People with disabilities could be the solution to Ontario’s labour shortage
by Ingrid Muschta and Joe Dale
In this final part of a five-part series, experts from the Ontario Disability Employment Network explain why HR should tap this talent pool.
In Ontario, the Centre for Excellence in Employment Services was created to bridge the gap between businesses looking for talent and the supply of job seekers who have a disability. Together, with a broad spectrum of publicly funded service agencies that provide services including pre-screening of candidates, on-the-job training, coaching and disability expertise, the Centre makes it easy for businesses to get started.
“When we decided to bring work that had previously been outsourced back in house we knew we’d have to expand our staffing and we thought this might be a way to engage employees who had disabilities. What we didn’t realize was how easy it would be. The support we got from ODEN took all the mystery out of the process and made it simple and efficient. The new employees were able to meet all production standards and the results surpassed all of our expectations.” – Colleen Cox, Director, Logistics & Distribution Operations, Dare Foods Limited
The Centre for Excellence in Employment Services is operated by the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN) and contacting them is the first step to taping into this highly skilled, highly motivated labour pool. The team at ODEN will help your business develop an implementation plan that meets your organization’s labour needs in 5 easy steps.
Step 1: Initial orientation to the disability demographic. Ensure your company understands what the opportunity is and gets buy-in from senior leadership and those who may have employees with a disability in their team.
Step 2: Identify your key labour needs – the areas where ‘you hurt the most’ or where you have the greatest opportunity to benefit. ODEN will work with your business to determine where this innovative talent pool can help solve your labour needs.
Step 3: Review current recruitment and onboarding processes. ODEN will help remove barriers to current processes and ensure you are attracting the right talent, irrespective of disability.
Step 4: Ensure your team and environment are ready. Provide awareness and sensitivity training to all managers and supervisors (co-workers optional) to ensure everyone is both comfortable and confident in interacting with employees who have a disability.
Step 5: Connect you to community partners (agencies) that can provide a source of candidates and on-site assistance with training, accommodations or other supports.
In addition, the ODEN team will be available to provide any additional services and/or ongoing supports you may require along the way to ensure the results are as good as, or better, than your expectations.
For more information, contact the Ontario Disability Employment Network by email [email protected], phone 1-866-280-ODEN (6336) or visit www.odenetwork.com
Ingrid Muschta is a diversity and inclusion specialist at Ontario Disability Employment Network. Joe Dale is the executive director of Ontario Disability Employment Network.
Related stories:
Win the war on talent: Hire people with disabilities
Can people with disabilities solve Ontario's labour shortage?
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In this final part of a five-part series, experts from the Ontario Disability Employment Network explain why HR should tap this talent pool.
In Ontario, the Centre for Excellence in Employment Services was created to bridge the gap between businesses looking for talent and the supply of job seekers who have a disability. Together, with a broad spectrum of publicly funded service agencies that provide services including pre-screening of candidates, on-the-job training, coaching and disability expertise, the Centre makes it easy for businesses to get started.
“When we decided to bring work that had previously been outsourced back in house we knew we’d have to expand our staffing and we thought this might be a way to engage employees who had disabilities. What we didn’t realize was how easy it would be. The support we got from ODEN took all the mystery out of the process and made it simple and efficient. The new employees were able to meet all production standards and the results surpassed all of our expectations.” – Colleen Cox, Director, Logistics & Distribution Operations, Dare Foods Limited
The Centre for Excellence in Employment Services is operated by the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN) and contacting them is the first step to taping into this highly skilled, highly motivated labour pool. The team at ODEN will help your business develop an implementation plan that meets your organization’s labour needs in 5 easy steps.
Step 1: Initial orientation to the disability demographic. Ensure your company understands what the opportunity is and gets buy-in from senior leadership and those who may have employees with a disability in their team.
Step 2: Identify your key labour needs – the areas where ‘you hurt the most’ or where you have the greatest opportunity to benefit. ODEN will work with your business to determine where this innovative talent pool can help solve your labour needs.
Step 3: Review current recruitment and onboarding processes. ODEN will help remove barriers to current processes and ensure you are attracting the right talent, irrespective of disability.
Step 4: Ensure your team and environment are ready. Provide awareness and sensitivity training to all managers and supervisors (co-workers optional) to ensure everyone is both comfortable and confident in interacting with employees who have a disability.
Step 5: Connect you to community partners (agencies) that can provide a source of candidates and on-site assistance with training, accommodations or other supports.
In addition, the ODEN team will be available to provide any additional services and/or ongoing supports you may require along the way to ensure the results are as good as, or better, than your expectations.
For more information, contact the Ontario Disability Employment Network by email [email protected], phone 1-866-280-ODEN (6336) or visit www.odenetwork.com
Ingrid Muschta is a diversity and inclusion specialist at Ontario Disability Employment Network. Joe Dale is the executive director of Ontario Disability Employment Network.
Related stories:
Win the war on talent: Hire people with disabilities
Can people with disabilities solve Ontario's labour shortage?
Want the latest HR news direct to your inbox? Sign up for HRD Canada's daily newsletter.