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Summer 2021 31 • Letting the employee work from home, for example if they suffer from anxiety or find it difficult getting to the office because of their disability This applies to all workers, including trainees, apprentices, contract workers and business partners. RECRUITMENT When it comes to recruitment, everyone in the UK has a right to interview – there is a law which dictates that all persons with a disability should be granted a chance at an interview, if their qualifications and experience matches the requirements of the employer. It is unlawful for employers to discriminate against someone because of their disability in recruitment. The Equality Act specifically prohibits employers from asking questions about health or disability at the recruitment stage (except in a limited number of very specific circumstances). In general, employers should not ask about health or disability until after they have decided on making a job offer. Any equal opportunities monitoring at the application stage should be separated from the candidate’s application and not shared with anyone involved in decision making during the appointment process. TRAINING Other areas to look at within your company and workplace could be additional training for staff members. It may be necessary to give staff members training and recommendations on how to behave around a person with a disability. Whether this be in preparation for a new addition to the team or a change in a current member of staff’s circumstances. For example, many people get things wrong when approached by someone in a wheelchair – such as bending over or crouching down to get down to eye level with them. This can often appear to be quite patronising, and subtle training/advice would help to overcome such instances. BUSINESSGUARD Few managers want to spend time understanding workplace legislation or health & safety policies, but getting it wrong can have serious consequences. With the growing number of employment tribunal claims and also the HSE fee for intervention costs, now is the time to make sure you are compliant. BusinessGuard is our helpline for enquiries relating to workplace legislation or health & safety policies. HAE EHA members may use this service at no charge. << You can call the BusinessGuard hotline on 0121 380 4612 or email businessguard@hae.org.uk for professional advice on personnel, health & safety, legal matters and much more. HAE EHA Members can log into BusinessGuard Online by clicking here www.business guard.net/hire/index.cfm