An organic approach to inclusive employment

Featured image for “An organic approach to inclusive employment”

Business Spotlight with Kevin Wagner from South Country Co-op

How can a positive experience with a service provider shape an employer’s inclusive employment journey? 

Kevin Wagner, South Country Co-op’s Food Centre Manager speaks on how a service provider in Medicine Hat supports the business and participants when they are hiring at Co-op. South Country Co-op has hired a handful of people with disabilities and they all lead back to an employee that predates Wagner’s employment at Co-op by 17 years. This employee was the first person with a disability to be hired at the location and has left a lasting effect on the branch. Wagner talked about this experience when accepting a Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM) award for being a Changemaker from REDI Enterprises. During Wagner’s DEAM speech, he thanks the service provider for being a great support in the hiring process and onboarding of employees with disabilities. 

“When we hit a bump in the road, as any employer does, they were there to support us.” 

Wagner has worked at South Country Co-op for 13 years and has seen management evolve because of inclusive employment. The push to create an accessible and inclusive work environment has personally changed Wagner’s style of management and he attributes these changes to the employees with disabilities who have been hired over the last few years. He’s learned a lot about mental health, communication styles and conflict resolution. All skills that have benefited every employee and not just the ones living with a disability. 

South Country Co-op has policies and hiring processes that work independently from other Co-op locations in Alberta. When asked how the inclusive employment process began for this specific location, Wagner’s response was “organically”. Through their connection with service providers and strong community connections, South Country Co-op has been able to hire people with disabilities every year and match them to a role that suits them best. Organically, Wagner puts out fires as they happen and doesn’t let fear or a lack of awareness stop him from working with diverse populations. If someone in the workplace shows a lack of understanding or patience, Wagner or a member of the Co-op team will sit down with the individual and have a conversation – not to make them feel bad but to help them understand. They’ve never had a situation where someone didn’t come out of the conversation without understanding; the one on one conversation has always been successful. All employees are shown how to empathize and work together through Wagner’s inclusive employment leadership. 

“There are a lot of people in our community that are capable of doing meaningful work.”

Through his conversations with other employers in his community, Wagner points out that a lack of awareness plays into how often people with disabilities are hired. He attributes his hiring practices to the support he receives from service providers and urges other employers to reach out to service providers in their area, or to research employment for people with disabilities on their own time. He says that there haven’t been any limits to how they can rely on the service provider, although they have had to take the time to slowly overcome challenges in the most responsible way. With the knowledge they have now, they feel capable to take on the hurdles internally – with the service provider a phone call away if needed. 

For employers and leaders who are yet to shift to inclusive employment, there is essentially a mental hurdle that feeds into the stigma about hiring people with disabilities. Wagner doesn’t let these stigmas affect his hiring practices and instead he tells other employers that they have more to gain than to lose through inclusive employment. He feels as though he is a better leader to his employees when he moves from traditional workplace practices to inclusive employment practices. The people with disabilities employed at Co-op have not only added to the day to day tasks performed throughout their roles, but have also contributed to a healthier and happier workplace culture. Patience and growing through learning curves has come in handy for South Country Co-op, but fear has never stopped them from better serving their employees. Small business or large business, Wagner says that the message to employers is the same because their fears are often the same.

“I can’t stress enough how important it is to be open minded and to learn.”

South Country Co-op is very culture focused, and they have been focusing on EDI initiatives that include people with disabilities. Hiring practices have been evolving for the last 5 years with the mental health and happiness of employees remaining a priority. Wagner shares 5 key steps he has taken through this journey: 

  1. He reminds himself that there is such a large spectrum of person with disabilities, it’s not one size fits all
  2. Changes of perception have been of highest importance 
  3. He makes sure to ask any employee what motivates them, what drives them, what makes happy and what bothers them – to better suit their needs 
  4. He has really leaned into service providers because they are experts 
  5. He takes time to self educate on inclusive employment 

This multi generational and multi ability workplace has pushed him to evolve, and he urges other employers to do the same. Wagner leads his team how they want to be led and not how he envisions that they should be led, resulting in an inclusive environment that benefits everyone.

Reach out to Alberta Employment First Network to find a service provider in your area to help kickstart your inclusive employment journey.

Author: Mariebelle Sawma

Share this blog