Australian Disability Network career program enjoys strong support from major employers including Kmart Group
Having a job is one thing, but a career is another altogether.
For a large number of people with disability, jobs are entry-level and careers don’t progress — one of the factors contributing to an unemployment rate of 10 per cent, far above the national rate of 4.1 per cent.
But a new program anchored by some of Australia’s best-known businesses and biggest employers is working to change that, and move the dial beyond just a job, and give people with disability a career.
The Australian Disability Network’s pilot program is in conjunction with Coles, Kmart Group, Woolworths and Compass Group, with the network working to ensure employees with disability are able to progress from entry-level positions to leadership roles in the same way that employees without disability have.
The network says unconscious bias and bigotry around expectations and ability, as well as lack of support and adjustments and accessible training, lead to over-representation of people with disability in entry-level positions.
It comes as the Federal Government this week revealed its response to the Disability Royal Commission final report, which had uncovered a raft of concerning evidence.
The Government reiterated a Budget commitment of $227 million for a specialist disability program to help people prepare for, find and maintain suitable jobs, while another $2.3m has been set aside to create a disability employment centre of excellence.
Economic estimates suggest that if Australia became one of the top eight countries for employing people with disability, there could be an additional $50 billion in the national economy within 25 years.
At Kmart Group, with about 50,000 staff across Australia and New Zealand, there have been 36 staff nationally take part in the pilot program, more than double initial commitments.
“Career progression can mean many things to many people,” chief people and capability officer Tristram Gray told The Sunday Times. “In some cases, it’s our team members wanting to move from casual (hours) to part-time (work) or full-time.
“In other cases, it’s about doing different roles … within the store, and in other cases it’s promotions.”
He said the higher participation was “a really loud indication that people who are living with disability want to be included, have a lot to offer and just need the accessibility to be able to do that”.
“We definitely want to do more.”
Mr Gray said the company — one of the key divisions of WA-headquartered conglomerate Wesfarmers — had learnt it needed to be adaptable.
“You can’t do one-size-fits-all with this,” he said. “You really need to spend time working with the team members to understand what the aspirations are … it’s been a tailored response, but we feel that’s driving good outcomes.”
Six of the group’s 36 participants have already progressed to other roles, increased their hours or become permanent.
But it isn’t just the workers themselves in the spotlight; managers and other leaders are also being pushed to develop their confidence to manage people with disabilities.
“There’s a lack of confidence because they’re worried about inadvertently saying or doing the wrong thing,” Mr Gray said, emphasising while many people considered just physical disability, other situations such as neurodiversity, intellectual disability, acquired brain injuries and low vision needed to be considered.
Kmart has also developed a framework around workplace adjustments — what the business can do to help someone complete their job without encumbrance.
“The important thing is not just about bringing people with disability into our organisation, it’s about how do we include them in all the opportunities and career roles that we have within the organisation by making adjustments to ensure that they’re included,” Mr Gray said.
Jashanpreet Kaur, who works at Kmart’s Perth CBD store, said she had learnt skills “the complete opposite” to what she had been doing previously.
“I would like to continue advancing my career by taking on more responsibilities and challenges, as well as enhancing my leadership skills,” she said.
“I aspire to take on more responsibilities, perhaps in a managerial role, where I can contribute even more to our incredible team.”
Target Mandurah team member Jayden Evans, who’s been with the company for eight months, is keen to keep developing his growing skills base.
“The program has taught me so much more than just on the job skills,” he said. “I have also learnt more about myself in terms of what I can do and what I am capable of.
“In the future I would like to continue to get these opportunities to prove to myself and others just how far I’ve come and how far I can go.”
The group is working towards enhancing store infrastructure, like widening aisles and making registers more accessible, but Mr Gray is also keen to create over the longer term a culture that allows more of its team identify as having a disability. Now at 2 per cent, he hopes that proportion can increase to 5 per cent within “a couple of years”.
Mr Gray said Kmart Group was working to build on its strong track record — having previously launched a range of Down syndrome dolls, as well as including people with disability in advertising and marketing.
“It’s part of being a holistic piece about being a member of the community that we operate in,” he said. “But it’s the community that support us and we want to to support them.”
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