Recruitment Case Studies

Jonathan Coleman - Loot Enterprises

Jonathan Coleman is a Customer Services Advisor with Loot Enterprises Ltd. He is highly valued by colleagues and management alike for his high work standards and commitment to Loot. This has led to him being described as an "ideal ambassador for the company" by the Free-Ads manager Christine Campbell.

Jonathan joined Loot in February 1998. However, Jonathon's recruitment to Loot was not without its hitches as Christine Campbell explains "We refused him [a position] on his first interview because we had reservations regarding his concentration and ability to absorb large amounts of information - both pre-requisites for the job".

Jonathon asked Loot for clarification, re-emphasising his skills and interest in the job as well as informing Loot that they could get support in employing Jonathan from Bury EST, a local authority Supported Employment service. Loot reconsidered their decision and offered Jonathon a job subject to a successful probationary period. The company assessed Jonathon's progress during this time.

Since then Jonathon and Loot have not looked back. Christine describes his attendance record as "exemplary". This is not surprising, as Jonathon has not had a day's sickness since joining Loot. This reflects the attendance record of Loot's other disabled staff, which is well above the average for the Free-Ads department.

Excellent attendance is not the only benefit Loot has gained from employing Jonathan. He is considered more motivated and committed than some of his non-disabled colleagues. This is reflected in his ability to achieve above average levels of productivity through consistency in his work standards, whilst other staff tend to peak and trough in their work performance.

For Loot, it makes good business sense to employ people with disabilities. As Christine comments "I would enjoy having a team of people like Jonathon working in the department, he's a marvellous employee and a fantastic ambassador for Loot."

Vicky Pierce - Millwood School

An Employment Officer from Bury EST initially established contact with Millwood primary school to see if Bury EST could support them in the recruitment and retention of staff with disabilities. The Employment Officer's fact-find revealed that the staff team was over-burdened with domestic and laundry duties within the school's infant section.

This seemed like an ideal opportunity to match up the needs of Millwood with those of one of Bury EST's clients. Vicky, who has a learning disability and is deaf, was just leaving school and wanted to sample work within a school environment. Working in partnership, Millwood and Bury EST created a part-time paid work placement to make this a reality.

The partnership developed as Bury EST supported Millwood through the early stages of Vicky's placement. The emphasis was very much on fine-tuning her work routine so that Vicky could undertake her duties effectively and efficiently. The service provided on-site support to reinforce the training she had received from her supervisor. There were regular employer-led review meetings to discuss Vicky's progress. These were valuable, not only in enabling Vicky to become independent in her work, but also in identifying the potential for utilising the staff's existing sign language skills, so that Vicky could communicate more effectively with her colleagues.

After three months, the Headmaster was convinced that he had found a solution to the school's domestic and laundry needs and also a competent worker. This was complimented by a supporting agency who understood his needs as an employer and who were able to work in partnership with him in implementing the Local Authority's Equal Opportunities policy. This reasoning provided the basis for offering Vicky paid employment as a Domestic Assistant.

Vicky has now been employed for three years at Millwood School and the partnership established between Vicky, Millwood School and Bury EST continues. The emphasis has now changed, with Bury EST taking a back seat, enabling the school to get on with the job of managing their staff; one of which is Vicky. However, they are secure in the knowledge that support continues to be available if required.