1 in 5 of the working-age population are classed as disabled and the number of people reporting a long-term health condition or disability is rising; largely driven by an increase in mental health conditions. Only 54% of disabled people are employed, compared to 82% of non-disabled people[1].

Some issues around employment and access to opportunities for disabled workers and job seekers are common across all sectors:

• Low levels of representation in the workforce and lack of role models at senior levels
• Recruitment processes that regularly create obstacles for disabled job applicants
• Fewer opportunities for career progression
• Lack of awareness and difficulties in getting employers to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace
• Fears of being devalued if disclosing a disability or condition

The nature of the creative industries can make all these problems more acute. The working environment can be fast-paced and often staff are on short-term contracts and working towards tight deadlines which are apt to change. Career progression is not as linear as in other industries and informal networking still plays a large role. All of which can make those living with certain conditions feel the impact of their challenges more keenly. However, with the appropriate level of understanding, reasonable adjustments can be made to improve the accessibility of roles and opportunities.

The results of a survey of the Creative Access community in 2022, published in a report on disability equity in the UK’s creative industries showed:

• Only a quarter of disabled respondents feel they have access to the contacts and networks
• Less than a third feel they have the confidence they need to progress their creative career and are optimistic about the opportunities for progression

Whilst we acknowledge that the creative industries – in which disabled people are under-represented – do throw up many challenges, it also presents opportunities for companies to become trailblazer and lead the way in establishing the best approaches supporting disabled employees to thrive.

The Equality Act 2010 states employers must make reasonable adjustments to support disabled job applicants and employees, this includes support progressing in work. 88% of our survey respondents cited the two biggest barriers to their creative careers were:

• Employers’ understanding of making adjustments to allow them to work better
• Awareness of disability issues amongst non-disabled colleagues

We asked candidates about tactics to improve the accessibility of the creative economy to disabled people. The most important thing was that employers be responsive to employees negotiating a working pattern that met their individual needs; over three quarters of respondents cited that they’d like:

• More flexible working
• Training for line managers in supporting disabled employees to thrive

There is a pressing need for creative employers to improve access for disabled applicants and support progression within the sector. We’ve cited our top tips below, but you can read the full report and recommendations here: Disability equity in the UK’s creative industries

• Base your approach on universal principles that benefit the entire team, so disabled people are not always requiring differentiation. This might include a general respect and curiosity about what enables all staff to bring their true selves to work, or the completion of Wellness Action Plans that are an easy, practical way to support mental health at work
• Review use of imagery in presentations, in marketing material and on your website
• Audit policies and procedures around recruitment, training and promotion to flag up any barriers
• Audit your staff to ensure hiring and line managers sufficiently understand their legal duties towards disabled people as set out in the Equality Act 2010 If using third party recruiters, ensure they are compliant with the measures set out in the Equality Act
• Check your marketing collateral; are the fonts and colours disability compliant? Is the text conducive to neurodivergent reading? Is your website accessible for people using screen reading software?
• Consider making adjustments to your application procedures; not everyone is able to complete the conventional application form and a formal interview with a panel of interviewers can be daunting for many people. Allow applicants to see interview questions in advance, provide photos of panels and opportunities to visit the building
• Ensure you paint a realistic picture of life in at your organisation and within the sector during the recruitment process
• Undertake appropriate team training, eg, for example: embracing neurodiversity, cultivating empathetic conversations around mental health, disability equity to ensure staff are more aware of what ‘reasonable adjustments’ can and should be made
• Consider running a Positive Action schemes specifically aimed at recruiting disabled people
• Review working hours and patterns and provide opportunities for flexible working

• Disability & Employment | Factsheets | CIPD
• The Employment Toolkit for Job Seekers with Disabilities – Differently Wired
• Employability toolkit – BeyondAutism
• Equality Act 2010: Duty on employers to make reasonable adjustments for their staff
• The 4 types of discrimination: what every employer needs to know

 

[1] ONS Labour Market Status of disabled people, May 2022

A job advert is the first touch point between a prospective candidate and a future employee and therefore a critical window into how inclusive your organisation may be.

One study has found that the average jobseeker spends 49.7 seconds reviewing a job advert before deciding it’s not a fit for them. Job adverts can perpetuate a particular image of the ‘ideal candidate’, which discourages candidates from diverse backgrounds and circumstances from applying if they feel that they do not fit that image.

