Frequently asked questions

For employees:

Q: Who will be using this information? Q: Will answering these questions be used against me? Q: Do I get any information back at the end of the process? Q: I am not disabled, is this relevant for me? Q: How long will it take me to complete the questionnaire? Q: I cannot use a computer – is it possible to get a copy in a different format? Q: Do I have to fill it in all at once or can I do it a bit at a time? Q: I don’t want everyone talking about me and things that are personal to me. Q: I have a specific disability. Rather than go through this process could I not just call someone and tell them about it?  Q: If I enter the incorrect email address as my people manager, how do I change this?

For employers:

Q:  Will using ClearTalents™ make an organization fully compliant with the relevant areas of legislation?Q:  As well as providing advice on accommodations, will ClearTalents™ provide any other benefits?Q: Will employees be prepared to complete this questionnaire; we find it difficult to get people to fill out a monitoring form?Q:  Will ClearTalents work with our existing systems and processes?Q: Does ClearTalents offer any support to organizations to establish the service?Q:  We already have an OH team in place what does this do that they do not already cover?Q:  How does ClearTalents address the DSE assessment (A UK legal requirement)?Q: How long are the reports, HR colleagues and managers really don’t have much time to read big pieces of information?Q: Will we get lots of requests for accommodations and not be able to manage them?Q: I am concerned that this will result in loads of claims from people who have completed the questionnaire and that it sets unrealistic expectations for them about the support an employer can reasonably provide.Q: We are a large employer with many different and varied stakeholders, how do we ensure that the right people get the right level of information?Q: We are a really small employer is this going to create lots of extra work for us?Q: What if an employee really needs to have someone work with them to understand their needs – maybe it’s a complex mental health issue or something?

For employees:

Q: Who will be using this information?

A: The information you provide will be shared with your line manager - unless you specify otherwise in which case it will go to a central wellbeing team. It will give them useful advice and recommended steps to help them put adjustments or accommodations in place for you to perform at your best at work. The information may also be shared on a ‘need to know’ basis with other teams responsible for making changes or supporting you along the way – such as your HR department or Occupational Health.  

Q: Will answering these questions be used against me?

A: ClearTalents™ is used by organizations who want their employees to work at their best. It represents a significant commitment in terms of time and resources by your organization to make sure that they can support the needs of every employee. ClearTalents™ employers are really keen to remove barriers for you and they cannot do that without your input

Q: Do I get any information back at the end of the process?

A: Absolutely – you get a summary of your responses which lists what you've told us and, in some cases, provides some useful resources and contacts you can follow up that could help you even more. People have found new sources of information and learnt handy tips or identified new equipment options that help at work and at home.

Q: I am not disabled, is this relevant for me?

A: Absolutely - this questionnaire isn’t only meant for disabled people.  It will ask you questions about you and your circumstances that an employer could reasonably be expected to provide support for. This includes caring or parenting responsibilities, commitments around your faith or culture, pregnancy or maternity for example. The only way you are going to find out whether it’s for you is by completing the questionnaire. We encourage you to do so. In the more about me section at the end of the questionnaire you will have the option to share any additional information you think your employer should know about you

Q: How long will it take me to complete the questionnaire?

A: It depends upon how much you have to tell us. For many people it takes less than fifteen minutes. If you have a lot to tell us or want to have a look around the resources it may take you a little longer. You can stop at any time and finish off later.

Q: I cannot use a computer – is it possible to get a copy in a different format?

A: Ideally you would be able to complete your profile online as this is both secure and able to be case-managed by your organization. Your employer may, however, be able to provide an alternative format or arrange for you to answer questions over the phone if you can’t do it online - either yourself or with assistance. Contact your HR team to discuss these possible options.

Q: Do I have to fill it in all at once or can I do it a bit at a time?

A: You can fill it in a bit at a time if you want to. Just make sure you look at all the question areas as sometimes you might find something really useful that you were not expecting. Tip: Ticking items on the first page of each section will just give you more questions underneath those areas so if in doubt then tick those top-level items as it won’t add anything to your profile until you tick further items within those areas.

Q: I don’t want everyone talking about me and things that are personal to me.

A: That is not going to happen. Your manager (or wellbeing team if you don’t want your manager to see your info) will be provided with instructions on how to support you - and this includes making sure that you control communication of any information shared and agree together who is going to be told. They will discuss with you the health and safety implications (if they apply), perhaps around emergency evacuation procedures for example. We hope ClearTalents™ makes you and your employer more comfortable and empowered to have conversations that will mean you get more support and understanding at work.

Q: I have a specific disability. Rather than go through this process could I not just call someone and tell them about it?

A: You could and that’s absolutely fine to do so. Contact your HR or Occupational Health Department about whom the best person might be to talk to. You will still find it helpful to complete the questionnaire as it is about much more than just disability and you will almost certainly have other things to report. Also, if the workstation/DSE component is included then this needs to be done annually anyway so please take a look.

Q: If I enter the incorrect email address as my people manager, how do I change this?

A: You can log in and click on "my account" to view your profile. You’ll see the option "change manager". A pop up will appear with a text box where you can enter the new email address of your manager.

For employers:

Q:  Will using ClearTalents™ make an organization fully compliant with the relevant areas of legislation?

A:  Almost certainly. Using the ClearTalents™ process properly will ensure that every employee is proactively encouraged to disclose need across all areas protected by equality law. With managers being empowered to put accommodations in place and a powerful overview of all cases provided to wellbeing teams, ClearTalents™ will help to ensure that you go further than a position of compliance to one of a best practice approach to diversity.

