Focus group happened...

Well, the Focus Group went ahead last Thursday as planned.  We had invited a range of employers to participate in the discussion.  Those invited consisted of a mix of employers who had employed people living with a disability and some employers who had not done this.  It was awesome to have 12 employers agree to participate and share their views.  However when the day arrived, unfortunately there were some 'last minute' withdrawals so we had fewer people there than we would have liked. The good news is that Felicity (our independent facilitator and researcher from Bullzeye Marketing & Design) was satisfied that the participants present gave a range of responses and some very insightful and useful feedback.   Part of the Focus Group involved testing a couple of creative design concepts for the visual aspects of the campaign.  These had been drafted as mock ups by Bullzeye Marketing & Design to test.  It was really neat to hear from participants as they left as to how engaged they were with the process and that they did enjoy being part of the Focus Group.  

While Felicity is still analysing the discussion and will table a full report to us in a couple of weeks, she did share with me some findings in a quick fire meeting after the discussion ended.  Participants were forthright when they felt the need to challenge any industry sensitivities or instances where the sector might avoid being 'up front' and clear about someone's disability to potential employers.  An initial debrief with Felicity - before she presents her report -  indicates that the employers present felt strongly that people with a disability deserved the same opportunities as others so long as they could perform the job tasks within the boundaries of NZ legislation.  (i.e. Health & Safety Act). However, as employers they wanted to be fully informed so they could understand the challenges as well as the opportunities. Employers also felt that financial incentives were a key influencer in deciding to employ a person with a disability and these need to be overtly communicated to employers.   This is certainly in line with feedback received through previous national surveys and focus groups commissioned by the Ministry of Social Development.  In the meantime, Felicity will follow up with one of the participants who had to leave early to collect full responses from this participant.  Overall we are confident that the Focus Group will provide sound and well informed foundational data for developing our 2014 Employment Partnerships campaign.

I will 'blog' again soon and bring you more specifics from the research.  I also welcome anyone who has any questions or feedback that they would like to add to contact me at Enrich+ on 07 872 0954 or 021 280 4100. I'd love to discuss the campaign with you at this planning stage.

Martyn Parkes, Executive Leader - Employment