Recruitment champion is 2022 Australian of the Year
The Australia of The Year has been a role that has dramatically increased in profile over recent years.
Adam Goodes’s 2014 Award was one that brought out the worst in some people and the most recent recipient, Grace Tame, had her body language at an Australia Day function this week generate mass media coverage, both approving and disapproving.
The 2022 Australian of the Year, Paralympic and Grand Slam tennis champion Dylan Alcott (pictured above, second from left), is likely to make recruitment of people with a disability a central part of his focus during his tenure as the recipient of Australia’s highest civic award given his history as a champion for recruitment of people with a disability.
Alcott is the founder of Get Skilled Access, a consulting group that works with organisations to help them understand the needs of people with disabilities, and to employ them.
Not only is he urging organisations to change their attitude to workers with a disability he is backing up his passion with action in the startup, Able Foods, he co-founded in late 2020 with two childhood friends, now in partnership with Kinela – Australia’s largest provider of meals for NDIS participants.
Able Foods is fresh-meal-delivery service providing ready-made, non-frozen and nutritional meals tailored to people with disabilities. All packaging has information in braille, the website incorporates accessibility features, making it easier to navigate for people with intellectual disabilities or with vision impairment.
As Smart Company reported:
Every employee at Able Foods either has a disability, or has lived experience of disability.
“It’s not because we’re trying to get a warm, fuzzy feeling in our stomachs,” Alcott explains.
“They’re good workers, and they’re going to make the organisation better.”
From Able Foods’ perspective, hiring people with a disability means every employee has an intimate understanding of the business’ client base, and the challenges they might be facing.
But, they can bring value to any business. “We are natural-born problem solvers … we are naturally resilient,” Alcott says.
He claims people with a disability tend to have higher productivity, lower rates of absenteeism and higher retention rates.
Now, he’s striving to set an example, hoping the success of Able Foods will prove what he preaches in his other business.
There’s no better time to be having this conversation, Alcott says. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the benefits of flexible work, and shown that working from home is not only possible, but often preferable.
That’s broken down many of the false barriers keeping people with disabilities from the workforce,” Alcott says.
Given the record number of job vacancies across our country it’s a timely opportunity for our 2022 Australian of the Year to influence how both recruiters and employers view employing, and providing ongoing career opportunities for, people with a disability.
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