Research and analysis

Summary: Small Employer Offer evaluation

Published 20 July 2021

Introduction

This report presents findings from an evaluation of the Small Employer Offer (SEO), a policy delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) between June 2017 and March 2019, to help claimants with disabilities and long-term health conditions move towards and into work. A key part of the SEO was the creation of Small Employer Adviser (SEA) roles, who worked with small employers to identify work placements and job opportunities suitable for claimants with a long-term health condition or disability.

The SEO was part of a more personalised and holistic DWP approach to providing employment support for employers as well as claimants. This initiative aimed to increase engagement activities with small employers, to raise awareness of disability and support businesses to take on claimants with long-term health conditions or disabilities. Reverse job matching was a key element of SEO; SEAs worked with employers to identify jobs, work placements and work trials that were suitable to individual claimants’ needs.

The SEO evaluation consisted of a literature review and primary research; composed of qualitative, in-depth interviews conducted by telephone with Small Employer Advisers (SEAs), other Jobcentre Plus (JCP) staff, small employers (those with fewer than 25 staff) and claimants with health conditions or disabilities, who had been referred to, or started an SEO work opportunity. All employers interviewed had been involved with the SEO. Academics in the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University undertook a literature review as part of this study. This involved reviewing the existing evidence on: the characteristics and barriers to work for claimants with long-term health conditions or disabilities; previous and current initiatives to support claimants into work; and the attitudes of employers and their role in supporting claimants into work. The evidence is summarised to provide the broader context of the evaluation.

Literature Review

The command paper Improving Lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability (DWP and Department of Health, 2017) acknowledges that many people with long-term health conditions or disabilities miss out on the opportunity to benefit from the positive outcomes that can be derived from work. Having a more joined up approach to employment support which includes employers is important if the goal of having one million more disabled people in work by the end of 2027 is to be delivered.

The role of employers, as well as individuals and support workers is important. Many employers have very different understandings of the concept of disability and they need support to embed inclusive employment practices. Increasing employers’ awareness of disability may allay some of their fears or misconceptions about employing workers with long-term health conditions or disabilities (Rashid, 2017). Many employers also lack knowledge about relatively simple adaptations or flexible working practices which might be deployed to support workers with health conditions or disabilities to remain in work or take up employment opportunities. In the main, the perceptions of small employers are similar to those seen across all sizes of employers. The overriding concern of most employers is to find someone who they perceive could ‘do the job’ or who was the best person for the job (Davidson, 2011).

However, small employers often worry about the cost implications for their business which might be associated with making adaptations or allowances for an employee with a health condition or disability (Kelly, 2005). Promoting schemes such as Access to Work (AtW) which offers practical advice or financial support to businesses as well as workers may also encourage more small employers to open up job opportunities to people with long-term health conditions or disabilities (Dewson et al., 2009).

The literature review finds supporting evidence that the design of SEO reflected best practice seen in a range of wider initiatives:

• the need for individualised support tailored to an individual’s health condition or disability, capabilities and labour market experience
• a multi-layered approach, involving a range of specialist professionals working in partnership together, offers a better chance of success
• work-trials, work placements and voluntary work are all stepping stones towards entry to paid employment and assist in building confidence in employers as well as clients
• finally, careful job matching is key to ensuring that placements for both the client and employer are successful.
  Key findings

Research with staff

Research with Jobcentre Plus (JCP) staff found that the SEO scheme had been successful in identifying work opportunities from employers but had less success in filling these opportunities because there were limited numbers of work ready eligible claimants.

At the start of the SEO scheme, SEAs focused on employer engagement to generate opportunities. On finding that there were insufficient claimants ready to fill the available opportunities, SEAs increased their focus on helping claimants move closer to the labour market and prepare for work.

Their work also included seeking roles to match individual claimants to, a process known as reverse job-matching.

SEAs worked closely with other colleagues to deliver SEO, particularly Employer Advisers (EAs) and Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs).

Research with employers

The research found that employers’ previous experiences of working with someone with a disability or long-term health condition strongly influenced attitudes towards doing so in the future, for the employers interviewed.

Social benefit organisations and charities interviewed were the most positive about recruiting candidates with health conditions or disabilities as this was usually part of their organisational purpose. Their funding models meant they were more likely to provide work placements than paid roles, but they felt able to support those furthest from the labour market to take steps towards paid work.

