Scarborough’s Grand Hotel proudly joins the Disability Confident Scheme

The Disability Confident Scheme aims to encourage employers to think differently about disability and long-term health conditions and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people.

Grand Hotel General Manager Mark Johnston Rooms Division Manager Andrew Tunstall spoke about their experience of signing up to the scheme in the hope that it will encourage other employers to follow suit.

Mr Johnston said: “As a Committee Member for North Yorkshire CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), part of my role is to organise events for Scarborough CIPD members and non-members.

“I contacted Scarborough Jobcentre Recruitment Managers Bron Goodwin and Janine Merritt who arranged for a Disability Employment Adviser to deliver a session on the Disability Confident scheme and Access To Work scheme.

“We also work with local Autism Charities and the amazing recruitment team at Scarborough Jobcentre to help us find the right people for the large number of roles that we need at the hotel.”

“Being Neurodivergent myself and only identifying this during my recent studies at university has made me aware of the challenges I have faced historically.

“My organisation has given me additional support and it has made me better understand the challenges faced by prospective employees.

“I’m proud to say we’ve adapted our methods of recruitment and the way we work with our existing workforce to reflect this.

“There was a realisation that we were doing these things already, so it was about recognising what we have in place and how we could develop and move up through the scheme to help with our recruitment, retention and longevity of service in our teams.”

Bron and Janine said: “We really value our relationship with The Grand and their busy interview days in our office offer great opportunities for our customers.

“We also support many other employers with their recruitment, and we’re proud of the work that we do to promote schemes like the Disability Confident Scheme so it’s rewarding to see an employer at the heart of our community not only sign up to the initial level but work hard to move up to the next stage”

“We always want to help employers access the widest pool of talent and would encourage employers with vacancies or questions about the Disability Confident Scheme to reach out to us to see how we can help by ringing 0800 169 0178 or visiting www.gov.uk/jobcentre-plus-help-for-recruiters.”

Speaking about the Disability Confident Scheme Mark Johnston said: “We’d encourage other employers to look at what they already have in place and showcase their commitment by following the simple and straightforward processes.”

To find out more about signing up to the Disability Confident Scheme visit gov.uk/disability-confident.

The Grand are now exploring signing up to the Menopause Pledge and are looking forward to continuing their relationship with the team at Scarborough Jobcentre and showcasing their jobs and their new Disability Confident status at the upcoming Scarborough Jobfair on Friday February 28 at The Street between 11am and 1.30pm.