Award Category Guide
One organisation will be selected as the Overall Winner in each of the following sectors:
- Private Sector
- Non-Private Sector
- Best Small Company
One organisation will be selected as a Category Winner in each of the following areas of best practice:
- Leadership
- Environmental Accessibility
- Customer Service
- Recruitment and Selection
- Learning, Development and Progression
- Retention and Wellbeing
Leadership
Effective leadership on all levels can successfully move and shape the future reality of an organisation.
A best practice organisation:
- Ensures both business and CSR strategies refer to disability and equality
- Has developed and implemented all relevant disability proofed policies and procedures
- Is willing to learn and share best practice
- Provides an accessible, safe and healthy working environment for all
- Ensures that both equality and equal opportunities are inherent in the way the organisation operates
- Embraces innovation and creativity in order to address disability issues
- Has leaders that act as role models in relation the inclusion of people with disabilities
- Demonstrates a top level endorsement and a powerful commitment to people with disabilities including job applicants, employees, customers, visitors and members of the community
Environmental Accessibility
Building design can be a facilitator or a barrier to full social and economic inclusion. Opportunities to access buildings and their environs is a key factor in people with disabilities achieving autonomy, inclusion and full participation in society. Leaders of organisations with accessible buildings recognise the business case for accessible environments; buildings that meet the needs of people with differing disabilities offer the optimum ease of use for everyone. They also provide specific training in accessibility issues and disability awareness.
A best practice organisation:
- Provides safe accessible external and internal environments
- Trains employees and managers in disability awareness
- Has accessible workstations and pathways to workstations
- Exceeds legislative compliance in relation to regulations relating to building accessibility
- Provides specify training and development in accessibility issues to managers and employees
Customer Service
Customer Service means that an organisation aims to firstly, discover exactly what it is that customers want in terms of products and/or services and secondly, to make certain that these are delivered. It means ensuring that the organisation’s aims and objectives and processes revolve around the diverse needs and expectations of both internal and external customers. It is also about optimising choice for customers and including them in product and design processes.
A best practice organisation:
- Recognises the business case for attracting and retaining customers with disabilities
- Consults with and values all customers including those with differing disabilities
- Includes people with disabilities, on a formal basis, in the design and development of products and services
- Includes people with disabilities, on a formal basis, in market research activities
- Trains design teams in inclusive design and design for all
- Distributes product and service information in accessible formats
- Promotes and markets inclusive products and services
- Communicates the importance of internal customer service
Recruitment and Selection
The objective of any recruitment and selection process is to obtain the right person for the job. Attracting and recruiting the best employees is crucial to the success of any organisation. A successful organisation understands the benefits and business case for employing people with disabilities and ensures it has sound non-discriminatory disability proofed recruitment and selection procedures and that managers and all staff receive disability training.
A best practice organisation:
- Develops a Recruitment and Selection Strategy that includes reference to applicants with disabilities
- Ensures that the job analysis of the vacancy identifies the key skills, knowledge and competencies necessary to carry out the role and highlights areas for accommodations
- Distributes well documented and well communicated equal opportunities policies and statements
- Ensures all advertisements and relevant job information is available in alternative formats
- Provides specific disability awareness training to interviewers and all other relevant staff
- Recognises that a person’s disability may have little or no impact on the ability to work
- Ensures interview venues are accessible and all requested accommodations are in place
- Understands that accommodations can be put in place to enable the candidate to carry out their job role
Learning, Development and Progression
Successful employee learning, development and progression requires a balance between an individual’s career needs and goals and the organisation’s need to get work done. Employee development programmes make positive contributions to organisational performance and it is generally accepted that there is a strong correlation between organisational success and investment in employee development. Leaders of successful organisations realise the competitive advantage of having a highly skilled workforce and implement employment strategies that advocate equal opportunities; they also provide managers with the skills and competences to manage a diverse workforce and offer specific disability awareness training.
A best practice organisation:
- Realises the competitive advantage of having a well-trained and developed workforce
- Recognises that there is a return on the investment in employee development
- Develops an employee development strategy that includes reference to employees with disabilities
- Advocates a commitment to equality of opportunity for all
- Encourages all employees to maximise their full potential by participating in regular performance and development reviews
- Has management processes that underpin on-going career development and complement the specific strategic goals of the organisation
- Provides managers with the skills and competences to manage a diverse workforce by offering specific disability awareness training
Retention and Wellbeing
Injuries and illness can strike anyone at any time. Organisations are now becoming more aware of the cost of losing trained, knowledgeable and experienced staff. When top management recognises the business advantage of retaining employees who acquire a disability it puts into place retention strategies, policies and procedures to assist the employee to remain in/or return to work as soon as is appropriate for both the employee and employer.
Wellbeing is about understanding the importance of having healthy, well supported staff that can operate at their maximum potential. Top management in organisations with successful wellbeing programmes take a proactive approach and realise that looking after the health and well being of all staff makes sound business sense
A best practice organisation:
- Develops a Job Retention strategy
- Co-ordinates a structured remaining/return to work plan for employees who acquire a disability or chronic illness
- Liaises with the employee, managers, supervisors and colleagues to facilitate an individualised return to work
- Adapts the working environment, equipment and employment conditions where necessary
- Modifies work tasks and providing flexible working patters
- Provides training and development in a new role on return to work
