Release of Empowered Employers Podcast

In 2021 Barnwood partnered with other employers in the county to form the Empowered Employers campaign.

Since the pandemic, ways of working have changed for many and the adjustments that disabled people have long been entitled to, like flexible working, are starting to become more commonplace. Empowered Employers aims to build on these changes, supporting organisations within Gloucestershire to consider attitudes and policies that enable meaningful work opportunities for disabled people, people with mental health challenges and neurodivergent people.

Empowered Employers is a campaign that looks at the three ways in which barriers to employment present themselves; the employment gap, the pay gap and the opportunities gap.

As part of the campaign we have been speaking with a group of Barnwood Circle members about their experiences of employment. This group also helped us to shape the Empowered Employers campaign, alongside our commercial employer partners.

Thanks to The Music Works in Gloucester, we were able to record these conversations and turn them into a short series of podcasts which have been released on our Empowered Employers social media channels.

The group started by discussing common misconceptions about accessibility and inclusion in the workplace – people’s attitudes and assumptions, and how these can be addressed. The second episode focuses on barriers when trying to get support through schemes such as Access To Work that are designed to help people find or stay in work. In the final episode the group shares their views about, and experiences of, adjustments being made at work to help remove disabling barriers, including how small changes can make a big difference.

Watch all three podcast episode in both video and audio only format here.