Labour’s proposal for a “benefits crackdown” is presented as a way to combat economic inactivity and reduce welfare dependency. The changes include tightening the eligibility criteria for Personal Independence payments (PIP) as well as Universal Credit disability top ups, and encouraging disabled and chronically-ill individuals to enter employment.
The plan appears simple enough on the surface: reduce welfare dependency, lower costs, and increase participation in formal employment. The reality is more complex and nuanced. It oversimplifies systemic barriers, which employers have ignored for a long time.
If this policy is implemented, HR leaders may face an influx in jobseekers, many of whom are being excluded from the workforce due to outdated hiring policies, rigid workplaces, and a lack career advancement opportunities.
It’s time to make a decision: Will our companies lead and adapt, or will they fail chronically ill and disabled job seekers again?
HR has an opportunity to take the initiative. If we want to get this right, we must take five urgent steps right away.
It is not true inclusivity to offer entry-level jobs without any real opportunity for career advancement.
1. Understanding the real barriers
The numbers don’t support what employers say.
These numbers do not reflect a lack motivation or a dependency on welfare, but instead show a systemic exclusion of education, opportunities for skill-building and stable career paths.
While we can’t fix everything, there are some things we can do.
- Inaccessible hiring processes.
- RTO mandates, strict work hours and rigid structures of work.
- Workplace adjustments are best approached with a “sink or float” attitude.
- Employees with chronic illnesses and disabilities who are unable to move up the career ladder.
HR’s job isn’t to just “open the doors”, but to create workplaces that cater to diverse needs.
2. You can go beyond the entry-level role
Many disabled or chronically ill people are forced into low-paying jobs that lead nowhere.
Jobs at the entry-level, especially in retail or customer service, do not offer sustainable solutions because they require long hours of work and a lot of physical effort. Many major retailers, such as Debenhams and Homebase, have either gone online or downsized their operations, resulting in fewer and less stable job opportunities.
It’s not true inclusivity to offer entry-level jobs without any real opportunity for career advancement or growth. That’s just performative compliance. We must start treating disabled job seekers and employees, as future leaders and not as mere box-checking hirings. We can take a number of steps, including:
- Auditing internal career mobility: Are disabled employees moving forward or stuck?
- Create leadership pipelines for disabled employees.
- Investing in strategic recruitment, apprenticeships and skills-building instead of hiring at minimum wage.
3. Redesigning talent acquisition to be accessible
The talent acquisition professional plays a key role in this and should engage with the disabled and chronically sick talent pools. Partnering with advocacy groups can help recruit underrepresented talent.
We need to remove all unnecessary barriers in the hiring process and make sure that roles are advertised as inclusive and accessible. We can start taking immediate steps:
Fix job descriptions:
- “Must lift 20kg” for an admin role. Remove unnecessary barriers (e.g. “must be able to lift 20kg for an administrative role”).
- It is better to state the accommodations available than make disabled candidates request them.
- Use inclusive job boards, e.g. Evenbreak and Disability Jobsite.
Interviews should be accessible to all:
- Offer alternatives formats (video applications or competency-based tests).
- Online assessments that are one size fits all exclude many neurodivergent applicants.
- Hire managers should be trained on the inclusion of people with disabilities. Bias in interviewing and screening is still a problem.
Consider more than “perfect candidates”.
- In the event of a disability or illness flare up, CV gaps should not be used to disqualify applicants.
- Concentrate on potential and capability, not just the traditional career trajectory.
It’s time to fix this problem once and for all before the new wave of job seekers floods the market.
Adjustments are often made only after an employee has struggled or advocated for themselves. This isn’t inclusion, it’s just damage control.
4. Learn and develop in a new way
Professionals in L&D can help with this process. They are responsible for creating accessible, flexible and tailored training, coaching programmes, and mentorship schemes specifically designed for chronically or disabled employees.
We must also consider the impact of chronic fatigue, invisible disabilities or fluctuating health conditions and provide adaptive learning environments as well as genuine career advancement pathways.
We are not just interested in getting disabled or chronically ill people into work. We want them to be able to have a sustainable and thriving career.
The following are some practical steps:
- Make training accessible to all: caption all videos, provide transcripts and shift away from lecture-based formats.
- Create adaptive learning options – Self-paced modules, and career development paths that take into account fluctuating health conditions.
- Training managers to lead inclusively. Many still view disability or chronic illness not as an opportunity for a better workplace, but rather as a problem to be managed.
If disabled employees cannot upskill themselves, they will not stay or progress, and we’ll have more challenges in relation to employee engagement and culture.
5. Change the culture of your workplace for long-term inclusion
It is HR’s responsibility to lead culture change initiatives, no matter how unfair it may seem. All employees should be trained to help dismantle the stigma of chronic illness and disabilities, and foster a culture that is based on empathy.
Unfortunately, many workplaces react negatively to disability, chronic illnesses, and even Neurodiversity. Often, adjustments are only made after an employee has struggled or taken action to advocate for themselves. This isn’t inclusion, it’s just damage control.
We can all take steps to make our workplaces more inclusive by:
- Auditing accessibility proactive: not just the legally required accommodations
- Work options that are flexible and built-in: Not only “adjustments upon request.”
- A team of leaders who champion disability inclusion on a strategic basis.
Your DEI moment: proactive or performative?
Labour’s “benefits clampdown” is more than a policy change – it’s also a litmus for any organisation that claims to support diversity and equity.
Companies that remain passive are exposed as performers who offer low-quality jobs, inaccessible work environments, and no real career advancement.
The future-proof workplaces will be those that take action now.
HR leaders have to make a decision: fix the problems and fill the gaps before the crisis strikes, or scramble.
