-learning module on retention, currently under construction.)
In summary, financial support and assistance for young people with disabilities is a positive and valuable step forward. However, participating employers should provide training and practical guidance for line managers, and support the development of workplaces that best serve these young people. This would benefit not only the young people involved in the scheme, but also other people with disabilities, both current and future employees, as well as every company’s customer and client base.
It’s also important to note that these changes do not demand complex or expensive interventions. Short, practical training programmes are often enough to help employers better understand their responsibilities and develop the confidence to support staff with a disability.
Put simply, finding opportunities for young people with disabilities is only half the challenge. We must also ensure they have inclusive workplaces and colleagues who are adequately prepared to support them, allowing them to thrive and remain in long-term employment.
CHRIS JAY- MANAGING DIRECTOR- BASCULE DISABILITY TRAINING
