Setting up disability employment to succeed
Ebru Dogan, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor at Gold Coast University Hospital.
Considering a person with disability could lead you to the best person for the job—just ask Ebru Dogan, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor at Gold Coast Health.
“It’s definitely a positive thing for any organisation. Aside from working towards an inclusive culture and meeting targets, it brings a diversity of thought that is invaluable,” says Ebru.
It doesn’t have to be difficult either – there are many services available through JobAccess, like the National Disability Recruitment Coordinator, that simplify disability employment.
“It’s about having a clear process and making sure that you consider it from different perspectives.”
For Gold Coast University Hospital, having a clearly articulated procedure for hiring people with disability ensures a smooth process.
“We’ve worked with JobAccess and the employment service provider, Epic Assist for the last few years, and most of our employees with disability have come through there. Once a position has been identified that a hiring manager wants to fill with a person with disability, we work with a number of organisations to make sure it can happen,” says Ebru.
JobAccess work with Epic Assist, which links people with disability with employers looking for candidates.
After the opportunity at Gold Coast Health has been identified and approved, a consultation process takes place. A workplace health and safety team is involved early to understand what will be involved in the job, and what kind of person would be best suited. For businesses without their own internal capacity, free workplace assessments are available.
“The health and safety assessments are in place to make sure that whoever we end up hiring is set up to succeed. We want our employees to stick around for a long time, so making sure a job is suitable is an important part of that.”
When positions require adjustments to ensure that people with disability are able to thrive, services like JobAccess and the Employment Assistance Fund are available to make any necessary changes or acquire new equipment.
Ebru started at Gold Coast University Hospital earlier this year, and says they’re committed to hiring more people with disability.
“At the moment we have over one hundred people with disability working here, and we’re actively looking to increase that number. The hospital has seen the benefits and has the process in place, so it’s just a matter of time until that number goes up.”
Employing people with disability is a vital part of being an inclusive organisation—but it has benefits for your organisation, too. To find out more about getting started, take a look at our services for employers.
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