The working environment is becoming a more and more inclusive place. Employers are opting for more labour hire of people with disabilities than ever before and as long as the person they are hiring can perform well and has a good working attitude, then disability shouldn’t matter.
Even though workplace attitudes are changing, there are still a lot of companies who do not employ disabled people. This may be due to the fact that they wouldn’t know how to go about it or they may be worried about saying the wrong thing. That is why this article is here to help employers who are considering hiring someone with a disability for labour hire but don’t know how to go about it in the right way.
Focus on What You Want to Achieve, Not How You’re Going to Achieve It
It all starts with the job description. When looking for labour hire, it is essential that you word the position in the right way. Many employees set out specific requirements but these are often focused on how they want to achieve something. An example of this is requiring that someone types at a certain speed or being good at speaking on the phone. While these may be requirements for the job, it is important to word it differently and focus on the goals that you want to achieve.
So by changing the wording to “can produce quality written work within specified time limit” and “ability to form and maintain strong customer relationships” you are already being more inclusive.
It’s important to keep in mind that some people can perform the same but in different ways, this is essential when opting for labour hire of someone who has a disability.
Make Information Accessible
Ensure that the job information for labour hire is available in many different formats, this will allow people with all levels of accessibility to see your job position and gives people more equal opportunity to apply. This could also include the availability of braille for blind people or sign language inclusivity for deaf people.
Think Ahead of the Interview
Some applicants may disclose that they have a disability before they are invited for an interview for labour hire. This gives you as an employer the opportunity to ask if they will require any adjustments to the workplace before the interview.
You can ask about a person’s disability during a job interview, however, you may only ask questions with the sole purpose of finding out if they are capable of the job or to find out if any changes will need to be made to the workplace in order to accommodate.
Keep in Mind That Not Everyone Will Disclose Their Disability
It’s important to remember that not everyone will feel comfortable disclosing their disability and this could be due to a number of reasons – one being they may feel like they won’t even get an interview for a labour hire job. But it’s important to remember that people have different abilities and strengths and that anyone can bring something new and useful to a working environment. There is no legal obligation for people to disclose a disability to an employer unless it will affect their ability to do a job or may prevent them from doing a job.
Make Any Necessary Adjustments to the Workspace
The reason that it’s important to ask someone with a disability if any adjustments need to be made to the workplace is so, if you employ them, these changes can be made prior to them starting their job as labour hire workers. Not everyone with a disability will require major adjustments to be made to a workplace but some may need changes to accommodate wheelchairs and some may need specialist computers and software to be able to operate.