GCC jobs & disabled applicants

[glasgowken]

A good mate of mine is registered disabled. He's applied for 3 GCC jobs, and as asked on the application form, he always ticks the box indicating he's disabled.
Apparently it's GCC policy to interview every disabled applicant (providing they meet the basic criteria for the postion), so he did get the interviews, but no job offer.

Discussing this with me he felt they had simply "gone through the motions" during the interview, so from now on he's not going to tick that box, and just depend on the rest of the application form to push his abilities for the job. BTW his disability is not obvious, so they wouldn't know if he doesn't state it up front.

I don't know anything about the GCC disabled application policies (apart from being an unsucessful non-disabled applicant ), so I couldn't really give much of an opinion. What do you think of disabled applicants getting a guaranteed interview, is it patronising to them ?

[Pripyat]

The GCC and other large equal oppertunities employers will
try their best to ensure that people with disabilities are treated
equally as non-disabled.

I've seen it in a case that the interviewer has chosen a disabled
person over a non-disabled individual, due to the fact the
disabled person had better interpersonal skills. Both parties
had the same qualifications and level of experience.

If you've got the experience, the interview is all down to
psychological mindgames with the interviewer. That failing it's
the usual, "your face fits" or "jobs for the boys". Most interviewers
have made their mind up in under 10 mins.

[Dexter St. Clair]

The GCC and other large equal oppertunities employers will
try their best to ensure that people with disabilities are treated
equally as non-disabled.

Given the size of the staff and the number of units that will be true in some and not so true in others. Recent legislation is leading them up some strange pathways. For instance they are considering removing previously required qualifictions as personell regards them as barriers to employing disabled and minority ethnic workers. Their problem is the jobs that currently have no qualifications required, are not exactly jam packed with workers from either of the above categories. On the other hand the small percentages of such staff they do have are to be found in guess what, occupations that do require qualifications. See Social work, Teaching, careers.
One will be seeing evidence of discrimination on disability when certain cases start hitting tribunals. More disability awareness training is taking place in certain services. Ironically discrimination has taken place in the council's own workshop for disabled people. Real Radio is played at Rave Festival level which suits a certain part of the workforce;)

[lordsleek]

I never tick the box as like your mate I dont have an obvious disability. I would rather get an interview on merit.

[glasgowken]

Exactly!
My mate's hopes were raised, but dashed as soon as he realised that they were obliged to give him an interview because of rules, not merit.
Was he called for interview because of a dazzling CV, or just because the rules force them to do it ? He'll never know, I doubt they would admit to anything one way or the other

How does that help anyone, and how does my mate know if his CV is good enough to attract real interviews & opportunities?

[hazy]

Hey G that council have lost a good worker mate. I just finshed my HND and went onto Scotrails web site. I have landed right on my feet with a job I really like. Tell your mate to give them a try. Its not just ticket collecters they employ.

[glasgowken]

Sod him! I wouldn't mind a job with Scotrail

[hazy]

Sod him! I wouldn't mind a job with Scotrail

I dont think they take on complete bastards but you could always try.

[Osiris]

I get the impression that GCC take the PC thing a bit too far sometimes. A friend of mine (non-disabled) recently applied for a job at the cooncil and when she didn't get an interview decided to give them a call as she felt her qualifications met the criteria. After a 'review' of her app they decided to give her an interview and she's now waiting to hear that she hasn't got the job!

That just doesn't happen in the private sector, I can imagine how that telephone conversation might go at mega corp ltd 'can i get someone to review my application', 'no, f**k off!'... well maybe it would go something like that.

J

[glasgowken]

Sod him! I wouldn't mind a job with Scotrail

I dont think they take on complete bastards but you could always try. ::):

I thought they were 99% of their workforce

[PlasticDel]

Was he called for interview because of a dazzling CV, or just because the rules force them to do it ?

They hardly force themselves. It's a policy they've chose to adopt. Assumingly to prevent accusations that they don't treat people fairly...

I never tick the box as like your mate I dont have an obvious disability. I would rather get an interview on merit.

Surely you run the risk of losing your job if you are successful in your application and haven't disclosed your disability. I assume at the end of any application form you always sign the declaration...

I attended a lecture from a guest speaker the other day (Paul Brown,Director of the Scottish Disability Team) he thinks it's a good thing when disabled people who meet the entry requirements for a job are promised an interview. Lets face it, not that long ago an applicant with a disability would never find out that their application went straight in the bin.


GCC are the biggest LA in the country, in the biggest city in the country. How many applicants are there for any one position?

Is this gonna be another like this?
http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/vie ... c&start=10

Or perhaps, my personla favourites...
http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/vie ... light=riot
http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/vie ... highlight=

[glasgowken]

Well I hope the discussion doesn't go overboard, or into religion, that would cloud the opening question.

After a lot of thought I still can't see why it's fair to a disabled person to call them for interview, when the only reason they were selected was because of their disability, (and meeting the basic criteria for the job).

This policy was made at high level, so the selection staff are in essence "forced" to interview people they would otherwise have not selected, based on the rest of the info on their application.
Surely a decision to call someone for interview should only be based on their qualifications, experience, or relevant ability to perform the job. Anything else is an insult.

[Dexter St. Clair]

Here's the problem. Disabled people find it difficult getting employment.What's your solution?

If you meet the criteria according to the job description you will be considered for an interview. If there are too many applicants they will be sorted according to certain criteria before being selected for interview. One of them is now disability. No one is invited for an interview that according to their application they could not do.

Glasgow City Council has an equalities policy but not all of its managers have been trained in it. The number of employes with disabilities and from an ethnic minority background has increased but with (zero increase council tax payers start a new post) increased employment opportunities the percentage they form of the workforce has gone down.

I'm trying to recall the English Local Authority which would only let vacancies be filled by a disabled applicant. If no one applied the post could be re advertised.

Here's Brent's policy http://www.brent.gov.uk/HumanRes.nsf/0/c4ea705c368b45b980256c170053227c?OpenDocument

[PlasticDel]

Take it you've read this as well,
http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/YourCounci ... /index.htm

Couldnae be bothered myself reading through it all. But what I did read seems familiar with everything I've read or heard lately. All seems pretty positive.

I don't really understand the problem. It's not that people are being offered an interview because of a disability, they are being offered an interview becaue of their merit and are not being discriminated against because of a disability.

[escotregen]

A couple of points I'd like to make. One is that 'compulsory' interviews for disabled people can be a powerful device for making organisations and their managers aware of disability realities. For example, I suspect that for some managers, the first time they have ever thought about the physical accessibility of their offices is when they have been 'forced' to accomodate disabled peoples' interviews.

Second point is that posters to this thread, and other folks, may be interested in something I’ve been advised about: ‘Are We Taking the Dis’. It’s a campaign from the Disability Rights Commission. Promo blurb:

We want to position disability as an issue of the same magnitude and urgency as other equality issues. We also wish to demonstrate that it is in everyone’s interest to tackle the enduring disadvantage that people with a wide range of impairments and health conditions face – because of barriers of attitude, policy, behaviour or environment.

They are asking people during the campaign to log onto their microsite and tell them what they think http://www.disabilitydebate.org