How do you find work with a disability ? (Tech)

[User5512]

i have a hidden disability that severely restricts my ability to commute on a regular basis. I work in tech and my job is at risk of redundancy.

how do I go about job hunting? Do I have to declare my problem upfront? Can I request flexible arrangements after I get an offer?

I am pretty good at my job and have worked remotely for a very long time. It’s always a challenge to find remote only work and it’s even harder now in the current economic times.

Hey, I work from home due to disability.

My work was advertised as remote. I found a lot of remote work offered on charity jobs (charityjob.co.uk), you can narrow down the search by remote too.

If you find a hybrid that looks like it could be performed entirely remotely, you could have a go. I'd personally would include that I have to work entirely remotely in a cover letter so I don't waste their time if that's somehow not possible.

I just got extra responsibilities and a raise at my current workplace, in a split role. The new role should be hybrid but they are happy for me to stay remote, I suppose its because I've already proven I work effectively from home.

You have statutory protection against disability discrimination – although I know that can sometimes work better in theory than in practice. Overall, I would say there are more good employers than bad, but it’s very easy to get demoralised when you come up against the bad ones, especially at application stage.

My suggestion would be to put in an application and then follow up with a phone call to HR where possible. In that call I think it is worth being open about what you need and being honest about what you can do in terms of attending an office. Can you go once a week, once a month? Does it make a difference about the timing of travel or is it just very difficult no matter what? It also gives you a chance to sell yourself and explain what you can do and how you have been working.

And then things for you to think about personally include whether you are making full use of Access to Work and any other support that might help?

Sorry if some of this is stating the obvious. I am a wheelchair user and also a Chief Executive. Experience has shown me that there is a vast range of understanding about what is available and so I’m erring on the side of caution in sharing.

Good luck!

Thank you.

The minute I use the word “remote”, recruiters ghost me.

What's your skillset in tech? To be honest if the job isn't advertised as remote then although you will legally be able to apply for flexible working and reasonable adjustments, sadly I'm not surprised many ghost. There are still lots about though that are open to home working, it depends though on what your salary requirements are, what qualifications you have and how open you'd be to being flexible on the job type etc.

I’ve always found that larger multi-location companies tend to be more flexible than those with a single office base: there’s already a culture of not all being together at once and virtual meetings with somebody who isn’t in the same building are the norm. Startups, especially if they’re still early stage enough that they’re developing the team and don’t have established working practices also tend to be more relaxed about it.

www.evenbreak.co.uk/

This recruitment agency was set up to help people with disabilities find jobs with companies who are happy to make reasonable adjustments. You should be able to find a job without having to worry about declaring anything.

Don't tell the recruitment company , let your CV do the work to get you an interview or at least a foot in the door and the company directly. Larger company's talent acquisition shouldn't be fazed by the question either.

Lots of places are still working remotely or hybrid and depending on your role they may be more inclined to allow you to WFH permanently.

Hidden disability = call in sick first 6 months of employment = lose your job.

Of course Mumsnet tries to make it more wholly than this, but they are simply fabricating.

my sick record is 5 days (2+3) over 2 years.

And it’s related to an injury that gets worse over time with commute. Employers don’t need to make any special arrangements for me, I need to be able to wfh most of the time.

I work in tech and yes its finding large companies that already have a work from home policy set up that are the most flexible.

I also explained in my interview that my disability means i need some adjustments which they were absolutely fine with. I find being open and up front means they appreciate my honesty.

I guess it depends on the role your looking for... field engineer... probably going to struggle finding wfh... business analyst... definitely.

I would declare it on your application/form so you don't waste your time.

As people have already said search for jobs that are fully remote and for companies that promote the fact that they are 'disability-friendly'.

I would say be careful with hybrid working because it can mean anything...

I took a job a year ago that was described to me at the interview as being hybrid, very flexible with the need to be in the office only once every 3 months (for staff meetings). I made it clear at the interview that I was moving to a different location and would be 2 hours away from the office. This was a charity and the flexible working was the main benefit as the pay itself was really average.

Then after six month in the role I was asked to be in the office once a month, then the following month I was told they wanted me in the office once a week...at which stage I declared my disability and made it clear I wanted to continue working from home with once a month on site as before.

I am now planning to leave the organisation because I felt I was misled.

So my point is better to be upfront. It might deter some employers but you don't want to work for a company that sees disability as an issue anyway...

It might be worth looking at the Civil Service. I have heard good things about them being accommodating. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1113993/Disability_Confident_and_Workplace_Adjustment.pdf