End The Awkward - campaign to avoid embarrassing and sometimes offensive situations

By Silvia Capra

Following on from the article a couple weeks ago on applications, job interviews and work programmes, this week we are looking at embarrassing situations at work or during interviews and how to deal with them. In particular, we will focus on Scope’s End the Awkward campaign and how it relates to the work environment. We will show you some instances of Awkwardness (yes, with capital A), as well as some suggestions to avoid it in the first place, but please do share your experiences (positive and negative) and thoughts, regardless of whether you were on the receiving end or not.

Surprisingly (or maybe not?), a survey by Scope found that a majority of Brits say they don’t know how to address people with disabilities and often behave differently around them. The type of (mis)behaviour varies from extreme politeness, patronisation, and inappropriate curiosity to denial of the impairment. A research study showed that 36% of disabled people have been wrongfully accused, at least once in their lives, of not being disabled.

Some situations may cause embarrassment for both parties. For instance, a (hopefully not that) common situation on which Scope created a short advert is that of bending over when talking to wheelchair users.

Scope, a charitable organisation committed to supporting equal rights and opportunities for disabled people, has launched a campaign called End the Awkward. It aims to put an end to the awkward moments that some people cause when meeting disabled people and educating the public.

One part of the campaign consists of 6 short videos that, as extreme as they may appear, represent real life events. In each video, two actors, surrounded by people who are unaware of the set-up, recreate awkward circumstances while Alex Brooker, a journalist, watches the events in real-time from home and comments on the different scenarios.

Finding the right location, wearing proper (and often uncomfortable) garments, thinking what to say and trying to do it right are common enough concerns for an interview. Similarly, starting a new job, meeting new people and being the newbie that everyone in the office want to know about is already stressful enough without having to worry about how colleagues might react to you having a disability. Ever aware of these issues, Scope recreated a real life scenario for an interview situation and day one at a new job.

In the first video an interviewer (actor), is joined by another interviewer (an actress who has a disability), and makes the whole experience a total nightmare for everyone in the room.

A second video (done in a similarly light-hearted tone) shows how not to treat a colleague who has a disability. An office manager amazes her staff with her bizarre treatment of a new employee. The excessive, overly-concerned and intrusive comments and actions coming from the manager cannot fail to fill the room with unbearable tension.

While the videos themselves are engaging and funny, purely because the situations seem so absurd, the message behind them is clear and simple: People really need to learn to see past the disability and respect the person.

On their website, Scope identifies several different categories of awkward people, not limited to but including:

The joker: This person tries to break the ice by addressing the disability head on in what they feel is a funny manner. As well as being unnecessary it is more often than not, clumsy and actually counterproductive. In the event of poor taste, it can also be offensive. If someone is crossing a line, have a word with them and explain that their comments are inappropriate and they should stop. If they persist speak to their manager.

The assumption maker: “Let me help you with that” or “Oh, you’ll need one of those adaptations to do that”. Some colleagues might make assumptions about what you can and cannot do. If you do require some help, changes or adaptations to do your work, ask to speak with your manager when you first start. Going through all that early on could help prevent future awkwardness.

The interrogator: Again, this person probably thinks that they are removing the stigma by bombarding you with very blunt and personal questions about your abilities and disability. If an employee’s level of ability needs to be established for them to do a part of their job, fair enough, but it should always be kept on a need to know basis. If it’s not relevant to the job then it’s not their business.

Alex Brooker explains that: “some people can feel a bit awkward about disability, but I think more often than not the awkwardness is coming from a good place - it's just someone not wanting to cause offence.” And this comes from not being sure how to address them. So, here are some guidelines proposed by Scope that can help those awkward people the next time they meet someone who has a disability.

1) Focus on the person, not the disability.

2) Do not be overly curious: it is okay to ask things about a previous employer or if they want to join for a night out, but other personal topics are off limits.

3) Do not assume on their behalf what they can and cannot do. Remember the old saying “assuming makes an a*s out of you and me”.

4) Trust what the disabled person tells about

themselves and their disabilities.

5) Remember that not all the disabilities can be seen.

Photos are courtesy of Scope's website.

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