FAQs

Support is not time limited and is provided on a needs basis. We seek to not over support and to empower employers to manage their new employee but in the knowledge that we are always on hand for advice and support.   Typically we will get involved quite a bit at the beginning of employment and gradually this should reduce but we are available for on-going support, so for example for repetitive training and performance reviews and will always stay in touch with you and our client to ensure everything is running smoothly. 

We will talk to you to find out what the issues are and suggest possible strategies to resolve this. If necessary we can put more job coaching in place and visual aids if these will help. If however there is a performance or disciplinary matter to be dealt with we will support you through that process. 

Many of the people we support find it difficult to articulate their skills.  This tends to be one of the biggest barriers to employment for people we are supporting so we always talk to employers about how they can make adjustments to the recruitment process in order to ultimately employ the skilled and well matched candidate. This could take the form of a work trial.  For people with sensory impairment they may need adjustments with written tests or perhaps someone to sign for them.  Some costs can be met through Access to Work and we can give you guidance on this. 

We would always provide information and training for the line manager and immediate team about how a person’s disability affects them, what needs they may have and how to communicate and line manage the person to achieve their best performance. Over and above this we are able to provide Disability Awareness Training which you can read about on the What we do/Training & Consultancy page. 

As an Employer it is your responsibility under the prevailing legislation, to carry out (just as for any other employee) the required risk assessment.  Ways into Work will assist you with this in terms of their knowledge of the individual you are employing and how their disability may affect them.  We will also carry out a Work Place Health and Safely Assessment to help inform this.

Because often people we support cannot articulate their many skills and talents we encourage employers to run a work trial instead of a traditional interview.  This can be held for up to 3 weeks and is often unpaid although some employers make the decision to reimburse expenses or even pay the individual for their time. This give the prospective employee time to learn the job and demonstrate they can do it – how many times as a recruiting manager have you recruited someone who could ‘talk the talk’ but not ‘walk the talk’!

In order to get the best from those you manage it is important to understand their needs. We inform line managers about how someone’s disability affects them, give them strategies to deal with that often in the form of visual aids or tips about how best to communicate with that person. We take this very seriously as it will determine long term sustainability.

Access to Work can provide funding in some situations for a variety of things – Ways into Work can advise you about this and help you and our client make the necessary application for funding. More information can be found here.

The simple answer is Yes.  If your employee meets the eligibility criteria for one of our funded projects then we can sign them up.  If they don’t we can provide a bespoke service to support you and your employee. 

We can give you access to a large group of potential employees who are unlikely to apply through other routes.  With the support we provide those employees tend to stay longer in role than many others.

The benefits of a diverse workforce are clear and that applies to those with disabilities and other barriers as much as anyone else.  The combined spending power of those with disabilities (the purple pound) is £16bn and employing people with that background will help you make sure your products and services appeal to everybody.  Our support and advice can make taking that step that much simpler.

Also, your whole workforce will benefit from the feel good factor that comes from seeing you put your Corporate Social Responsibility policies into action by employing a diverse workforce.

You can read more about the benefits on our Who We Work With/Employers page.