To help you attract a diverse pool of candidates, we’ve put together our top 10 tips to writing an inclusive job description

1.Be mindful of gender-coded language and use of pronouns

Gender-coded words can reduce the number of women applying for your opportunity. When listing the ideal skills and qualities of the ideal candidate, consider whether your choice of language is contributing to a heavily masculine coded advert. Use this Gender Decoder tool so you’re aware of what words to avoid.

On top of this, consider your use of pronouns in your adverts. Ensure that your advert uses gender neutral pronouns such as ‘you’ and ‘they’ instead of ‘he’ or ‘she’.

2. Avoid jargon and corporate language

The use of jargon and corporate language in entry-level roles can make qualified candidates feel unqualified, if they don’t understand the terms and acronyms used on your job advert. Draft each advert with the assumption that the reader doesn’t understand your industry lingo. Ensure that you open up acronyms and include universal wording where applicable, so that those using their transferable skills from other industries feel welcomed to put an application forward.

3. Avoid phrases and requirements which discriminate against older or younger candidates

Only use phrases such as ‘recent graduate’ or ‘highly experienced’ or ask for grades and qualifications, if it is a genuine requirement for the role and really is required for the candidate to succeed.

The use of terms such as ‘digital native’ or ‘tech-savvy’ can also discourage older candidates from applying. If certain technical skills can be taught to the successful candidate while in the role, avoid making it seem like a prerequisite in the job advert.

Ensure that your advert uses gender neutral pronouns such as ‘you’ and ‘they’ instead of ‘he’ or ‘she’.

4. Ensure your job advert is formatted in an accessible way

When formatting your job advert, ensure your choice of font and colours are accessible for those with dyslexia. The British Dyslexia Association advises using san-serif fonts such as Arial, Verdana, or Calibri as these are easier to read. Along with this, avoid using underlining and italics, but instead use bold if you wish to emphasise something.

Also consider using other methods, such as audio recordings, larger fonts, and braille.

5. Avoid phrases and requirements which perpetuate racial or faith bias

Avoid phrases that can read as perpetuating negative racial, cultural, or faith stereotypes. Avoid using phrases such as ‘strong English-language skills’ as this may discourage non-native English speakers and avoid phrases such as ‘do you want to join our gang?’ which can have negative racial connotations.

6. Include the relevant skills

Women will typically only apply for a job if they meet 100% of the qualifications, while men are likely to apply to jobs for which they meet only 60% of the qualifications.  To encourage women to apply, ensure that you keep your job advert brief and remove requirements which are not necessary for the role or that can be taught through training.

7. Include benefits and provisions

As well as including any required skills and information, make sure your job postings are welcoming to candidates of all abilities and circumstances. You can do this by clearly outlining the provisions and benefits included as being part of the company, including flexible working hours and childcare provisions. Making these clear at the first touchpoint as opposed to candidates having to ask will encourage more people to apply knowing they are welcome to.

8. Include transparent job details

Set out your expectations for the recruitment process clearly; ensure candidates are aware of application deadlines, what is needed to put forward an application, salaries, and timelines. Transparency around salaries is particularly important to help ensure that candidates from all backgrounds are paid the same amount for the same role.

9. Emphasise your commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Consider stating your commitment to Diversity and Inclusion in the job advert. Let applicants know you have taken strides to become a more welcoming and inclusive workplace and direct them to any initiatives or reports to demonstrate this.

10. No trick questions

Be open about the process; what questions you might ask in an interview; what a task (if you’re setting one) will be; who will be conducting the interviews. You’re trying to get the best out of people, not trip them up!

Good luck!

Whether intentional or not, accent bias is alive and well in the UK. Creative Access’ upcoming research in partnership with PR agency Fleishman Hillard found that over three quarters (77%) of people working in creative industries have felt they had to change their accents in the workplace. Meanwhile 89% believed that others had made subconscious judgements about them based on their accent or how they speak, compared to 65% among the general population.

The Accent Bias in Britain Report: 2020 found that people “evaluated job candidates who spoke in a Received Pronunciation (RP) accent as more informed and more suitable for professional employment, even when speakers of other accents gave identical answers.” This highlights that whilst accent discrimination is of course part of a greater problem surrounding social inequality and classism within the UK, our findings illustrate how this inequality is reflected within our creative industries. It is vital that employers working to become more inclusive address accent discrimination – and its wider implications of classism – within the workplace. Here are our tips on tackling accent bias…

Take a fresh look at who you consider a ‘fit’ for your organisation. Create an environment where all qualified applicants are welcome, not just those who have gone to elite universities or speak a certain way. This also means extending our understanding of what ‘qualified’ means – can this incorporate skills over a university education for example?

