FAQ

These are just some of the popular myths that surround employing disabled people. If you’d like a copy of Jane’s book which sets out the business case for why you should be attracting more disabled candidates then please contact us.

I don’t have any jobs disabled candidates can do.

There are almost certainly people with hidden disabilities already working in your company, but they’ve simply not disclosed it for fear of being thought of as less capable, or different.

We regularly review the top 20 roles with the highest response rate on Evenbreak and they are almost always mid-level or managerial roles. That’s not say we don’t get a response for junior or entry level roles – we have partnerships with universities and other support organisations so we have a broad range of candidates looking for inclusive employers.

We already pay other job boards/a recruiter.

Advertising on Evenbreak and access to the Best Practice Portal for your whole team costs less than the recruiter fees for two £30k a year roles. If candidates don’t know you are serious about employing disabled people, they are much less likely to apply.

I don’t want hundreds of applications from people who can’t do the job I’m advertising.

Disabled people are brilliant at self-selecting – we’re used to rejection so only tend to apply for the jobs we know 100% we can do. If disabled people apply for your role it’s because they know they can do the job standing on their head (assistive technology allowing).

I don’t want to get sued.

Advertising on a specialist disability job board is good evidence that far from discriminating against disabled people, you are actually going out of your way to positively attract them.

I can’t afford to make loads of adjustments/Employing disabled people is expensive.

Many disabled people already have a lot of the things they need to live day to day, and if you make people feel confident about asking for reasonable adjustments, it benefits everyone.

Not every disabled person is going to need huge adjustments – an autistic person might want to sit somewhere quieter, a deaf person might prefer to sit with their back to a wall so they can see people approaching them. In fact, most disabled people don’t need any adaptations at all, or only those that cost nothing (e.g. flexible working). For those who do need adjustments with a cost attached, Access to Work will pay some or all of the costs and the benefits far outweigh the outlay.

Think about the savings you’ll make in days off sick/productivity if you show your whole team that it’s OK to ask for things that help them do their job better.

Our building isn’t accessible to wheelchair users.

Fewer than 8% of disabled people are wheelchair users – you are not going to have to knock your building down and start again. However, it is worth thinking about what adaptations you could make – especially if your customers visit your premises. Making buildings accessible doesn’t just help your disabled team members – it helps everyone.

We’re not ready yet – we’re not at that stage in our D&I Journey.

You’re almost certainly already employing disabled people already. If you want to improve accessibility and inclusion at your workplace, what better way than by employing more disabled people and involving them in your improvement plans? They’re the experts.

Won’t employing disabled people hold us back?

Evidence shows that disabled people are, on average, just as productive as non-disabled people, have less time off sick, fewer workplace accidents and stay in their jobs longer. Having a diversity of thought can challenge ‘group thinking’ and enable creativity and innovation. And having internal intelligence can help your company tap into the ‘purple pound’ (the £250 billion that disabled people and their families spend in the UK every year). Disabled people often bring additional skills gained through facing barriers every day – persistence, creativity, problem-solving, determination and so on. Employing disabled people can accelerate your growth!

Our Hiring Managers are frightened of ‘getting it wrong’. Can you help?

In addition to our job board, we offer a Best Practice Portal, full of practical online resources to help all employees from subscribing organisations develop their competence and confidence around disability.

What kind of jobs are suitable for disabled people?

Disabled people have the same range of abilities, skills and qualities as everyone else. There are no jobs that no disabled person can do.

Why should we use a specialist job board?

Disabled candidates tell us they have confidence in applying to an employer who has paid to advertise their vacancies on a job board specifically aimed at them. They have had so much experience of being rejected they may not trust other employers to take them seriously. You’ll attract candidates you won’t find elsewhere, and be seen as an inclusive employer of choice.

Why should we use Evenbreak?

  • Evenbreak is the preferred job board for disabled candidates - they will have confidence in applying for your vacancies, as it is run by and for disabled people. Our candidates’ confidence in us, gives them confidence in you.

  • You gain access to more candidates, through using the most accessible job board.

  • You don’t have to worry about candidate attraction – we do the hard work for you! We are brilliant at engaging with disabled candidates.

  • You have the confidence of using ethical enterprise (accredited social enterprise, Living Wage employer).

  • Your adverts will not only appear on Evenbreak; we can share them on other disability websites, university portals and on social media. And we promote you as an inclusive employer of choice to our audience through existing content or originating content for you (e.g. videos, blogs, case studies etc.).

  • You receive regular reports on how your adverts are performing.

Will advertising with you help us become ‘Disability Confident’?

Yes, it will. In fact, Evenbreak is suggested in the guidelines. Using our job board and Best Practice Portal helps you attract, recruit and retain talented disabled people.