In celebration of International Day of People with Disability, I had the pleasure of participating in atWork Australia’s Employer road show across Greater Sydney on the 6th & 7th of December.
The road show began with a visit to Services Australia Blacktown office. I spoke with managers, front-line staff, and shared my journey of how I have overcome my barriers to find meaningful employment while living with a disability. Often, Services Australia staff support clients who are at the beginning of their employment journey; people who need to be referred to organisations, such as atWork Australia, for support. They see clients when they are vulnerable and don’t get to see the positive impact their support has on a persons’ life once they have moved onto the next stage of their journey.
Next, I witnessed the unveiling of Woolworths’ very first accessible checkout, creating a more accessible store and workplace for both customers and employees who live with physical disability. When well-known brands, like Woolworths, make an effort to adapt their stores and workplaces to be more inclusive for people living with disability, they are positively impacting the whole community. Not only making their stores more accessible but using their brand to influence others on the importance of inclusion.
On the second day of the road show, I attended Sanitarium AUS & NZ HR conference. I presented to the HR team and executive leaders at a beautiful location, down on the pier on Sydney Harbor. I provided information on the benefits of building a diverse and inclusive workforce and highlighted the impact that employment can have on a persons’ life. Sanitarium have made a commitment to growing their diversity and inclusion representation across all areas of their business. They reached out to atWork Australia to gain knowledge and understanding of how to achieve meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities within an environment that fosters inclusivity and supports the needs of their workforce.
To finish off the road show, I was invited to Thales Group International Day of People with Disability celebration. The Respect@Thales Employee Resource Group hosted a virtual session, where I participated in a live panel discussion that was live streamed to 150 Thales Group employees from across Australia. The session was very engaging; it was clear the team are very passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that can provide opportunities for people of all abilities.
It was an incredible few days, building and developing stronger relationships with our employer partners. It is truly great to see these household brands speaking so passionately about diversity and inclusion; actively trying to create more employment opportunities for people who live with disability.
If your business would like to know more about diversity and inclusion in the workplace, call 1300 080 856, or submit an enquiry via https://www.atworkaustralia.com.au/shaun-pianta/