Recruiting and managing disabled staff

Motability Operations (www.motability.co.uk) has developed an objective staff selection method, which places greater emphasis on individual skills and less on formal qualifications. This enables individuals to demonstrate their ability to do the job. Selection criteria contained within the role profiles are regularly reviewed to ensure they are essential for the effective performance of the job.

Interviewers and assessors attend a training course (designed and delivered in partnership with disability consultants Minty & Friend) to give them confidence in recruiting the right person for the job. The company monitors the proportion of recruiting leaders who have attended these courses; over the last year 61 per cent of new leaders have attended.

Leaders receive training in managing employees – related to performance, for example –that is consistent with Motability’s diversity principles. The company also runs a workshop for managers where emphasis is placed on reasonable adjustments and facilitating return to work. All new employees receive disability confidence training, delivered by an internal HR specialist and a consultant from Minty & Friend.

Leaders now have “more confidence in managing disability”, thus ensuring that all employees have an opportunity to reach their full potential. Motability says it is able to attract a wider talent pool, which helps it to have a more diverse workforce where difference is valued. This in turn “helps us to deliver better customer service”.