Building the diverse workforce of tomorrow through empowering and fostering inclusion was at the top of the agenda at an event held by international law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD).

Hosted at the firm's Bristol office, a wide range of guests heard from a trailblazing panel made up of representatives of WBD's Disability & Neurodiversity Network and of North Somerset Council, which openly discussed practical and shared insights on disability, neurodiversity, and accessibility in the workplace.

Chair of WBD's Disability & Neurodiversity Network and legal director Michelle Essen was joined by WBD's inclusive recruitment lead Charlotte Hall, North Somerset Council's inclusion and corporate development manager Louise Roberts, and Kate Hudson-McAulay, principal conservation and heritage officer and the chair of the council's Disabled Staff Forum.

With both WBD and North Somerset Council having achieved the highly-regarded DWP Disability Confident Leader accreditation, the panel explored a number of key topics around how organisations can empower inclusion and successfully engage with their staff on disability and neurodiversity, including:

  • What disability, neurodiversity and accessibility are and why they matter in the workplace
  • How inclusive recruitment practices move the dial on disability and neurodiversity inclusion, including tried and tested strategies
  • Ways to create an inclusive culture for those in the workforce, from appropriate and supportive policies and training, through to organisational strategy
  • How organisations can encourage involvement through the formation and engagement of staff networks and employee forums to bring a range of voices to the table
  • What role data plays in building out a programme of initiatives which work for your organisation
  • How to use existing best practice frameworks and how looking at the wider industry can help shape how you approach your specific organisational needs.

The event sparked thoughtful questions from attendees, who continued their discussions with WBD, North Somerset Council and each other after the event.

Best practice takeaways

Following the successful conference, the panellists shared some further tips.

Charlotte offered a good starting point: 

"Deciding where to make changes can feel overwhelming, and so data monitoring can be really helpful. Once you identify processes that could use some improvements, you can choose the initiatives that will make the most meaningful impact. The more trust you build with your candidates and employees, the more reliable your data will become."

Adding her thoughts around strategy, Louise said: 

"If you have recognised that you can do more to welcome disabled people into your organisation, I strongly encourage you to have a look at the Disability Confident Framework. It leads you to take a holistic view of what you can put in place to attract and retain more disabled people into your organisation."

Kate highlighted the importance of engaging staff: 

"Just talk to your disabled staff, listen to what they need and make sure whatever you try to implement really does meet this need – not do be afraid to go back and ask questions to make sure it is really something that will help them".

Finally, Michelle concluded: 

"keep an open mind and be open to learning. If you create a safe space for your people to raise concerns with you, don’t be daunted or take it personally if they do then do this. This is an essential part of the process towards a more inclusive workplace culture, which benefits everyone – and it's great that you helped them feel comfortable enough to raise it with you in the first place."

For more information about how North Somerset Council and WBD are strengthening their workforce through disability and neurodiversity inclusion, please contact Louise at louise.roberts@n-somerset.gov.uk or Michelle at Michelle.Essen@wbd-uk.com.

From left to right: Kate Hudson-McAuley, Louise Roberts, Charlotte Hall and Michelle Essen

Our panellists (from left to right): Kate Hudson-McAuley, Louise Roberts, Charlotte Hall and Michelle Essen.