If there is a lack of diversity in accents within your organisation, what could you do to make the workplace more welcoming to those from different backgrounds or even regions of the UK?

Whilst recruiting talent from communities under-represented in the creative industries and breaking down the barriers for entry into the creative industries is extremely important, the need for inclusion extends to mid to senior levels as well. You need to provide the opportunity to for them to develop and step up. Examine the concept of what it means to be ‘pitch perfect’ or ‘client friendly’. We know that clients are increasingly looking for and expecting diversity to represent their companies and engage audiences – offer your employees an equal chance to do this.

Look into your HR and talent development decisions and processes – are they fair?

Bearing concepts such as code-switching in mind, it’s important that we think about the language and imagery we use whilst hiring and in interviews: avoid jargon and corporate language, be transparent (for example, be clear around salary and progression), and let the candidate and your employees know that you’re committed to diversity and inclusion through your actions as an organisation, not just by what you say. By demonstrating an inclusive environment in the hiring process, you’re showing your potential future employee what it could be like to work at your organisation. The creative industries, which create the books, plays, films and TV we all consume, need to represent all of society, not just a small proportion – this is an employer’s chance to reach talent from backgrounds that may not ‘traditionally’ work in the sector and broaden their perspective as well as their creative output.

Do your current staff feel as though they can be their authentic selves at work? This can include everything from not mocking the way people pronounce things, or where they’re from, to being mindful of the language you use when describing someone’s accent. Think about the implications of words like ‘thick’ or ‘common’, as well as ‘articulate’ or ‘eloquent’; these terms can be seen as loaded with classist and racist connotations.  

The majority of our participants (89%) believed that others had made subconscious judgements about them based on their accent or how they speak. The first step is to accept we all have unconscious bias and become aware of this. This can be further worked on through setting up initiatives like workplace training, running workshops with external speakers, and setting up internal working groups to hear new perspectives which challenge your thinking.

Creating an inclusive culture at work means being open to having honest conversations. You must make employees aware that that if they are offended by something or uncomfortable, that there is space for their criticism or concerns. You can conduct regular anonymous surveys on workplace culture and from here, you can determine what can be improved, and most importantly, respond to the feedback.

It is clear that people from under-represented backgrounds in terms of ethnicity and socio-economic background feel the effects of accent discrimination disproportionately to other groups. Ensuring that members of your team feel able to come to you with a problem around discrimination – and to know that problem will be heard and taken seriously – is vital.

Take action with Creative Access training:

Creative Access’ has a number of comprehensive training programmes, delivered by a highly experienced team, which enable employees to thrive in a diverse and inclusive workplace. Find out more about our bespoke employer training sessions on class in the workplace, unconscious bias, inclusive recruitment and more.

If you’re a small organisation or an individual employee looking to learn more about the topics, check out our upcoming open training workshops.

Don’t pause for the menopause

By Dr Victoria Mattison, consultant clinical psychologist and Creative Access trainer

This #WorldMenopauseDay, we’re focusing on the impact of the menopause upon working women and how the workplace can create as inclusive environment as possible. Dr Victoria Mattison, consultant clinical psychologist and Creative Access trainer explores the stigma of menopause and how we can demystify it…

For many women, the menopause can be a taboo subject leading to isolation, silence and stigma surrounding what is an important life stage. Far too many feel unsupported at work and are burdened by feelings of shame, or even guilt, when raising their menopause and perimenopause symptoms with managers and colleagues. As a team at Creative Access, we believe that even a small amount of awareness and education could have widespread impact on staff retention, welfare and engagement and, therefore, should be on everyone’s agenda.

Becky Smith, director of digital & impact at Creative Access, tells us:

Menopause awareness is not just about women of a certain age! It remains an unspoken inclusion challenge in the workplace. Menopause is guaranteed to directly impact 51 % of the population, and indirectly impacts everyone, and we need a collective approach to ‘putting menopause on the map’ in our working lives.

According to Amelia Hill in The Guardian, women over 50 are the fastest growing sector, with 80% of menopausal women at work. They are likely to work beyond their menopause transition and well into their 60s and 70s. Still, valuable female talent exit the workplace prematurely every day. More than 60% of women experience menopausal symptoms such as sweats; physical health challenges; poor sleep; anxiety; low mood; low self-esteem; memory struggles; and ‘brain fog’. Despite the multitude of symptoms, the Department of Work and Pensions indicate (2022) that currently one in four women with serious menopause symptoms are forced to leave work. Furthermore, with most workplaces offering no training policies whatsoever, it is estimated that more than one million women in the UK could be forced out of their jobs entirely because their employers are ‘failing to support and include them’ as they go through their menopause.

