Imagine you receive an invitation to an exciting event, but after arriving you realize everyone is already inside and you are locked out. Branding your company as inclusive and welcoming to individuals with disabilities is crucial in diversifying your workforce. However, without addressing the accessibility of your hiring process, you are potentially sending conflicting messages to applicants.
The majority of job seekers with disabilities go directly to organizations’ websites to search for jobs and research their target companies, just as job seekers without disabilities do. When they visit your site and are not able to access the information or the online job application, the first impression they have of your company is tainted.
GettingHired’s most recent Job Seeker Survey showed 76% of job seekers with disabilities are influenced by a company’s disability-friendly reputation when considering submitting an application for a job. This number is also matched in importance when job seekers are deciding whether or not to disclose their disability to an employer. Successful companies are adapting to today’s dynamic and multi-generational workforce. Emphasis is placed on enabling employees to perform at their very best with a more flexible work culture.
Our workforce is changing rapidly in an increasingly candidate-driven market, but the hiring process as a whole is largely failing to keep up. Despite technological advances in communications, we are still inundated with outdated processes, and overly complicated and inaccessible formats, which can deter entire segments of the talent pool from applying.
So what can your company do?
- Assess your site’s accessibility with free resources online such as; The Job Accommodation Network (JAN), which offers practical recommendations to improve. Always include a simple and clear Accommodation Request Statement on the career section of your website for applicants with disabilities, unable to access the online application form. Your accommodation statement should include a phone number and email contact that connects the applicant to a trained professional or a team actively overseeing requests.
Diversity of perspectives in business leads to better products and services which is increasingly recognized as a best practice across industries. But the world’s most successful businesses are led by true visionaries; futurists and forward-thinking leaders continuously pioneering advancement. These are the companies that have already started adopting a ‘universal design’ mindset as a foundation for their developments. Universal design ensures that products and services are accessible to as many people as possible, reflecting the increasingly global and diverse nature of customers.
By promoting an understanding of accessibility throughout your company, you create a fundamental shift in your employees’ mindsets, leading to more innovative and creative thinking while also building an inclusive corporate culture.
About GettingHired, Inc.
GettingHired, Inc., a subsidiary of Allegis Group, is a recruitment solution focused on creating employment opportunities for individuals and veterans with disabilities and helping inclusive employers find talent.
For information about disability recruitment and accessibility contact Jovi Stevenson, Director, Diversity & Inclusion Talent Acquisition Solutions for GettingHired.com (516) 375-4572; [email protected]
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