Employers with experience of working with people with health conditions and disabilities felt that doing so was a positive practice. These employers felt confident accommodating and supporting people with a long-term health condition or disability. However, for private sector employers it was important that any employee was motivated and understood the social norms of a working environment such as good time-keeping and showing initiative. Third sector employers were more likely to feel they could accommodate work placements from claimants who lacked awareness of the social norms of work and help them to learn these.

Private sector employers with no experience of hiring or working with candidates with a long-term health condition or disability were less likely to be confident about doing so in the future. These employers tended to have a narrow view of disability as a physical condition and found it more difficult to see how they could accommodate this.

A lack of experience of hiring someone with a health condition or disability meant it was more effective for JCP to approach this sub-group of employers about a specific candidate than the general concept of hiring someone with a health condition. This focus on a specific candidate helped employers to see how the individual could fit in to their workplace.

Positive employer experiences of SEO starts occurred when they perceived a high standard of job-matching or when the candidate was seen as being interested in the work (regardless of their experience), willing to learn and to fit in to the working environment.

Less successful SEO starts were characterised by placements being too short for the claimant to make a meaningful contribution to the organisation; claimants needing more support than the employer felt able to provide or was available from the SEA and attitudinal barriers from the claimant, for example, poor time-keeping, lack of proactivity or unwillingness to complete tasks. Whilst these attitudes and behaviours could be due to their disability or health condition, particularly for those with a mental health condition, private sector employers felt that they did not have capacity to support claimants in this way and needed work-ready candidates. Social benefit organisation or charities were more willing and able to support claimants who needed support to understand what was expected in the workplace.

Research with claimants

The claimants interviewed had a mix of health conditions, disabilities and levels of work experience, ranging from those with decades of professional experience to those who had never had a job before. However, all claimants had been away from the labour market due to their ill-health for at least a year.

The research found that a claimant’s health condition or disability influenced the type of work they felt able to do, or whether they felt able to work at all.

Their health condition or disability also led to indirect barriers, such as anxiety about re-entering the labour market due to extended time away or a lack of awareness and understanding of the social norms of a workplace. This could lead to a reluctance to accept a work placement/job or risked the experience of the placement being unsuccessful.

SEO was most successful for claimants when they received intensive support, tailored to their personal circumstances, and health condition. Claimants appreciated one-to-one regular and informal guidance from their SEA or work coach and liked seeing the same person as this helped build rapport and trust.

The support from JCP staff which claimants found most helpful depended on their proximity to the labour market. Claimants closer to the labour market preferred support directly related to preparing for work, such as help with CVs, finding and arranging suitable opportunities and accompanying them to interviews. Those further from the labour market reported that the most valuable type of support from JCP was on-going conversations to help them prepare for work and to address specific issues whilst in placements or work.

Claimants felt that the job-matching process needed to be tailored to their interests, skills and health condition and their future career goals. Claimants who had narrow views of the types of roles they would consider, needed help from JCP to see the benefits of different roles including temporary and voluntary placements.

Positive effects of SEO reported by claimants who took up an opportunity through the programme included a sense of achievement, establishing a routine and improvements in confidence and soft skills such as communication and time-keeping.

Claimants also reported that the SEO experience helped motivate them to look for more work and to develop a clearer idea of the type of roles they would like to pursue.

Conclusions

The research with employers suggests that experiences of working with JCP for employers could be improved through better candidate matching, meaning they only receive applications from appropriate candidates. Employers also appreciated regular communication from JCP, preferably with a named contact, and some requested more support before and during placements.

Charities and social benefit organisations have a valuable role in helping claimants move closer to work. Employers interviewed from this group described their commitment and capacity to providing support to candidates furthest from the labour market.

Claimants referred to SEO demonstrated a need for intensive coaching and support to help them prepare to return to the labour market. Support directly related to preparing for work, such as help with CVs and interview skills was beneficial but the claimants particularly benefitted from wider, softer support. For example, conversations about what to expect in the workplace and social norms of being at work, such as good time-keeping and showing initiative. These claimants also benefitted from help to think beyond their current expectations of the type of work which might be suitable for them or which they might be interested in. Future provision may need to allow for this more intensive work before job-matching can begin.

These conclusions dovetail with themes from the literature review about the need to take a holistic approach, working closely with both employers and claimants. The individual needs and preferences of both parties need to be considered in the process of improving employment prospects for those with health conditions or disabilities.