BT
Mark Chamberlain: Senior Manager, Business Operations Corporate Talent
Experience Studio
Nerea Pascual-Diaz: UX Researcher
Pallavi Lahri:Project Manager
Khushbu Parekh :UX Researcher
Danielle Stanko: UX Researcher
James Sinclair: Research Lead
My Role
- Overseeing the research team and coordinating with stakeholders
- Developing the research approach and methodology
- Ensuring quality control throughout the project
Background
BT is committed to enhancing career and day-to-day experiences for colleagues with disabilities, aiming to increase their representation in higher managerial roles from 5% (2021) to 17% by 2030.
To achieve this goal, BT sought insights from colleagues with disabilities and long-term conditions (DLC) to inform their strategic efforts.
Challenges
The research faced several hurdles, including:
- Highly sensitive subject matter
- Hard-to-reach and often a marginalised audience
- Ensuring accessibility for a diverse group with varying needs
Approach
The following steps were taken to address the challenges:
- Established research objectives through stakeholder workshops
- Created strict data handling and anonymity protocols to build trust
- Developed flexible data collection methods, including video interviews and chat-based diary studies
- Sampled from multiple networks to ensure diverse work experiences were considered
- Conducted 16 colleague interviews, five-day diary studies, and five line manager interviews
- Performed a thorough analysis using a combination of AI-assisted text analysis and human thematic analysis
Findings
- Line Manager’s Role: The line manager’s attitude, training, and experience significantly impact work experiences for colleagues with DLC. High manager turnover contributes to a sense of playing the “manager lottery.”
- Perceived Bias: Colleagues often feel the process is biased, and they receive better responses when not disclosing their disability.
- Job Interviews: The interview process poses a significant challenge for neurodiverse colleagues, who prefer alternatives like video or informal chats.
- Flexible Working: Colleagues with DLC benefit from flexible working arrangements to manage rest periods, create supportive environments, and reduce travel burdens.
Outcome
BT now has a comprehensive understanding of the primary barriers hindering colleague progression. The company is using these actionable insights to improve colleague acquisition, retention, and promotion while implementing practical fixes to the Accelerate (career development) program to increase its success rate.