Fort St. John Association for Community Living

Employers

Hiring People with Disabilities Makes Good Business Sense

 

 

Welcome to the untapped resource committed to helping employers find ideal candidates who are ready to enter the work force. We work with unemployed and underemployed people who have already effectively completed our screening and matching process and are ready to work.

This service is at no cost to you, along with other numerous benefits you will get a dependable employee.

A big part of most people’s lives is their job, like anyone else, people with developmental disabilities want “real work” for “real pay”. Through inclusive hiring, employers can build thorough, effective and accurate teams that get the job done. Almost all jobs can be performed by someone with a disability, and given the right environment, people with disabilities can be productive and on average more dependable than other employees. As little as 2 hours a week can give someone a meaningful job.

Why would you consider hiring someone with a disability even for a few hours a week?
Because of what they can bring to your workplace:

  • Contributes to a better rate of attendance, punctuality, employee morale, teamwork and safety in the workplace.
  • Often leads to a reduction in staff turnover; people with disabilities have proven to be skilled and loyal employees. In FSJ our retention rate is 95%.
  • Reflects the demographics of your community, and enhances the community’s understanding of people with disabilities.
  • May free up resources to complete other tasks and increase productivity.

If you are interested in hiring someone with a disability, we will work hard to assist the individual and the employer in making it a success. The steps would be:

  • Meet with our Employment Coordinator and identify tasks that can be done or assist in creating a job description.
  • A job coach will come with the individual and work beside them until they feel comfortable, the employer feels comfortable and then gradually phase out. Once we have phased out, we are still here to ensure the success for you and the employee.
  • We will check with the employer and employee regularly to address any concerns or training issues. This is at no cost for you.

To begin, we can start on a trial basis to see if the job is a match for the employee and employer.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Have you ever thought about hiring through us but then begin to worry about safety, or cost or effectiveness? We have the real answers for you here:

Who are disabled people?

The term “disabled” covers a wide range of different people with different impairments, which may or may not affect the way they do their job. People with disabilities work in all sectors of the work force and in all types of employment roles.

I hired somebody with a disability once and it didn’t work out. Why would I try it again?

That's like thinking "you’ve hired somebody with red hair that didn’t work out so you shouldn’t hire anybody else with red hair". Everybody is different and has different skills and abilities whether they have a disability or not. The key is finding the right person for the right job and focusing on their skills and how they can contribute to the success of your team.

People with disabilities are all unique just like everyone else and should not be reflective of all people with disabilities.

Will I have support?

FSJACL is dedicated to providing support to employers and their employees. All necessary supports (i.e. job coaches, on-the-job accommodations or workplace modifications) are available from the beginning and are always on an on-going basis.

 

Do I have to offer full-time hours to participate?

Full-time hours are not necessary. We have positions that are part-time, seasonal, summer employment or even as little as 2 hours a week.

 

We are a small team and cannot afford to hire another position.

Small teams can benefit just as much as large teams.  You'd be surprised at how having someone to complete small tasks, can free up members of your team and end up being cost effective for small businesses. 

How will inclusive hiring affect my other employees?

Many employers have reported that hiring individuals with a developmental disability has improved their teamwork and enriched the culture of their workplace. We also offer online training to you and your staff to help support you.

 

What compensation do I get?

We believe in 'real work for real pay'.  It is expected that employees supported by the FSJACL will be paid at the same rate as other employees in similar roles, being at least minimum wage.  Employing someone with a disability should not be seen as 'charity'.  The employee should be expected to work and fulful the the job they are there to do, and in turn, they employer should pay them accordingly.  


What about liability?

Hiring someone with a developmental disability does not increase your liability. To date we have never had an injury on site.

 

If we hire somebody with a disability, what if they cannot do the job? We wont be able to fire them if they aren’t the right fit.

Regular performance process & guidelines apply to all employees whether they have a disability or not.  The Employment Coordinator can help all members of your team with the performance discussions and what to do when/if an employee is not meeting expectations.  We believe in inclusion, which means that employees with disabilities should be treated as other employees without disbilities and if they are not meeting expectations, we would work with the employer in any disciplinary or performance corrections, up to and including termination if that's what the employer decides.  The job match needs to be a benefit to both the employee and employer to be successful.   

 

What if we don’t have a budget to provide accommodations?

Most people with disabilities dont require any accommodations from their employer and those that may require accommodations, often don’t involve any cost.   If there is a cost that may become a barrier to employment we can problem solve that with the employer and assist in finding funding for that accomodation.  

 

What’s the value of Diversity & Inclusion to our bottom line?

  • Increase competitive advantage
  • More diverse perspectives
  • Enhanced public image
  • More inclusive (and accepting) organizational culture
  • Retain your key talent and your knowledge capital
  • Diverse and Inclusive workplaces enhances the potential of everyone in the workplace, leading to more committed employees
  • The commitment to hiring persons with disabilities identifies your organization as a corporate leader in the workplace and as a leader in our community
  • Demonstrating social awareness within hiring practices also creates a positive image for your company as a progressive employer
  • As organizational culture reflects the values of a company, many are moving towards a more inclusive culture that promotes greater teamwork and employee involvement. Demonstrating more creativity and innovation, improved communications, better work/life balance, respect for employee interests and needs, on-going learning and continuous improvement and diversity strengthen your workplace. An inclusive work culture improves the morale of all employees, which in turn improves quality, productivity and service

 

Find Out More About Us

The Fort St. John Association for Community Living was incorporated on January 23, 1960. We are a non-profit organization that has contracts with Community Living BC to provide services to adults with developmental disabilities. We provide services in the Fort St. John and District area.

Click here for more information.

Contact Us

sampleCONTACT US
PHONE 250-787-9262
FAX 250-787-9224

sample info@fsjacl.com

10251 100th Avenue
Fort St. John, BC, V1J 1Y8

Location & Contact Information

 

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