Erica Heathcote started working for St. Albert KFC/Taco Bell about two weeks ago.
The 31-year-old lives with a developmental delay that can make following instructions challenging. With the help of the Gateway Association, an Edmonton-based family and employment resource centre for people living with disabilities, she was able to find a job that she not only enjoys, but that focuses on her strengths.
“They understand my situation,” said Heathcote. “They’re not pushing me to do something that I can’t do. They explain to me and they help me every day.”
But the current economy has made it difficult for service providers to find employment for individuals like Heathcote.
Carmen Horpestad, executive director of LoSeCa in St. Albert, said individuals are sending more resumes and receiving fewer responses. When a position is offered, it’s for casual status.
“Companies don’t know what position they’ll be in a couple months,” she said. “They don’t want to offer something that they can’t keep going.”
Layoffs in the oilpatch have led to increased competition, while a weak Canadian dollar has consumers and businesses pinching their pennies. Although flooded by resumes, companies are seeing fewer people walk through their doors or contracting their services, making it hard to justify new hires – especially ones that don’t tick all the boxes in the job description.
In 2014, when oil prices were still booming at over $100 per barrel, Chrysalis, another Edmonton-based service provider, placed an average of eight to 10 clients per month. Now the not-for-profit is lucky to secure more than one.
“When the economy is going fairly well, we get a lot of calls from employers,” said Marc Biollo, marketing co-ordinator and job developer. “You notice the difference immediately.”
Service providers like Gateway and Chrysalis use a wholistic approach to inclusive employment. By “unbundling” job descriptions, these organizations carve out unique positions that play to the strengths of individuals and meet the needs of employers.
Unfortunately, the gaps that need filling are often created by a robust economy, so when things slow down these opportunities dry up.
“When it’s a good economy carpenters need help because it’s really busy,” said Biollo. “When it’s not so busy they can sweep the floors themselves. I wish that wasn’t the case. If people had a real understanding for some of the benefits there wouldn’t be any lulls. There would always be opportunities available.”
There are many benefits to becoming an inclusive employer: individuals with disabilities are absent less often and on average have longer tenures than other employers. Businesses that hire inclusively also appeal to a wider consumer base and have higher employee morale.
For individuals living with disabilities, securing meaningful employment can increase their sense of belonging and keep them out of poverty.
“If you’re just sitting there you feel bored and you feel like you’re not going anywhere. I feel like when I’m working I’m actually doing something. You feel happy about it,” said Heathcote.
Renate Burwash, director of employment at the Gateway Association, said there’s also a misunderstanding about the process. Employers think becoming inclusive takes a lot of time or comes with a lot of job modifications.
Accommodating an individual could be as simple as writing a prioritized to-do list, “because although they might be fabulous workers, they don’t know how to prioritize.”
“When you find the right fit, which is our job, it shouldn’t be difficult,” she said.
