How inclusive hiring can transform lives and benefit society

A job can be so much more than just a job; it can be a lifeline. Not only for an individual but for their whole family and even society as a whole.

Thanks to a slowly improving economic climate, organisations across the country are ready to put the challenging past few years behind them and hire for growth. However, with a widening skills gap, these same employers are struggling to find people with the right skills.  

Despite this struggle, there is an overlooked talent pool out there waiting for their opportunity to shine. Candidates who are overlooked for employment because of their identity or history. This could be race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, disability, neurodiversity, previous homelessness, a past history of addiction or mental ill-health, or a criminal record​.

Are organisations missing a trick in leaving these candidates behind? We think so, and we’re not the only ones!  Read on to find out about our partnership with Bridge of Hope and how  tapping into ‘left-behind’ candidates can vastly increase your potential talent pool, ensure diversity in your workforce, and help alleviate the chronic skills shortage currently gripping companies all over the UK.

Why are some people overlooked for work?

Jobseekers can be marginalised for various reasons.

Regional divide: Young people in post-industrial areas in the North-East and North-West of England face some of the biggest challenges when it comes to overcoming social mobility.

“Britain’s social mobility problem is not just one of income or class background. It is increasingly one of geography. A stark social mobility postcode lottery exists today, where the chances of someone from a disadvantaged background getting on in life is linked to where they grow up and choose to make a life for themselves.” The Social Mobility Commission (2017, p.2).

Disability: Disabled people typically have lower employment rates than those who are not disabled. This is referred to as the disability employment gap and is a key indicator of disability-related inequalities in the labour market. The Disability Employment Gap (DEG) currently sits at 30 percentage points, with the employment rate among disabled people at 53% − considerably lower than that for non-disabled people (83%).

There is evidence of a DEG in many developed countries, and it has been a persistent feature of the UK’s labour market for many years. (Economics Observatory, 2023). This is despite disability being a protected characteristic in terms of equality legislation, which makes discrimination against disabled people unlawful.

Criminal conviction: Even a misdemeanour or an arrest without a conviction can create lifelong barriers to employment. Currently 650,000 people arrested in England and Wales have some type of criminal record. Thousands of justice-impacted people suffer from long-term unemployment. For formerly incarcerated individuals specifically, the unemployment rate is around two-thirds, many times more than that of the general population, even compared to the Great Depression. In addition, mass incarceration disproportionately impacts communities of colour, as well as LGBTQ+ individuals and those with a history of mental illness.

Mental illness: Mental ill health is now the most common cause of work-limiting conditions among those aged 44 years and younger. Over the past decade, the number of workers aged 16–34 years who reported that their mental health limits the type or amount of work they can do has more than quadrupled.

Poor mental wellbeing costs employers in the UK an estimated £42 billion to £45 billion annually through presenteeism, sickness absence and staff turnover. Recent research (Deloitte, 2020) finds that, on average, there is a positive return on investment of around £5 for every £1 invested in mental health interventions in the workplace.

Why organisations should consider overlooked candidates in their hiring practices

Personal struggles, challenges with mental health and job losses are all things that the founders of Bridge of Hope, an inclusive hiring social enterprise, have experienced first-hand.  

“Looking at our own experiences of redundancy and mental health challenges, and our struggles to find meaningful employment opportunities made us realise there was a huge swath of society that was also experiencing the same challenges and struggles with finding work. So, Bridge of Hope was born to help find meaningful and life-affirming employment opportunities for candidates who’ve traditionally been harder to place into companies,” says co-founder James Fellowes.

“It’s important to know that when we talk about overlooked candidates, we’re also talking about people who can bring unparalleled grit and resilience, loyalty, creativity and employability into the workplace.”

That’s just some of the benefits for employers. Next, consider your brand’s EVP (employer value proposition). What are your organisation’s values and beliefs when it comes to equal opportunities? Are you ‘walking the talk’ on your DEIB policies? With most Gen Z candidates saying they consider companies based on their values and what they do for the planet and society when applying for a job, having a positive EVP can make a company much more attractive to an increasingly slim talent pool.

Finally, ensuring you apply equal and fair hiring practices, including considering applicants from often overlooked groups will enrich your workplace. Bringing together individuals from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives encourages open-mindedness and understanding, which in turn can lead to more effective problem-solving and decision-making processes. Additionally, diverse teams can better cater to a broader range of customers and markets, ultimately driving business success. When a company truly embraces openness, it cultivates a culture of inclusivity, where individuals feel valued and empowered to contribute their unique strengths to the team, no matter their background.

For Brook Street, there was a natural synergy in working with Bridge of Hope and helping them achieve their goals. Our mission has always been to help candidates find meaningful employment. Our founder Margery Hurst was an early advocate for understanding the impact of mental health in the workplace. She recognised that mental health challenges shouldn’t exclude workers and that employers needed to create supportive environments. We take this responsibility seriously and to this day, we continue to prioritise mental health and wellbeing initiatives within our business. To learn more about Bridge of Hope and their mission to improve inclusive employment, check out their website here. To find out more about the services Brook street provides for employers click here.