Part Three: Neurodivergence at Work, Positive Recruitment and the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS)
By Fay Capstick
Over the past two weeks, we have looked at neurodivergence at work. This has included how to make your workplace positive and supportive of neurodivergence, along with the benefits of having a neurodivergent workforce.
This week will go further and look at the positive recruitment methods being extended to ensure a great and supportive experience for neurodivergent workers, this includes the exciting Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS). Next week will be the final part of our series, looking at real-world case studies of positive recruitment in practice.
Remind me, what is neurodivergence?
Neurodivergence is a blanket term that covers many conditions that you will be familiar with, including autism, dyslexia, OCD, Dyspraxia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is estimated that up to 20% of people are neurodivergent.
What is Positive Recruitment?
Positive recruitment means giving applicants who are neurodivergent an equal chance at being hired for a job. Neurodivergence is a disability in the UK and therefore is a protected characteristic.
What is Disability Confident?
Disability Confident is a scheme launched by the Government. It aims to encourage employers to recruit from a wider pool of talent, including disabled applicants and those with health conditions.
Further, it aims to improve how employers retain and develop their disabled staff. At Parker Shaw, we are Disability Confident Committed and achieved this status over 5 years ago.
Disability Confident Committed is the first level of the scheme, and there are two others, Disability Confident Employer and Disability Confident Leader.
What is the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS)?
The UK government has a Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) in place to help equalise the employment playing field for disabled candidates to promote diversity and equality.
The Guaranteed Interview Scheme is groundbreaking, as it means that a job applicant whose application meets the essential criteria for a position is guaranteed to be interviewed. This is amazing, as it means that diverse applicants will be able to get face time with the hiring manager, allowing them to make a positive impression.
What are the criteria for the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
To be eligible for a guaranteed interview for a position, you will need to have a disability or long-term health condition that ‘puts you at a significant disadvantage in either obtaining or keeping jobs/appointments’. The disability definition includes physical, sensory, or mental conditions and must be expected to last at least 12 months.
This means that all neurodivergent conditions, such as autism, OCD, and ADHD, are covered by the scheme.
The scheme also includes others who might be disadvantaged during the traditional employment process, including veterans and military spouses/partners. The aim is for a ‘fair and equitable opportunity throughout the recruitment process’.
We consider this a huge win for the disability community in relation to employment opportunities.
How do I apply for the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS)?
To take advantage of the Guaranteed Interview Scheme you will need to complete a declaration that you submit with your job application. The form will ask you if you have a disability that qualifies you for the scheme. You can also then state whether you need any modifications for your interview, including: someone with you during the interview, a keyboard for written tests, accessible facilities, or any other modifications.
What does this mean for our candidates?
We are proud to be a supplier to the UK Government.
Where we have a civil service role that includes a Guaranteed Interview with the Hiring Manager, we will make this clear in our advertisement. The job advert will include a Reasonable Adjustments statement, Disability Confident statement, Armed Forces Covenant statement and Guaranteed Interview Call to Action.
Parker Shaw will then assess your application in regard to your skill suitability for the role. If you meet the skills criteria you will be asked to fill in a written declaration (see above). We will then notify the Hiring Manager for the role that you qualify for a Guaranteed Interview for the position. The Hiring Manager will then arrange your Guaranteed Interview.
What happens if there are lots of disabled candidates who qualify under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS)?
Should this happen, and many applicants meet the essential criteria for the role and qualify under GIS, then the best candidates from within that group will be interviewed. The same will happen if there are large volumes of military veterans/candidates and their spouses/partners.
What do we think?
At Parker Shaw, we firmly believe that all schemes that aim to encourage diversity in the workforce are to be encouraged, promoted, supported, and followed. A wider talent pool brings huge benefits to a business and society.
Big Announcement!
At Parker Shaw, we are proud to announce that we have formalised our own version of the Guaranteed Interview Scheme for our own hiring practices. This means that when we advertise a role that is working directly for Parker Shaw (as opposed to for a client, such as the Government), that we will follow this best practice and guarantee an interview for all Disabled applicants who meet the skills criteria for the role. This will all be clearly stated in our advertisements. Examples of roles working directly for Parker Shaw include Recruiters.
Why our opinion matters
We have a very diverse workforce and we believe it gives us strength, opportunity, resilience, and extra creativity as a business. We also believe that it makes us a better company to do business with as we can better understand, anticipate, and meet the needs of our own staff, as well as our candidates and clients.
Join us for the fourth and final part of this blog series next week!
Final thoughts
At Parker Shaw, we have been at the forefront of the sector we serve, IT & Digital Recruitment and Consulting, for over 30 years. We can advise you on all your hiring needs.
If you are looking for your next job in the IT sector please check our Jobs Board for our current live vacancies at https://parkershaw.co.uk/jobs-board