Epilepsy survey highlights unfair prejudice at work

Around a third of people in UK who live with epilepsy say they have experienced prejudice from their employer and nearly half are reluctant to change jobs because they fear encountering prejudice elsewhere.

These are among the findings of a survey carried out by the National Society for Epilepsy (NSE) and SHL, the leader in psychometric assessment for recruitment and development.

The level of prejudice perceived to be shown by employers has changed little in the last three years, since NSE last carried out a similar survey. However, latest evidence based on the research undertaken in conjunction with SHL suggests employers are wrong to take such a narrow-minded view.

SHL objectively assessed a group of people with epilepsy of different ages. Some had active epilepsy; others had undergone surgery to bring their seizures under control. They came from different educational backgrounds and all walks of life.

The group undertook online psychometric tests which were evaluated by SHL’s team of psychologists. Their results were then compared with a similar cohort of people whose lives had not been affected by epilepsy.

There was no marked difference between the two groups, meaning people with epilepsy are just as likely to perform as well their colleagues when handling numerical and verbal information.

Needless to say, we weren’t surprised at this finding, said Margaret Thomas, NSE Assistant Director - Communications. But we know many people with epilepsy have experienced prejudice in the workplace, with bosses assuming that people with epilepsy are less able in the workplace than those without the condition.

We were keen to take up the challenge with SHL to prove the point that people with epilepsy are just as able as any other equally qualified person to undertake almost any employment. There are now very few exceptions in which as person with epilepsy may not be suitable for a particular job - and this is based on safety grounds rather than ability.

In tandem, NSE undertook a survey to help build a bigger picture of employment of people with epilepsy, their worries about work and the prejudices they might face.

Kevin Kerrigan, managing director at SHL (UK) said the testing undertaken with NSE was typical of the use of assessments in recruitment situations.

He added: There is a great range of abilities across the entire population, and individual capabilities are not always easy to assess. Interviews, CVs and subjective judgements can be very biased, especially where disabilities are concerned.

The use of objective assessment in recruitment and development situations provides a much fairer and more accurate measure of an individual’s capabilities. Objective assessment by its nature helps to counter any preconceptions an employer may hold.