Case study – reasonable adjustments in recruitment 2024
Over the period 01 January 2024 to 11 December 2024, 59 candidates who were shortlisted to attend selection processes declared they had a disability. The Recruitment Advisor attempted contact with each candidate by telephone to allow them to raise any reasonable adjustments they may need to the recruitment process. A phone call is considered more personal, and enables any reasonable adjustments to be tailored to the individual’s specific needs. Where the candidate could not be reached by phone, contact via email was made.
Some candidates did not require any reasonable adjustments but took the opportunity to discuss the selection process to understand what to expect. This was particularly evident with candidates for the assessment events for Service Centre Advisor and Apprentice roles this year. Candidates with neurodiversity often felt apprehensive and wanted to know what the event would entail and what to expect. Feedback shows these conversations significantly impacted their decision to attend the event, with some candidates indicating they would not have attended without this communication.
The phone calls and emails were very welcomed by all, and some candidates were quite surprised to be contacted to discuss reasonable adjustments, as they had never experienced this before.
| Disabilities declared | 59 |
| Contact made with candidates via telephone | 31 |
| Contact made with candidates via email | 28 |
| Reasonable adjustments made | 28 |
| No reasonable adjustments needed | 31 |
Outlined below are the reasonable adjustments implemented for candidates attending interviews, assessment events and the apprentice assessment event.
- Candidates were met at reception, provided with a quiet space, a hot drink, and time to review interview questions beforehand
- Reserved parking was provided close to the reception entrance
- Interview rooms were located on lower floors
- Additional time was allowed for answering questions
- Written copies of questions were provided to support comprehension
- The environment was kept quiet and free from distractions
- At the apprentice event, statements were read only to the hiring managers, not to the entire group
- Information about the group activity was provided in advance to ensure participants were aware of the event details
- Interview questions were given 15 minutes before the interviews to allow candidates time to process them.
- A quiet and safe space was made available if needed.
- Lifts were checked at all venues to ensure they were operational.
- Extended time was allowed for skills tests before interviews, including maths and english tests for apprentices.
- Interview rooms were provided with appropriate lighting and temperature, reducing bright lighting for those with sensory sensitivities.
- A laptop was provided for an assessment centre candidate so they could type out the activity response and take notes, as they found it difficult to hold a pen
- A scribe was arranged to take notes for the candidate, as they were unable to write
- A room was made available for candidates to take medication during the assessment event
Throughout the year, feedback was obtained from candidates about their reasonable adjustments and the impact these accommodations had on them.
“Thank you for today’s interview it was a real pleasure, you made me feel very welcome and relaxed meeting me in reception and providing me a quiet room, a hot drink and time to read the interview questions prior to my interview.”
“Just want to say thank you to everyone involved in the interviews, you all made me very relaxed and I’m thankful for the opportunity to be bench marked for interview was a big achievement for me especially with the challenges I often face this, is a new challenge to prove myself with a potential new housing group. Whatever the outcome it was very enjoyable experience and especially how you helped with the written format before the interview that has never happened before to me when I’ve done internal interviews within [another social housing provider] etc.”
“These adjustments are great, and I really appreciate them. Thank you for taking the time to arrange this with me.“
“Thank you for calling me and discussing the reasonable adjustments you can offer me. I have never had this before. I will be attending my interview as you have put me at ease thank you.”
“I really enjoyed the apprentice assessment day and am very proud of myself for actually turning up and taking part. I find meeting new people and been in new environments hard. I don’t like been out of my comfort zone. After the conversation I had with Carly on the phone she made me feel at ease, she explained the process to me and offered me some reasonable adjustments which really helped. Without this telephone call I don’t think I would have attended.”
Lessons learned this year
During one of the apprentice assessment centre events, reasonable adjustments had been put in place for a candidate, however, they still felt overwhelmed and left before the event concluded. Follow up contact was made to check what other support or adjustments could have been offered to enable them to stay. As a result, the Recruitment Advisor attended neurodiversity training, which offered valuable insight and identified strategies to enhance the approach and prevent similar issues in the future.
