Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Disability discriminationLatest NewsDiscriminationRecruitment & retentionVisible difference

Guide improves recruitment for visibly different candidates

by Rob Moss 23 Sep 2019
by Rob Moss 23 Sep 2019 Canadian model Winnie Harlow is a spokesperson on the skin condition vitiligo.
Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/PA Images
Canadian model Winnie Harlow is a spokesperson on the skin condition vitiligo.
Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/PA Images

Changing Faces has launched a guide to help employers provide a positive recruitment process for people with a visible difference such as a mark or scar.

The charity’s guide follows research published in May 2019 which found that 36% of people with a visible difference – for example a mark, scar or skin condition –  say they have been discriminated against in job applications because of their appearance.

The My Visible Difference report also found that 40% of people with a visible difference say they have felt judged by potential employers and that they have not applied to certain roles because of their appearance (41%).

Susan Ross, head of education and learning at Changing Faces, said: “Applying for jobs and attending interviews is, for many people, a nerve-wracking experience. Imagine the additional concerns you might have if you already face stares and comments on a daily basis because of how you look… We want to help employers better understand the legal duties they have to people with a visible difference, but also share some practical advice.

“Our tips include how best to respond in an interview if a candidate explains directly about their condition or injury, and how to encourage people with marks or scar to apply for roles.”

The employers’ guide includes sections such as how to encourage applications from people with a visible difference; what to do if someone has disclosed that they have a disfigurement; and how to avoid personal biases in decision making.

Changing Faces is calling on all employers to tackle appearance-related discrimination in the workplace and provide training for staff to ensure that workplaces are fair and inclusive. Part of the training the charity offers includes how employers can be more aware of how their unconscious attitudes around appearance may affect their policies and practice.

The charity is calling on companies and brands to sign up to #PledgeToBeSeen to represent more people with a visible difference in their campaigns over the next year.

How visible difference affects jobseeking

Phil Gorf, right, was born with a birthmark that covers three quarters of his face and parts of his body. While he’s had a successful career working in logistics at DHL, before that he experienced a lot of discrimination when applying for jobs.

“I once had an interview with a water company and the man interviewing me said: ‘I’ve noticed your face, is that anything that can get in the water?’ I explained that it was just a birthmark.

“Unsurprisingly I didn’t get the job. At the time, I was trying to get a job so I stayed professional and polite, but it wasn’t until afterwards that I realised I was being discriminated against.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“Then I had an interview at a company that fitted satellite dishes and TV aerials, where the man said: ‘I can’t employ you, I couldn’t send you out to a customer with a face like that’. I found that really upsetting.”

Phil feels strongly that employers need to do more to educate their staff about people who have a visible difference to make sure that they treat them fairly and responsibly as both staff and customers.

Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
Sandwich carers struggling to balance work and home
next post
Vulnerability of UK manufacturing to Brexit revealed by new study

You may also like

Restaurant tips should be included in holiday pay

21 May 2025

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

Pay awards in real terms could fall for...

21 May 2025

Ryanair demands flight attendants pay back salary increase

21 May 2025

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Black security manager awarded £360k after decade of...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

UK and EU agree to collaborate on ‘youth...

19 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+