There is currently no national legislation on menopause, but it is covered under the Equality Act as a protective characteristic, alongside age, sex and any disability, which could be affected by direct and indirect discrimination. So, how can we improve menopause education and raise awareness to reduce stigma?

We have developed our own menopause training for teams to start raising awareness within the workplace so that all employers have guidelines in place to support women experiencing symptoms. A recent survey of 2000 women aged 45 – 67 across the UK experiencing menopause symptoms found that this lack of support is having a direct impact on their capacity to work. This demonstrates how urgently we need prevent harassment, such as unwanted comments and jokes regarding symptoms of the menopause, in the workplace. We must ensure that rather than being a hostile environment, workplaces are safe, empathetic and supportive spaces. At Creative Access, we believe that women who are supported through menopause will remain in the workplace and achieve their full potential, meanwhile employers will retain valuable members of their team. It’s a ‘win-win situation’ for everyone.

If we can break the silence around this subject by creating an open and inclusive culture, we can guarantee that those struggling with symptoms can access the support they deserve to survive and thrive at work. As the Minister for Employment, Mims David MP suggests: “we are losing too many talented and experienced women from our workforce too early”. Employers and sectors with better support and clearer understanding are able to keep female talent and boost inclusivity. And, ultimately, women who have worked hard throughout their careers and are at the peak of their experience and skill will not be forced to curtail their careers due to the impact of menopause or the biases of others within the office.

We have training dedicated to destigmatising menopause in the workplace…

Menopause at work

• Menopause – symptoms, awareness and misconceptions
• Talent retention and employee engagement
• Developing support networks and organisational awareness; what line managers and colleagues can do
• Where help and support are available: in and out of work
• Legal considerations concerning discrimination, reasonable adjustments and sickness absence

Enquire here.

All workshops will provide a safe space in which to raise questions and practice responses and a supportive environment for learning, reflection and relaxed conversation.

12-month scheme to offer broad range of career development support 

Banijay UK has partnered with Creative Access to offer a bespoke, year-long professional development programme aimed at TV freelancers from historically underrepresented communities who have previously worked at Banijay labels.

The scheme, which is aimed at mid-level freelance staff progressing through the creative industries, will offer training, networking, support and workshops. 

During the twelve months, focus will be on areas including: developing leadership skills, owning mistakes and building confidence, building resilience & managing work life balance and financial literacy. Successful applicants will also be mentored by a senior industry professional for six months. 

Bella Lambourne, Director of HR & Operations for Banijay UK, said: 

“It’s an incredibly challenging time for the TV freelance community, and we are acutely aware that people from historically marginalised communities are often at a particular disadvantage. Banijay UK is committed to providing support and opportunities to those in the industry who need it, and we very much hope the scheme will help people develop invaluable skills and gain further experience.”

Bibi Hilton, CEO Creative Access, added: 

“We’re thrilled to be teaming up with industry powerhouse Banijay. We all know that freelancers in the broadcast industry are all too often the lifeblood and the lifesavers of TV and film organisations. They’re the flexible extra resource we bring in when the workload suddenly increases and there’s no time (or budget) to hire; bringing with them incredible specialist skills to transform output, they’re the crew on a TV production set who make mind-blowing, award-winning work and in a lot of cases are quite literally the entire workforce. And yet, as our data shows, many employers are not treating their freelancers in this way. Access to career development programme such as this can and should be transformative for.”

Key info:

• Closing date: 24th September 2023
• Duration: 12 months
• Start date: November 2023
• Entry criteria: You must be a freelance professional with prior work experience at a company within the Banijay group. This opportunity is only open to individuals from a group that is under-represented in the creative industries. This includes, but is not limited to Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates, or people from any ethnicity who belong to the following under-represented groups: disabled people, those undergoing gender reassignment / transitioning and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Find out more and apply here.

Once taboo in job interviews, career breaks – for a wide range of reasons – are in fact commonplace, especially now that career paths are less linear than they used to be. Read on to hear what our Creative Access recruitment team, and a real-life employer partner have to say about explaining a career break.  

Acknowledge the gap head-on in your CV, briefly referencing the reason – be it caring responsibilities, health issues, travelling, or studying. Often employers aren’t trying to catch you out by asking about your career break and just want to understand the reasons behind it and what you’ve learnt from it, just like any other experience you’ve had.  

