After 11 years of continuous employment with McDonald’s Gosford West, Brad Smith, who lives with Down Syndrome, has celebrated his last shift, sadly saying goodbye to his fellow employees.
Smith and four others were congratulated by the diversity recruitment partner specialising in disability, JCAL, for their 10-year career milestones with inclusive employers as part of International Day of People with Disability on December 3.
For the past 10 years, Smith has been assisted in the workplace by Relationship Management Consultant for Job Centre Australia (JCAL), Ash McKinnon.
McKinnon said Smith brings happiness and positivity to customers and staff and will be a very missed team member.
“Brad’s positive energy is infectious…he high fives everyone and says hello to everyone,” McKinnon said.
“He loves greeting all the ladies.”
JCAL is a nationally accredited specialist Disability Employment Partner, and youth NDIS provider which partners with employers and businesses to recruit team members into their workforce.
McKinnon said his job was to ensure his Smith felt comfortable and confident in his role.
“With Brad, it was about ensuring he was set up with a great routine, allowing him to get on with his tasks,” McKinnon said.
“I was there side by side to assist both Brad and the team with learning any duties and making any required adjustments.
“McDonald’s is quite repetitive for staff, so they are drawn to Brad as he has great social interaction skills which the younger staff are still developing, so the presence of Brad at work had a ripple effect.”
Previously, Smith worked at McDonalds George Street in Sydney for eight years, and he said he was sad to leave the workforce.
“I was sad to be leaving McDonald’s; I love going to McDonald’s and meeting everyone,” Smith said.
“I did get tired, though so it will be good to have a rest.
“I did the tables, the bins, the floors, washing up in café; I made it clean for customers.
“Ash met me every week at McDonald’s for coffee; he helped me clock on; if I was sick he would help me; if I missed the bus he would drive me home; he would tie my apron (not too tight).”
JCAL CEO, Deborrah Lambourne, said in celebrating International Day of People with a Disability, it was important to recognise individuals who are shining examples of people living with a disability, and making an important contribution to the workforce.
“Currently only 53.4 per cent of people with disability are in paid employment, a major under representation and something we at JCAL are working hard to change,” Lambourne said.
“With 1 in 5 Australians living with a disability, and 1 in 4 with mental health, there is a real opportunity in our local communities to increase workforce diversity with inclusive hiring practices, and this is where JCAL makes an impact.”
The Global Human Services organisation, APM, has an employment service on the Central Coast and is the largest provider of disability employment services in Australia.
According to its 2021 APM Disability, Diversity & Inclusivity (DDI) Index, 97 per cent of Australian employers believe there are major benefits in hiring people with a disability, despite continued challenges to greater employment and inclusion.
However, APM Group CEO, Michael Anghie, said while the 2021 report found most businesses embraced the benefits of disability employment, it also found they believed it was benefiting the employee more than the business.
“While it’s encouraging to see so many employers getting behind disability employment, too often it’s seen as a ‘good thing to do’ as opposed to a smart move that benefits the overall business through greater productivity and inclusion,” Anghie said.
“Lack of ‘suitable roles’ is cited by 53% of employers as the main factor stopping the recruitment of people with disability, suggesting many employers continue to underrate their capabilities.”
Anghie said research has consistently shown that people with disability (PwD) have lower rates of absenteeism taking less sick and personal leave and have higher retention rates than other workers.
Jacinta Counihan