Information and guidance for managers
What is the Two Ticks Scheme?
The Two Ticks Scheme is a voluntary scheme developed by the government for employers to demonstrate their commitment to good practice in employing and retaining disabled staff. The symbol has been awarded to the School by the Job Centre Plus to recognise the School’s decision to proactively adopt the commitments set out of the Scheme.
The accreditation means the School has committed to undertake the following five principles in respect to its recruitment and employee policies:
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Interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for a job vacancy, providing they choose to apply under the ‘Guaranteed Interview Scheme’.
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Discuss with disabled employees, at any time but at least once a year, what action can be taken to make sure they develop and use their abilities. These conversations should take place between disabled employees and their line managers.
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Make every effort to put in place reasonable adjustments for all disabled employees.
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Take action to ensure that all employees develop the appropriate level of disability awareness needed to make these commitments work.
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Review these commitments every year and assess what has been achieved, plan ways to improve on them and let employees and Jobcentre Plus know about progress and future plans.
Why has LSE signed up to the Two Ticks Scheme?
The School is committed to equality of opportunity and believes that equality for all is a basic human right. We actively encourage diversity and inclusion, while opposing all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination. The School is proud to have been awarded the Two Ticks symbol because it demonstrates the positive approach that the School has to providing equal opportunities to people with disabilities and providing them with access to training, support and career development when they are employed here. We also want to show to existing employees that we value the contribution they make to the School and that we will treat them fairly regardless of disability.
How will the Two Ticks Scheme affect the recruitment process?
A key principle of the Scheme is to achieve ‘a level playing field’ where all candidates are assessed on how far they meet the essential criteria, regardless of disability.
LSE has always been committed to evaluating candidates’ on their skills and abilities in relation to the person specification criteria, however the Scheme enables the School to go one step further and guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who demonstrate that they meet all the essential criteria of the role.
In practice, disabled candidates will be able to opt into the Scheme at the application stage. This will be by simply stating yes or no – they will not be required to declare any details about the nature of their disability.
After the post closes, the panel will receive a shortlisting grid as normal, with the names of all candidates who have submitted an application. The shortlisting grid will also show the names of the candidates who have opted into the Scheme. It is these candidates who must be guaranteed an interview if they demonstrate the meet all the essential criteria. The panel will be asked to consider the applications and make a decision as to which candidates demonstrate they meet all the essential criteria. The panel should provide their reasons for shortlisting or not shortlisting the applicants on the shortlisting grid as normal. If any applicants have opted into the Scheme, but are not deemed to meet the essential criteria, the panel will be responsible for ensuring that the reason they did not meet the essential criteria is clearly stated in the shortlisting grid.
What disabilities are covered as part of the Scheme?
All disabilities are covered as part of the Scheme. The definition of a disability is:
• A physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on the person’s ability to do normal daily activities.
For the purposes of the definition, ‘substantial’ means something that is more than minor or trivial, and affects a person’s capability to perform usual and everyday tasks and ‘long-term’ means a period of more than 12 months.
Therefore, physical and psychological disabilities are included within the definition.
What happens if candidates who have opted into the Scheme do not meet the essential criteria for the post?
If the candidate does not meet the essential criteria for the post, s/he should not be shortlisted. Remember, it is only candidates that demonstrate that they meet the essential criteria who should be guaranteed an interview. However, you will need to ensure that you consider the application carefully, as you would with any other application, and if you do not think that a candidate demonstrates s/he meets the criteria you will need to fully justify your reasons on the shortlisting grid. If you are unsure, or need advice, please contact your HR Adviser.
What are ‘reasonable adjustments’ and what happens if the candidate asks if we can make adjustments to the interview process?
As an employer, LSE is obliged to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for any person with a disability to help ensure that they are not at a disadvantage during the selection process and to help them perform at their best in the interview. The type of adjustment that is made will vary depending on the person and the nature of their disability and it is a good idea to ask the candidate what adjustments they may need to help them during the interview process. It is also worth remembering that other adjustments may be needed as part of the selection process, for example, for tests, presentations, group exercises etc.
HR is able to give you advice on what constitutes as ‘reasonable’ and how to make suitable adjustments to your selection process. Please contact your HR Adviser for a conversation as soon as a case occurs.
What happens at and after the interview?
All candidates should be treated equally and fairly at the interview stage and should be evaluated on the basis of how they meet the essential criteria, regardless of whether they have opted into the Scheme.
You should ensure that you have justifiable reasons as to why candidates are unsuccessful and this is particularly important for candidates who have been interviewed under the Scheme. You should ensure that you provide HR with your reasons after the interview.
If you have any queries after the interview, please contact your HR Adviser.
Will the Two Ticks Scheme apply to all vacancies?
Yes, the Two Ticks Scheme will be implemented across all professional services, LSE Fellow, research and academic vacancies.
When will the Two Ticks Scheme be implemented?
The Two Ticks Scheme will be implemented in July 2015.
Where can I get more information on the support the School provides for existing employees with disabilities?
LSE provides a great deal of support to employees with disabilities, and to managers to help them give their staff the right assistance to be successful in their careers.
Please contact your HR Adviser if you wish to discuss a specific case and would like some tailored advice about the options and support that are available to you and to the employee.
There is also a lot of information on disability on the HR website.
In cases where making reasonable adjustments requires funding support, there is an Access to Work fund, which is a Government run scheme. The Access to Work page provides more information and details of how to submit an application.
Human Resources Division
June 2015