DE&I

Inclusive interviews

Disabled people experienced a record level of employment in 2023, thanks in large part to remote work. Despite opportunities created by remote work and the three-decade old Americans with Disabilities Act, many disabled workers still face barriers to employment.

Disabled workers often face barriers before they can even apply for a job, which continues once they’re in the workforce, and one in three disabled workers experience discrimination in the workplace, according to an Indeed survey of 2,078 workers, shared exclusively with HR Brew. Of those surveyed, 19% identified as having a disability.

Some 37% of respondents said they struggle to identify whether jobs will be accommodating to their disability, and 31% fear they won’t be considered for roles based on their disability. Finally, 25% said that discrimination poses a challenge in the interview and hiring process.

Donna Bungard, senior accessibility program manager at Indeed, said HR leaders can help alleviate some perceived barriers during the application process.

Keep reading here.—KP

PRESENTED BY CLEARCOMPANY

Your candidates will thank you

A positive hiring experience is mission critical, whether or not it ends in an offer. And with super-high expectations for talent teams in 2024, you need tools to help you deliver the best.

That’s where ClearCompany comes in. Their guide, The 2024 Recruiting Trends Shaping ATS Software, will give you the scoop on the latest in recruiting software, best practices, and how to take your workplace to the next level.

Want more deets? This game changer spills the beans on:

• the widespread use of AI and automation
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• how to support remote and hybrid workforces
• maintaining commitments to DE&I

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TOTAL REWARDS

Plum perk

Perks for restaurant employees have evolved beyond some free fries. Hart House, the Los Angeles-based vegan restaurant chain co-founded by comedian Kevin Hart, announced on March 6 a partnership with student loan benefits provider Savi to offer the company’s full- and part-time employees tools and coaching to help lower their educational debt.

Hart House employees can enroll in the benefit on their 60th day of employment, Andy Hooper, the company’s CEO, told HR Brew. Then, he said, they’ll be connected with a financial coach through Savi, who can help them enroll in a program—like the income-driven repayment plan SAVE—that will help them lower their monthly student loan payment. While Hart House is not contributing money directly to its employees’ debt, it is covering the cost of this financial coaching.

Zoom out. Student loan debt in the US sits at $1.7 trillion as of Q4 2023, according to the Federal Reserve, a far cry from the $480 billion owed in 2006 when the Fed first started calculating the figure.

Employers that offer student debt relief could be putting themselves ahead of the curve when it comes to employee retention, according to insurance brokerage and consulting firm Woodruff Sawyer.

Keep reading here.—AS

COWORKING

Coworking with Brittany Barhite

Here’s this week’s edition of our Coworking series. Each week, we chat 1:1 with an HR Brew reader. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Brittany Barhite has a big job at Firstup, an employee experience and communication platform that delivers personalized communication to employees the way they prefer to consume it. An experienced HR, communications, and experience leader, Barhite was recently tapped by the company to oversee all comms and brand experience, both internal and external.

For Firstup’s 340 employees, Barhite oversees their internal comms, onboarding, DE&I work, and recognition. It’s a big undertaking, but it’s one that Barhite is passionate about, because to her, good communication is at the heart of good people practices.

At Firstup, she gets to lean into her expertise and help the platform practice what it preaches.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What’s the best change you’ve made at work?

I was a communications leader for a Fortune 500 company, Owens Corning. During that time, I first encountered Firstup, as we were seeking a solution to connect our large deskless manufacturing population spanning 33 countries. Implementing Firstup at the manufacturing company yielded significant increases in communication engagement, solidifying my belief in the power of personalized communication and utilizing multi-channels to better reach the deskless population.

Keep reading here.—AD

TOGETHER WITH MARSH MCLENNAN AGENCY

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WORK PERKS