Firstly, I believe that if you have a successful company and can earn a living, you should also help others, such as people with disabilities. Providing opportunities fosters greater loyalty. Another advantage is that I can ask them to do more, such as working overtime. They are more willing to make an extra effort because they want to give something back. Also, in this labour market, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find good staff, so I give them a chance to start even faster. However, this has never been my primary approach.

“Jelle, one of my employees, first started with an internship. This was important for him, since it wasn’t clear whether he would be able to find paid employment in the open labour market. Although he had been trained as an electrician at school, I remember that Jelle was initially struggling with fears and stress due to his autism spectrum disorder. There was no reason for his fears though; he was highly motivated and a promising candidate for future work in my company. I must admit that Jelle’s productivity was initially below standard, though as an employer, I was entitled to a wage subsidy to compensate for the loss of productivity. This made it easier for me to give Jelle a chance to start working as an employee. Rather than creating a job description, I wanted to enable Jelle to prove his own added value.”

“It was very difficult for all of us at first: Jelle, his colleagues and his supervisor. Jelle had a good technical background, but it was hard to draw this out of him. The biggest problem was social contact. It took us some time to realise that it was better to minimise social contact, but this was a major challenge. We also had to find the right colleague for Jelle to work with in a duo. He has worked with several colleagues, but it has not worked equally well with everyone. For us, this duo construction is important to ensure that one person can take on customer contact. Through trial and error, we discovered who Jelle could work with and who he could not. I also looked for all possible ways to reduce his social contacts. I sent Jelle to the tailor’s as much as possible. This way, he comes into contact with fewer other workers. If new raw materials had to be purchased from suppliers, I always asked colleagues to do so.”

“Then I thought it was improving, so I tried sending Jelle to the yards on his own. This didn’t seem to be a good idea: after two days, he dropped out for a week and a half. I think it was because I sent him alone, but Jelle hasn’t confirmed this yet. I now know that I should not try such things anymore as it only causes a delay and a loss of progress.”

“I don’t want to treat Jelle any differently to anyone else. Everyone has their own difficulties and things they don’t like doing, and as an employer, I have to take that into account. With Jelle, however, the impact is greater. While someone else might just curse and then carry on, it takes Jelle much longer to accept things. That said, this is less evident now than at the beginning. All colleagues are aware of the situation and there is great understanding in the workplace. I really appreciate that. His colleagues often communicate with me on his behalf; for example, they tell me that he needs new work shoes. They do this because they know Jelle has trouble communicating with me, as he is afraid of making mistakes. For instance, he once damaged the van and I tried to defuse the situation with humour, but I quickly realised that this approach doesn’t work with Jelle. This means I need to be very careful about the way I talk. I practise!”

“I find it very difficult to make use of government subsidies and tools. For example, it took a long time to receive the wage cost subsidy during his internship. Then, once his internship hours had been used up, Jelle could no longer continue and I could no longer use his services. It was only through the intervention of the service provider that I received the subsidy. I still need the service provider’s support when completing applications and other administrative paperwork related to Jelle. It would be much more logical if this could be done automatically.”

“One good thing is the way I communicate assignments to everyone: I use photos on WhatsApp. This works very well for everyone and fits in with Jelle’s needs, treating him in the same way as his colleagues. I have found that adjustments are now less necessary. This is probably because they have become so ingrained in our working method that they seem unnecessary. It is also interesting that one of our regular suppliers has adapted their working method when working with Jelle. While others have a chat in the store, check the order form and delivery, and then pick up the order, Jelle simply walks in, picks up the order, and leaves. This particular supplier knows this and has adapted his working method accordingly. This is actually a win for me too, as it takes less time if Jelle picks up the order.”

“At other times, however, it takes extra effort and money to employ Jelle because he always has to work alongside a colleague. This applies on site and to practical things like getting new work shoes. If I order new ones, Jelle and a colleague will go together, which means I have two fewer employees on site. Nevertheless, I would absolutely do it again! Like everyone else, Jelle has his strengths. His loyalty especially catches my eye. I can always call on him to do extra work if necessary. Thanks to Jelle’s passion and interest, I can fulfil special requests. He is also punctual and precise. Once Jelle has taken on a task, he won’t stop until he’s found a solution. Sometimes he even shows more technical knowledge than I have. I would advise my fellow employers to consider candidates beyond the usual pool. Creativity can solve a lot!”