Apt - Making it Work final report

Part Nine - Recommendations

Recommendations for future employer capacity building projects:

1. Allow longer delivery and embedding periods:

Build in at least 12 months of engagement per employer, plus post‑project evaluation

2. Prioritise warm employer introductions:

Work more closely with trusted intermediaries (partners, employer networks, sector bodies)

3. Phase engagement and progression:

Start with higher‑engagement (more popular) topics (e.g. Positive Workplace Conversations) before progressing to more complex areas (e.g. consultation structures)

4. Strengthen post‑project sustainability:

Include follow‑up support, peer networks or light‑touch check‑ins to embed learning and achieve lasting results

5. Align with national systems and incentives:

Coordinate with employability provision, CPD accreditation systems and national employer bodies and approaches to increase reach and motivation

6. Continue lived‑experience‑led delivery:

Maintain meaningful, paid involvement of people with lived experience to ensure solutions remain practical and credible for the employer partners

Recommendations for Employers Implementing the Workstreams

Equitable Induction & In‑Work Support

• Review induction materials with staff feedback, including lived experience; focusing on accessibility and clarity
• Introduce tools such as Induction Checklists, Wellbeing Passports and In‑Work Support Plans
• Embed ongoing check‑ins beyond initial onboarding to improve the employee experience
• Increase awareness of Supported Employment approaches and links to available support

Positive Workplace Conversations

• Use structured tools such as the Why You Askin’? campaign to normalise conversations
• Provide managers with practical models, examples and opportunities to practise and learn from
• Recognise that confidence develops over time through repeated, supported use of the learning tools
• Embed peer learning and reflective practice to sustain the activity in the business

Digital Access Review & Action Plan

• Treat digital accessibility as a core quality standard, not an optional adjustment
• Involve disabled staff in testing systems during development and procurement
• Integrate assistive technology into onboarding and training from the outset
• Allocate clear responsibility and time for implementing accessibility recommendations
• Build understanding of accessible and fair AI use in recruitment and training

Improving Workplace Consultation

• Start with proportionate, manageable consultation mechanisms (e.g. pulse surveys, informal focus groups)
• Be clear about purpose, influence and feedback loops to avoid perceptions of tokenism
• Where appropriate, pilot Reverse Mentoring over longer periods to embed learning
• Ensure managers are equipped to lead engagement locally, by training them to do so

Overall Conclusion

The Making It Work project shows that employers can and will make meaningful changes to support disabled people when given the time, tools and support to do so. Sustained progress depends on longer delivery timescales, practical resources, confidence‑building interventions and embedding lived‑experience insight at each stage. Future success lies in moving from short‑term projects to longer‑term partnerships that support lasting cultural and systemic change, with a clear benefit to the employer in terms of absence, recruitment and retention.