On Your First Day
You should be met by someone (probably your line manager), who will explain how things work and help you settle in. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Your organisation should give you a full induction. This should help you find your way around and inform you about key policies and procedures.
See our on-line induction tool for a guideline.
If your organisation is making special arrangements for your disability, check they’re in place. If not, ask your line manager. Think about your work environment - try to identify areas where you might need extra assistance. Will any other people need to know about your disability?
Meetings With Your Manager/Academic Department
Early in your placement, you should have a meeting with your line manager to set some objectives and clarify your role.
Throughout your placement, you should have regular meetings (probably minimum every 2 weeks) with your line manager to review your progress. Try to book time in advance as your manager may be very busy. In these meetings you should discuss your progress, review your objectives and raise any issues/concerns.
See our on-line review meeting template.
If your work experience is arranged through your course, you should also keep in contact with your tutor throughout your placement. They will probably visit you at least once. Consider in advance what you are enjoying/ not enjoying from your placement and what you’ve learnt. Raise any problems or issues with your tutor. Be aware of assessment requirements or objectives set by your course.
You might also want to keep in touch with your institution’s disability office.
Working With Others
Bear in mind, other people may be unsure how to react to your disability. Consider explaining to colleagues how you feel and how your disability affects you. You might want to summarise the type of level of help/support you need.
If your disability is hidden, you could consider disclosing it to your colleagues. This might help them understand why certain tasks take longer, or why you are receiving what to them may appear to be preferential treatment, such as longer breaks. It’s generally good to deal with potential issues in advance.
Behaving Appropriately
You should be professional at all times and put in the required amount of work. See our on-line code of practice.
Always be punctual and fulfil agreements. If you run late or cannot complete a piece of work, explain the situation to your colleague as soon as possible.
If in doubt, ask. Don’t be afraid of asking questions or seeking extra support. The organisation will not expect you to be an expert.
Your Skills Development
Keep a record of your experiences on placement. They can be easy to forget. More importantly, writing down and reflecting on your activities can help you identify your strengths and weakness, and subsequent methods of improvement. Spend time each day thinking about skills you’ve developed, key achievements you’ve made or difficulties you’ve overcome.
See our on-line skills recording page.
Dealing With Problems & Discrimination
If you encounter any problems, raise them with your line manager and/ or academic tutor as soon as possible. Try to think about some potential solutions beforehand.
What is discrimination?
Legally, there are two main areas of discrimination:
- Unjustifiable and less favourable treatment of a person with a disability, for a reason which relates to their disability.
- Failure to make reasonable adjustment for the disabled person.
If you believe you are being discriminated against because of your disability, you have a right to legal redress. The first step should be to raise this with your host organisation and placement tutor. Try to talk it through rationally and calmly and look for internal ways of resolving the issue.
If it cannot be resolved through these means, you can contact the Disability Rights Commission www.drc-gb.org or ACAS www.acas.org.uk, who can provide advice and provide a conciliatory service between employers and employees. Disability legislation is still fairly young, but some cases have already been brought to law. It may be worth finding out if there have been any similar cases to your own, and any relevant case law.
Code of Practice
- Be reliable: turn up when you say you will turn up, and do what you say you will do. If there is a problem; if you are running late or cannot accomplish a task, explain the situation to the individual concerned as soon as possible.
- Respect and abide by the policies & procedures of the host organisation.
- Treat all information about staff, customers and work undertaken by the company with confidentiality.
- Work safely, within the safety guidelines set by your employer.
- If you have any problems, raise these as soon as possible with an appropriate colleague or line manager.
- Be polite and courteous to your fellow members of staff and treat them with respect.
- Treat everyone equally, regardless of sex, age, race, sexual orientation or any disabilities they may have.
Remember: Whether your work experience is part of your course or not, you are a representative of your institution and should therefore endeavour to be polite, courteous and helpful at all times. Your placement may affect the company's future decisions whether (or not) to employ students.
