A group of 16 employers are to sign up to an agreement requiring all of the recruitment agencies they work with to remove employment barriers for disabled people.
The ‘Recruitment Protocol’, which was developed by the Employers’ Forum on Disability in consultation with the employers concerned and recruitment agencies, is intended to make it easier for both parties to define and implement good practice.
The scheme is due to be formally launched at an event in London on Thursday at the offices of law firm, Mayer Brown. Attendees will include Paula Lovitt, head of the employment agency standards inspectorate at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Susan Scott-Parker, the EFD’s chief executive, said: “We have found over the years, time and time again, that the recruitment agencies that our members are using are failing to deliver suitable candidates for the right vacancies at the right time, while often placing themselves and their clients open to legal and reputational risk.”
As a result, the Protocol was meant to be a practical means of requiring recruitment agencies to demonstrate that they have the “know-how and will to remove the obstacles which prevent disabled people from competing equally”.
A recent survey undertaken by inclusive practice auditors, The Clear Company, indicated that 70% of disabled candidates who had used a recruitment agency were either unsure whether or definitely would not do so again.
The 16 employers that have signed up to the initiative together spend more than £20 million per annum with recruitment agencies. They include network giant Cisco, accountancy firm Ernst & Young and recruitment services provider Alexander Mann Solutions.
Dianah Worman, diversity adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, said: “The labour market is diverse and understanding how to attract talent from the widest pool means exposing and removing the hidden barriers and in-built biases that stop this from happening. Being positive and proactive about disability is pivotal.”
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Kudos
Congratulations to the 16 companies for requiring their agencies to include PwD in their candidate pool