making the working environment better place to be

katrina_m

I am looking to start up my own business, being disabled my self I have found it hard to find work. I am wanting to employ people with disabilities to work in an office environment. our bodies may not work well but our minds are still ticking over. so I want to focus more on qualification and skills. I want to be mindful of the people I employ to make sure that they feel safe and comfortable. please let me know as an employer how I could make work-life easier for a disabled person. all types of disabilities can be discussed. any advice would be of great help to me so I can provide better. thankyou inadvance

leeCal

I have no specific suggestions but I wanted to wish you luck with your plans, a great idea! 

janer1967

Hi and welcome 

A few suggestions 

Have a occupational health provider available for work place assessments 

Make sure employees are aware of access to work help towards any additional costs 

Discuss each person's needs and have reasonable adjustments implemented and documented 

Make sure each person is trained in their role and gets regular performance reviews 

Office fully accessible to all and equipped 

Clear evacuation plans taking all needs into account 

Will update when I have more time 

Good luck 

katrina_m

thankyou for that janer1967 any further help will be welcomed as I want to get it right from the get-go.

Sandy_123

Hi @katrina_m what type of business are you opening? Sounds good and best of luck

katrina_m

lifeskills. teaching all ages how to survive after school has finished before entering that big scary world, also within the home. I am sure a lot of us could have done with this when we were in school, but the schools don't even have the time to teach the basics as they are focused on the curriculum and performance. from teaching the basics and further. I know I could have done with this in school. For most of my life I have helped so many people that have become a big help to them, they have continued to use. I am wanting to help people on a larger scale and give people like myself a chance to get back into work without the worry that my disability will get in the way of employment. I feel its a win-win for all.

Sandy_123

Well good luck with it, you will need to do police checks on staff. If working with children. Sounds interesting though 

katrina_m

Username_removed.the location I have found and ticks all the boxes just need the funding to rent the office space. 
easy on transport plenty of places to eat and drink, if work gets too much and you need a break there is a lovely walk and view also the cinema and shopping complex. media city is a great place to have an office here. also, you get to rub shoulder with the tv personalities that may be around when filming 

Ross_Alumni

katrina_m said:

lifeskills. teaching all ages how to survive after school has finished before entering that big scary world, also within the home. I am sure a lot of us could have done with this when we were in school, but the schools don't even have the time to teach the basics as they are focused on the curriculum and performance. from teaching the basics and further. I know I could have done with this in school. For most of my life I have helped so many people that have become a big help to them, they have continued to use. I am wanting to help people on a larger scale and give people like myself a chance to get back into work without the worry that my disability will get in the way of employment. I feel its a win-win for all.

Definitely could have done with something like this in school. Best of luck  

Lisatho11987777

Good luck hope all goes well @janer1967 you should start your own business  I think that you have a good head for it you could be a business advisor I think you would be good x

janer1967

@katrina_m

The job centre have programmes for people wanting to set up in business and disability advisors so you might get some guidance from them 

Also chamber of commerce might have some info

You might want initially to find a mentor or expert that can help you set up as there are so many implications and regulations when setting up and employing people much more than just being self employed as you will be responsible for other people 

Health and safety 
Policies and procedures 
Insurance 
Payroll   tax and ni 

Just to name a few 

You say you want to set up an office but then said you want to teach life skills etc so I'm a bit confused 

If you employ people what will they be doing? 

janer1967

@lisathomas50
Thanks for the comment I don't think I could be a business adviser lol 

I did consider being a hr consultant after my 30 years in hr

Helping small businesses who don't have hr depts and writing or reviewing policies and procedures which I spent a lot of years doing too 

Maybe give it some thought 

Lisatho11987777

@janer1967 I think you should be a hr consultant  you are very talented and have knowledge that you can share to help others I think you would be good at both jobs 

It would be a big achievement  and would help many people and small business  I belive that you can do it ?

Caz_Alumni

This sounds like a great initiative @katrina_m

Plus, I can see there's lots of really good feedback from the community already coming through for you. 

All the best with it! As with any new business, persistence, determination, a bit of grit and sometimes a lot of luck(!!) are key to making a go of it in the longer-term. I wish you every success with whatever you decide to do - and I hope you really enjoy the process of setting up in business for yourself, as well

katrina_m

thankyou everyone for your input. I will take all into consideration. the information that you have all provided has been very helpful. be looking forward to when this company goes live. if any ones else has any other suggestions please let me know as there is no wrong answers just finding the right way to put things in place

chiarieds

Hi @katrina_m - I don't know if you've looked at the resources available on the government's website. Please see:  https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-support-is-available-for-my-small-business

The Federation of Small Businesses may also be of interest. Please see: https://www.fsb.org.uk/    or

https://smallbusiness.co.uk/

katrina_m

chiarieds i have taken a look at that thankyou. it is hard to get it right now with this covid19 everywhere closed but I am on their list for a callback once things are open properly for business.