It can also be helpful to be honest from the outset with a potential employer if you want to disclose any reasonable adjustments or caring responsibilities that they’d need to be aware of if they hired you. You can read our advice on navigating disclosure as a job seeker here.  

No matter your reasons for your career break, you will have likely learned something along the way about yourself, or picked up some transferable skills along the way that will help you in the next step of your journey. So, make sure to reference them with examples in your application and interview. 

You can use the experiences you’ve had during your career break: if you’ve taken time out to raise a child, or due to redundancy, work drying up as a freelancer during the pandemic, or illness, what have you learnt from that? Did you undertake any courses or volunteer at all during this time? You should also mention this!  

Career breaks – and your return to work – can also demonstrate your ability to overcome challenges.  Don’t forget that personal growth is just as valuable as professional growth. 

Here’s a few examples of skills you might have picked up on the way: 

• Perseverance – your return to the world of work itself demonstrates a great amount of perseverance 
• Resilience – if you’ve lost your job or have caring responsibilities, you might have learnt a lot about resilience in order to keep calm in moments of crisis  
• Organisation – if you yourself have been ill or have been caring for a love one with an illness, you may have picked up organisational skills from communicating with healthcare officials and making caring arrangements 

EXAMPLE: “Caring for my disabled sister throughout my life has meant I’ve had to take career breaks quite often. As you can see, in 2018 I took two months off to help her recovery from surgery. I’ve developed organisational and time management skills from these responsibilities such as scheduling, making phone calls, writing funding applications, that align with what the qualities needed in this project management role.”   

Greg Jones, European CEO of Smarts Agency:  

Practising for interviews is super helpful for everybody, particularly those who have been out of the interviewing game for a while and need to get back into the swing of talking about your skills and experiences. It will also be beneficial to help you practise explaining the reason for your career gap. This is especially true if the break was for a sensitive reason such as a health issue or the loss of a loved one. 

Ask a friend or family member to role-play a job interview with you so you can get comfortable with the format again.  

Interview Warmup by Google is also a great tool for practising.  

Read more in-depth advice on interview techniques from us.  

Demonstrating a passion and drive to re-enter the workforce, specifically the role you’re applying for, is key. Make sure to talk about your enthusiasm, interest in the industry and what skills and experiences you hope to gain from the role.  

You can even prep beforehand by brushing up on new industry trends and networking with others in your field. Has your career break given you a fresh perspective on your ambitions? Make sure to talk about this. 

Your career break, ultimately, can show your strengths and skills; see job applications and interviews as an opportunity to show how committed and excited you are to re-enter the world of work and how driven you are about succeeding in the industry with a renewed focus.  

Check out our advice on putting together your CV and acing an interview, no matter what stage you’re at in your career. 

The Mo Siewcharran Fund has awarded its latest round of grants to four innovative, creative organisations in Leeds, London and Brighton, across publishing, theatre, music and art: Blast Theory, World Book Day, Come Play with Me and Arcola Theatre.

The Fund was set up five years ago in memory of Nielsen Books’ former director of marketing and communications, Mo Siewcharran, by her husband, John Seaton and is administered by leading diversity and inclusion social enterprise, Creative Access. 

Mo Siewcharran was passionate about ensuring theatre and publishing were accessible to all and the grant funds internships for talent from Black, Asian and other ethnically diverse backgrounds to improve accessibility and representation in the creative industries.  

Impact of the Fund

Since the Fund started in 2018, it has supported 36 Black, Asian and ethnically-diverse trainees in publishing, theatre and music across the UK. Its impact can be clearly seen across each sector: last year Creative Access found that two-thirds (63%) of interns supported by the Fund stayed on at their host organisation at the end of their traineeship, whilst 9 out of 10 (89%) trainees continued to work in the same sector. 

On this latest round of recipients, founder of the Fund, John Seaton said: 

“If I say I have recently felt personal sadness you will think I am giving the wrong quote. But, hear me out. The personal sadness was occasioned by the sixth anniversary of Mo’s death at the end of June. Thank goodness therefore for this vibrantly good news. It is a supreme pleasure for the Mo Siewcharran Fund to be assisting these four wonderful companies, diverse in both purpose and location, but united in their desire to create working communities where there are no barriers.”

The grants contribute to the salary of an intern for a six-month traineeship, and trainees benefit from a full programme of support from Creative Access to ensure that they thrive in their new role.  

