Wincanton open their doors and minds to hiring inclusively.
"The employer seems like they would treat you like a human being and be kind. He even sat on the sofa and spoke to me about what I need to be happy at work...I've never had anything like that before."
WSES supported eight customers to travel on public transport via train and bus to explore what it would be like to work and commute to the Wincanton site at Hams Hall Distribution Site..
The octet attended a behind the scenes tour to challenge myths around what is entailed by working in a warehouse environment. A number of customers who attended the tour had negative experiences of previous paid work in this sector, so meeting an inclusive, supportive employer was invaluable for them. Two of the customers who attended had never caught a bus before but now felt confident they would now be able to use this mode of transport in the future to travel to work, broadening their horizons for future job searches.
Nick Blencowe, General Manager at Wincanton, gave all potential employees the chance to see different roles, inspiring them to imagine themselves progressing in the workplace...especially when they realised that they didn't need a driving license to drive the forklift trucks!
One customer, Daniel, said: "This is the best warehouse I've ever been to. The employer seems like they would treat you like a human being and be kind, he even sat on the sofa and spoke to me about what I need to be happy at work, I've never had anything like that before."
Research carried out by BASE (British Association of Supported Employment) shows that a person with a learning disability is likely to stay with an employer 3.5 times longer than a neurotypical employee. Supported employment could be the answer to many companies who rely on agencies and experience high staff turnovers.
Charlotte Smith, Delivery Lead for WSES, says: "It is so refreshing to see big companies like Wincanton opening their eyes to the potential of recruiting diversely. I encourage any business to reach out and get in touch to see how we can help you shape your roles and processes to be more inclusive.
"Our service understands that, while doing something different can be daunting, if you follow the same processes, you will always get the same results. We also appreciate that it is not easy to know where to start, so having a service like us helps taking that first step a little easier. Knowing there are specialists behind you every step along the way who can upskill your staff and support your employees is an essential part of what we do. We can be there to support advertising jobs on the Fair Chance job portal to completing regular reviews with no time limit once employment begins.
"After attending the tour at Wincanton, one of our customers applied for a role in a warehouse closer to home with a renewed confidence and we are pleased to say that he secured the job. Another customer has just started paid employment with Nick and his team after being offered an informal walk around and a visit as a reasonable adjustment to the interview process.
"Wincanton were absolutely fantastic the way they welcomed us and our customers and we are looking forward to working with Nick so that he can see the benefits of supported employment, where good job matching can prevent companies having to rely on agencies to fill roles. Nick's understanding of social value and community spirit is admirable and we hope to work with more employers like Wincanton in the future, who understand that by making a small adjustment, you could attract the perfect person for the job."
More Inclusive Industry Tours will be arranged in 2024, so if you feel your workplace would be open to participating, please feel free to reach out to our team to discuss further. Please contact charlottesmith@warwickshire.gov.uk