Q:  As well as providing advice on adjustments or accommodations, will ClearTalents™ provide any other benefits?

A:  Yes. ClearTalents™ also covers areas of mental health, workplace safety and a full workstation evaluation (known as 'DSE' for UK customers) component which is a legal requirement for all employees working with a screen of any kind at a desk, hotdesk or other workstation. It also includes an optional bullying and harassment component. The result is a comprehensive approach to wellbeing in one managed process and a very significant reduction in sickness, staff turnover, compromise agreements and industrial tribunals across all organizations currently using ClearTalents™.

Q: Will employees be prepared to complete this questionnaire; we find it difficult to get people to fill out a monitoring form?

A: ClearTalents™ have spent significant time researching what the employee is both prepared to do and will respond to positively. ClearTalents™ doesn’t feel like a questionnaire and we are finding that employees are taking the time to complete it accurately and thoughtfully. Monitoring feels impersonal and like a tick box exercise unless it is very skillfully managed. ClearTalents™ is warm and supportive, relevant and informative, employees love it and learn from it – and it only takes a few minutes.

Q:  Will ClearTalents work with our existing systems and processes?

A: Absolutely, ClearTalents™ is designed to fit anywhere and everywhere within your HR or OH process depending on your organizations needs. You can integrate it fully or have it as a separate report – it’s up to you. In our experience, reasonable adjustments or accommodations need to be at point of need so we highly recommend an approach that takes the information to the relevant person and does not rely on them having to reach out for it.

Q: Does ClearTalents offer any support to organizations to establish the service?

A: Yes. We will help set up the system and ensure that it is established and running smoothly – helping the entire workforce get the right accommodations they need. If you would like some help on an on-going basis we can provide additional support from our Managed Service team. This will be at a very low level (as little management of the process is needed) and can assist in closing the more complex cases and providing regular executive reporting so that the impact of the service is clearly conveyed to your senior management team.

Q:  We already have an OH team in place what does this do that they do not already cover?

A: The main challenge an OH team faces is being able to encourage all employees to disclose any needs they have and then swiftly identify and implement reasonable adjustments/accommodations. Having a method whereby all employees can readily highlight any issues they have across all the different areas protected under law and instantly provide tailored advice and recommended adjustments is a milestone in meeting this challenge.

Q:  How does ClearTalents address the DSE assessment (A UK legal requirement)?

A: The DSE (Display Screen Equipment) assessment is a requirement for all UK employees that use a computer or electronic equipment with a screen at a desk (either their own or hot-desking).  Other countries have similar requirements and it is essential that employers ensure that all employees have a safe working setup. ClearTalents™ has a specific section that covers all these requirements, provides detailed recommendations for employer and employee, as well as additional resources around safe working. It also reports on the specific 'health' of DSE usage across the entire organization, as well as being able to integrate the DSE health into overall adjustment data for the full picture of adjustments.

Q: How long are the reports, HR colleagues and managers really don’t have much time to read big pieces of information?

A: Nor do they have time to research information, find the right person to ask or have a number of calls with the employee before getting to a solution. ClearTalents™ gives information in short powerful nuggets to the relevant person. Acting a bit like a Satnav system, it provides the information you want at the point you need it. The report is modular so you can dip in and out of the relevant bits - with more information for those that require it always available, whilst headline facts and actions are right there in front of you. It’s also worth noting that, unlike other approaches to diversity, the process is distributed across the entire management structure, with 99-percent of accommodations typically being applied by line managers without the need for budget or escalation.

Q: Will we get lots of requests for accommodations and not be able to manage them?

A: No, that’s really the key point to ClearTalents™. At the moment, you are likely to be getting no or few requests which would suggest that either people are not choosing to give you the information (statistically 1 in 5 people of working age are disabled for example) or you are getting lots of requests and perhaps struggling to respond to them adequately. ClearTalents™ gets the information from the employee and empowers the line manager (in a typical setup) with the specific, tailored accommodations ready to put in place. So it will not feel overwhelming or daunting, just sensible and appropriate.

Q: I am concerned that this will result in loads of claims from people who have completed the questionnaire and that it sets unrealistic expectations for them about the support an employer can reasonably provide.

A: Quite the opposite is the case in fact. ClearTalents™ makes it very clear to the employee that whilst the employer wants to be as supportive as possible reasonableness is at the heart of the solutions you are able to provide. An additional benefit is that throughout the report the employee is encouraged to take control for themselves as well and work proactively with their managers on implementing sensible solutions. The result is a distributed approach with very little escalation or central management (or budget) required.

Managers follow the best-practice advice provided in the report and ClearTalents™ provides employers with a comprehensive audit trail of accommodations best-practice which protects you within the law.

Q: We are a large employer with many different and varied stakeholders, how do we ensure that the right people get the right level of information?

A: That’s easy to achieve because you control it. As part of your set up process you set the reporting levels and decide on who gets what and when. ClearTalents™ can advise you on that.

Q: We are a really small employer is this going to create lots of extra work for us?

A: Not at all, ClearTalents™ is meeting a need that you have an obligation to provide for all employees. By creating a report that gives you all you need to put the right accommodations in place or links you to the person that can provide it, the time and money you save not having to start from scratch is extensive.

Q: What if an employee really needs to have someone work with them to understand their needs – maybe it’s a complex mental health issue or something?

A: ClearTalents™ helps deal with the vast majority of adjustments in a timely and sensitive way; however it recognizes that for some individuals the personal involvement of an expert is going to be appropriate. In these cases ClearTalents™ will report the need to involve an expert, confirm the expert requirement and direct them to the right person or team (either internally or externally and defined at setup) who can provide that expertise.