Brighton-based recipient Blast Theory make interactive art – including performance and theatre – to explore social and political questions. The group’s work places the public at the centre of unusual and sometimes unsettling experiences, to create new perspectives and open up the possibility of change. On being awarded the Fund, Business Director Anne Rupert said: 

“We are thrilled to receive support from the Mo Siewcharran Fund and Creative Access. Our paid internships offer a great opportunity for learning and skills development: building confidence and opening up career prospects. Working with Creative Access will enable us to offer a longer placement and reach people who are often excluded from these types of opportunities.” 

Recipient World Book Day is a small charity with big ambitions, committed to improving diversity and inclusivity in children’s literacy and reading. Its vision as a charity is to see more children, from all backgrounds, developing a life-long habit of reading for pleasure, benefiting from the improved life chances this brings them​. Chief Executive, Cassie Chadderton said:

“Funding from the Mo Siewcharran fund will provide a supported entry route to a charity playing a vital role in encouraging more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to experience the life-changing benefits of reading for pleasure.” 

The Fund was also granted to Arcola Theatre, one of the UK’s only theatres founded and run by first-generation migrants. Over 20+ years, they have consistently created responsive, high-quality theatre by and about the lived-experience of people of marginalised backgrounds. Leyla Nazli, Executive producer said:

“As a diverse led organisation, Arcola is always looking for ways to develop the next generation of theatre makers from the Global Majority. We are proud to be partnering with Creative Access and grateful for the support of the Mo Siewcharran Fund.”

The Fund is once again open for other theatre, publishing or music organisations wishing to support internships for those from under-represented communities. 

Those interested in applying should contact lucy@creativeaccess.org.uk. The deadline for the next round of applications is Friday 1^st December 2023.  

Over the past ten years, the team at Creative Access have amassed a wealth of knowledge to help organisations attract the strongest candidates from communities under-represented in the sector. One key thing we have learnt is that if you don’t include a salary you are much less likely to generate a positive response to your advert…

We analysed 500 of the most recent job listings that have appeared on our website. Our research found that jobs where the employer chose to withhold the salary and list it as ‘competitive’ attracted nearly 40% less applicants than jobs where the salary (or a salary range) was stated in the advert.

This is also an issue when recruiting for a more experienced hire. Our research showed that listings for senior roles where the salary was stated received 58% more applications than those where it was just listed as ‘competitive’.

People work for passion and for pay

It is not an unreasonable expectation that people will be recompensed fairly for their work. It is for this reason that we refuse to advertise unpaid internships through Creative Access. Pay matters.

Candidates need the full range of information available to them to make informed choices about their careers and their lives, and that includes specific information about remuneration.

If you are transparent with salary details you can help ensure that the correct calibre of candidates apply. Applicants can better gauge what level of experience is required for the roles they’re applying to.

Walk the talk

Our candidates come from groups that are already under-represented in the creative industries. Our pool of candidates is predominantly formed of:

• Women (who already know they are underpaid compared to men)

• Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse groups (who already know they are underpaid compared to their white peers, especially in London)

• People from low-socio economic backgrounds (who already know they are underpaid compared to their peers from more affluent backgrounds)

• People living with disabilities (who already know they are underpaid compared to those who don’t have disabilities)

These candidates are not just looking to work anywhere. They’re looking for an organisation where they will feel valued, and that has a positive, transparent, and inclusive company culture in which they can truly thrive. Starting your relationship with candidates by deliberately withholding key information from them points to a lack of trust and openness, which will raise alarm bells about your company’s practices. Whilst you may be working with us in an attempt to reach great candidates from under-represented groups, by withholding salary information you’re actually inadvertently repelling the best of them.

A practice that entrenches inequalities

When salaries are not stated, compensation can become a matter of negotiation. When salaries are decided through private negotiations, the result is often that pay inequalities are compounded for those from under-represented groups. By stating the salary, you are sending a signal that what you’re offering is fair and that you are ensuring that anyone who applies can access that fair pay.

“When I was looking for jobs and I came across ones that were listed as ‘competitive pay’, I skipped them,” one candidate who was job-hunting last summer told us. “Applications take a lot of time and it’s disheartening to go a long way in the hiring process to then discover that pay is lower than you expected. This has happened to me before and I had to turn the role down because I couldn’t live off that wage. Now when I see a role listed as ‘competitive’, to me it screams ‘low pay’.”

This experience is consistent with other reasons we’ve heard from candidates about why they avoid jobs where the salary isn’t stated. They said:

• It gives out a bad vibe about the organisation; they appear secretive

• It could be a potential waste of their time to submit an application only to find out that my expectations are way off

• It suggests that current staff are underpaid

• I don’t have a clear idea that my skills and requirements are aligned with the seniority of the role

Aki Schilz, who campaigns to improve salary transparency in publishing, believes that it’s a simple and positive step to make salaries for roles more transparent, especially at entry level.

