Simon Minty works with businesses to advise them on how best to attract and support disabled employees, as well as how to create inclusive workplaces
Simon Minty knows a thing or two about how to create accessible, inclusive workplaces. His business, Sminty Ltd, has worked with clients like the BBC, Barclays PLC, Google, HSBC and Motability.
Simon’s consultancy firm offers a range of services, from training on the Equality Act, to role playing scenarios with fellow disabled actors to provide problem-solving sessions for clients. “It’s a brilliant way of learning,” he explains. “If you can get two or three things to really land with people and shift how they think, that’s amazing.”
He even performs with a disabled comedy troupe – Abnormally Funny People – to enlighten businesses about disability issues through humour. “These are comedy gigs where you get a bonus of learning,” he reveals.
REWARDING
Currently, Simon’s favourite service to deliver is a six-month career development programme. “It’s for managers and staff who have disabilities who might have got a bit stuck,” he explains. “I love it because you can see the transition in front of you. You witness people change how they think about themselves, how they work in an organisation.” For this, a colleague delivers information on topics like management models, growth mindset and imposter syndrome, while Simon shares his knowledge around identity, disability, rights and social/medical models.
Simon has been working in inclusivity training for 20 years, so what changes has he seen over that time? “Statistics show very little change in terms of the number of disabled people in employment,” he says. “But there’s more visibility now – staff networks, top leaders who happen to have a disability and talk about it. The topic is not taboo anymore.”
So what changes does Simon think need to happen to create more equitable workplaces and better experiences for disabled employees? “For people who have a disability, to not have to carry the burden, to be able to shake off the stigma, to be comfortable with themselves,” explains Simon. He feels this will make people feel more confident and able to ask for the right support when they need it. “The only problem with that is it puts the emphasis on us as disabled people to do all the work.”
The flip side of that, he explains, is to have managers who are very relaxed around disability as a topic. “They’ll just have an informal chat, they do what they need to do, and they carry on,” he says. “It’s all about being disability confident – both for organisations and applicants or employees.”