Accessible hiring practices are essential for the long-term success and sustainability of organizations. This article will explore the concept of accessible hiring, define what an accessible workplace entails, and provide tips on increasing inclusivity in your hiring practices.
Accessible hiring: What does it mean to have an accessible workplace?
Accessible hiring refers specifically to a focus on hiring people with disabilities, and ensuring that proper accommodations are made to create an accessible workplace.
How are accessible hiring and inclusive hiring related?
Inclusive hiring and accessible hiring are closely linked, but there is a difference. Accessible hiring is about hiring people with disabilities, while inclusive hiring is about hiring people from diverse backgrounds, including race/ethnicity, gender, and more. Inclusive hiring is a broader concept encompassing accessible hiring as one of its components.
Inclusive hiring is especially important for companies with a special focus on accessibility, such as Allyant. According to a survey by Monster.com, a popular careers website, 86% of job seekers prioritize workplace inclusion. The study also revealed that 62% of individuals would only accept a job offer from a company that demonstrated an inclusive culture.
Who benefits from inclusive hiring?
Inclusive hiring practices benefit both sides of the hiring process: the candidate and the company. Candidates from various backgrounds will likely feel more empowered to apply and share their skills and experiences. Inclusive hiring processes also reflect well on companies and make them a more welcoming and inviting workplaces.
Companies and hiring teams that value inclusion typically create more innovative and productive organizations. Employees are more likely to be engaged and motivated, improving productivity and increasing the likelihood of prospective employees being interested in your organization.
Inclusive hiring and accessibility
Inclusive hiring is extremely important for accessibility organizations. Having an inclusive hiring process (and employees with disabilities) reinforces the company’s mission and commitment to accessibility, both within and outside the company. Hiring employees from diverse backgrounds also makes for a more interesting and potentially productive organization, as current and future employees may have different problem-solving strategies.
Inclusive hiring can often lead to hiring more employees with disabilities. Other than showing a commitment to accessibility, organizations (especially those with an accessibility focus) benefit significantly from employing people with disabilities.
In the case of digital accessibility, Allyant employs several auditors who have disabilities. Having people who live with disabilities review website accessibility creates a more authentic and credible reputation for your brand.
6 Inclusive hiring tips: How can I make my hiring more accessible?
How do organizations practice inclusive hiring? Below are some inclusive hiring tips for your organization to become a more well-rounded, diverse company:
- Create inclusive job descriptions: Emphasize that anyone can apply to jobs within your organization, regardless of disability, racial/ethnic background, etc. As noted above, clarifying that your organization encourages applicants from a wide range of experiences reflects well on the company and likely makes the company more attractive to potential candidates.
- Use simple language: Similarly, writing job descriptions with short, simple sentences is preferred. Avoid long, exhaustive lists of qualifications. Instead, list only the essential skills required. You can always go into more detail later, like at the job interview. This especially helps candidates with certain cognitive disabilities, for instance, who may have difficulty comprehending or remembering lots of information at once.
- Make sure your career website is accessible: Of course, having an inaccessible website prevents people with disabilities and potentially others) from applying at all. As a result, your organization may miss out on qualified candidates simply because they can’t complete the application process. Third-party digital accessibility companies such as Allyant can help your organization ensure your online application process is accessible to all!
- Educate hiring teams (and all employees) on bias awareness: We all have unconscious biases against certain groups of people. Recruiters and other hiring team members must be educated on potential bias. For example, interview questions may be asked in ways that benefit one group of people over another. This may lead to hiring team members forming incorrect assumptions about certain people.
- Have diverse hiring teams: Organizations need diverse hiring teams. In the case of accessibility-focused organizations, having people with disabilities on hiring teams reflects well on companies and can lead to more authentic perspectives on the organization’s mission and vision.
- Inclusive recruitment and selection processes: Organizations that value inclusivity must also consider notifying prospective job applicants about the availability of accommodation throughout the interview process and for other candidate selection methods. This provides applicants with fair treatment throughout the process and helps to eliminate any barriers in the recruitment and selection process.
Accessible and inclusive hiring have many benefits, from enhancing a company’s reputation to ensuring that all potential candidates can successfully participate in all stages of the recruitment and selection process. By considering candidates with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, accessible and inclusive hiring can result in a larger available talent pool, as well as increased productivity and a more supportive and engaged workplace.