“If we’re to start addressing inequalities, we have to have a cultural shift and that’s got to start somewhere simple and easy – at entry level. From the outside, you have no idea as an applicant wanting an entry-level job who’s new to this [what a fair salary is]. It’s putting far too much expectation on the person applying and there’s not enough accountability from those working in those organisations.”

What should you do?

Quite simply, state the salary from the outset every time.

Salary ranges are fine; candidates understand this, and can prepare for a fair negotiation within a clear range. ‘Dependant on experience’ without a salary range is just as unhelpful as saying ‘competitive’.

Sometimes you might be unsure as to how senior to pitch a role and therefore you’re not sure what the salary range is; just include a wider salary range to cover the lower and upper ends. Alternatively, advertise two roles at two different levels with the respective salaries stated.

Ultimately, a job advert is often a candidate’s first detailed look into you as an organisation. Show that you’re open and fair. Show that you value diversity and inclusion. Show that you respect that candidate’s time. Show all of this by simply showing the salary.

Bibi Hilton, CEO of Creative Access, featured in Rohan Banerjee’s Raconteur article discussing the use of positive action schemes in senior leadership recruitment.

Read the article in full here.

Ever wondered how activists stay motivated? In her role as an activist engagement intern at Greenpeace, Creative Access intern Salomé Revault d’Allonnes empowers and brings activists together in their fight against the climate crisis…

I work at the intersection of activist engagement and collective care training.  

A lot of my work revolves around designing and facilitating workshops with different groups of activists. I’m also supporting the Activist Development team in coordinating logistical and welfare support for activists before, during and after an action.  

In terms of digital communications and storytelling, I also co-edit the quarterly activist newsletter, regular email updates, website copy and I presented a social media video for our recruitment campaign. 

Collective care: programmes and practices which support the mental wellbeing of people who are part of causes and movements.  

I really enjoy how varied my role is. It combines many of my interests from my research and tutoring background to my more creative and storytelling side and, last but not least, my passion for social and climate justice and transformative organising. 

No week looks the same and that’s something I really value. 

I graduated from university in September 2021. I was initially looking to work in the documentary film sector, which I did for a bit, but the lack of security required me to work part-time in jobs outside the industry which didn’t work for me. I knew I wanted to tell stories that matter, speak truth to power and contribute to transformative change. 

I am grateful to Creative Access for allowing me to even consider such a well-known organisation in the environmental and NGO sector. I remember seeing the vacancy in a newsletter and thinking why not give it a try without realising that I could potentially be successful. It felt too big and unattainable. 

Creative Access were really helpful during the application process by giving feedback on a first application draft and organising a call with shortlisted applicants. That feedback really helped me refine my application and make it to the interview stage. I couldn’t quite believe it when I was offered the job! 

There were other internships being advertised at Greenpeace at the time I applied, but the reason I applied for this role in particular was its focus around building a culture of collective care in the activist network.  

With previous experiences around migrant justice and feminist organising, the concept of collective care really resonated with me, and I’ve been given quite a lot of freedom in designing that programme.  

I’ve been designing and delivering workshops to develop a culture of collective care with an anti-oppression lens with different groups of activists, volunteers and artists. 

My proudest achievement was when someone who applied to our new activist training programme mentioned a collective care session I had run in a previous volunteer gathering as one of the reasons why they were motivated to take action with Greenpeace! 

My advice would be what I keep trying to tell myself every day: your opinion and experience matter and have value. You have a unique perspective and even if you feel like you don’t have enough relevant experience, you have many transferable skills and there’s no way you’ll know everything about a job before you do it.  

Stay true to yourself and put forward all the things you’ve done and created, including in unpaid contexts. If you want to break into this sector, it means you are creative and passionate, and these are very powerful tools. 

Want to learn more about how you can pair a passion for sustainability with a career in the creative industries like Salomé? Sign up here for our upcoming masterclass on Thursday 30th March.  

A new press announcement from Creative Access on freelancers in the creative industries reveals that freelance talent demands change from creative organisations. Although freelancers are broadly happy with their career path, there is a breakdown in the relationship between freelancers and employers within the creative economy as 1 in 2 freelancers say they ‘don’t feel supported by employers’ they work with. 

Although demand for freelance workforce support in the creative industries shows no signs of shrinking, overall satisfaction is waning among the self-employed.

• Freelancers ask for reasonable adjustments & employer training to thrive 
• 50% of freelancers don’t feel supported by the employers they work with  
• 1 in 5 (22%) became a freelancer due to negative experiences in a perm role  
• Disabled individuals 30% more likely freelancing after negative perm role experience 
• 54% say they’re offered a day rate or salary below their level 

However, the research also showed that freelancers are overall pleased with their career path, pointing to several positive aspects about being self-employed, suggesting their job gives them satisfaction, namely around:  

• remote work (62%) 
• project diversity (61%) 
• independence (61%) 
• it being beneficial to their health & wellbeing (42%)  
• and freedom to select clients (32%) 

Read the full report: Freedom or working for free? Freelancers in the creative economy 2023

Read Creative Access’ employer resource here: How employers can better support freelancers

• Freelancers ask for reasonable adjustments & employer training to thrive 
• 50% of freelancers don’t feel supported by the employers they work with  
• 1 in 5 (22%) became a freelancer due to negative experiences in a perm role  
• Disabled individuals 30% more likely freelancing after negative perm role experience 
• 54% say they’re offered a day rate or salary below their level 

Creative Access, a leading UK diversity and inclusion social enterprise today reveals new research that shows although freelancers are broadly happy with their career path, there is a breakdown in the relationship between freelancers and employers within the creative economy as 1 in 2 freelancers say they ‘don’t feel supported by employers’ they work with. 

This is despite the creative industry’s heavy reliance on its freelance workforce. Self-employed talent currently represents a third of resource in the creative economy (source) – sectors such as film, TV, journalism, PR and many more have historically relied on freelance support to deliver projects and plug valued skills gaps.  

Creative workplaces ‘excluding’ freelancers   

Although demand for freelance workforce support in the creative industries shows no signs of shrinking, overall satisfaction is waning among the self-employed. The report from Creative Access surveying under-represented freelancers in the creative industries highlights poor standards from employers. When asked ‘do employers support freelancers and include them in their teams & organisations?’ half of respondents (50%) said no. 

Unsurprisingly, 1 in 2 freelancers also said late payment from employers was an issue. And 1 in 3 disabled respondents said they went freelance due to a negative experience in a permanent role, this was higher than the average 1 in 5, which sadly raises a bigger issue of disabled freelancers being 30% more likely to have suffered bad workplace experiences as staffers, this ‘otherised’ treatment seems to continue into self-employed life.  

Not all bad for freelance talent 

Despite challenges freelancers face, respondents are overall pleased with their career path, pointing to several positive aspects about being self-employed, suggesting their job gives them satisfaction, namely around:  

• remote work (62%) 
• project diversity (61%) 
• independence (61%) 
• it being beneficial to their health & wellbeing (42%)  
• and freedom to select clients (32%) 

How can employers & the industry help freelancers thrive? 

Despite positive experiences being self-employed, freelancers didn’t hold back in identifying how employers and the creative industry at large can better support them to do great work. It’s no coincidence that respondents said employer training on how to best support freelancers is one of the most important resolutions to the freelance, employer disconnect. 

Respondents also pointed towards several key action points employers and the creative industry at large can take to help them thrive: 

1. Make it clear as an employer you will make reasonable adjustments for disabled freelancers – 91% of disabled freelancers in our survey highlighted this was an issue with employers.  

2. 78% of freelancers in our survey said professional training was one of the most important areas employers and industry bodies can support them 

3. Providing access to a mentor with a similar lived experience, was valued by 63% 

4. Access to networking events to build their client and peer contact base (67%)  

5. As well as training for employers on how to best support freelancers (48%) 

“Freelancers are all too often the lifeblood of a creative organisation,” says Creative Access CEO, Bibi Hilton: “They’re the flexible extra resource we bring in when the workload suddenly spikes and there’s no time or budget to hire to plug highly valued, and often specialist skills gaps. And yet, our survey shows, many employers are not treating their freelancers in this way. They are treating them as ‘other’ to their permanent employees; investing in training or wellbeing for everyone except their freelancers or worse, claiming to create a culture of ‘belonging’ that includes everyone except the large proportion of individuals not on permanent contracts.   

“At Creative Access we’ve been at the forefront of supporting diverse talent for over a decade, it’s all part of our mission to make the creative industries reflect UK society. However, we also appreciate our own role in offering career-long support – particularly when talent is self-employed and lies outside the safety net of an organisation.” 

Read the report in full here: Freedom or working for free? Freelancers in the creative economy 2023

Read our recommendations for employers here: How employers can better support freelancers