First of all, I am convinced that if you have a well-running company and can earn a living, you should also help others, like for instance people with disabilities. And giving opportunities creates more loyalty. Another thing is that I can ask them more, for instance, to work overtime. They are more willing for an extra effort because they want to give something back. Also, in this labour market, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find good staff, and for me it means I give them even faster a chance to start. But this reason has never been my first approach.

Jelle, my employee, first started with an internship. For him, this was important since it wasn’t clear whether paid employment at the open labour market was feasible. He was trained as an electrician at school, but still, in the beginning I remember Jelle was struggling with fears and stress because of his autism spectrum disorder. And there was no reason for his fears, he was highly motivated and a promising candidate for future work in my company. I must admit, it was clear Jelle’s productivity was below standards in the beginning, though as an employer I had the right on a wage subsidy for loss of productivity. That made it easy for me to give Jelle a chance to start to work as an employee. I decided not to make a job description, I just wanted to enable Jelle to prove his own added value.

In the beginning it was very difficult, for all of us; for Jelle, for his colleagues, his supervisor. Jelle had a good technical background, but it was difficult to get this out of him. The biggest problem was the social contact. It took us some time to find out it was better to reduce social contact to a minimum, but this was a big search. It was also a search for the right colleague to work with Jelle, in duo. He has been with several colleagues, but it did not work equally well with everyone. For us, this duo-construction is important, to ensure the other one can take on the contacts with the customer. It was really through trial and error, that we found out with whom Jelle could work as a duo and with whom he could not. I also looked for all possible ways to reduce his social contacts, I send Jelle to tailor yards as much as possible. In this way he comes into less contact with other workers. And, if new raw materials had to be purchased from suppliers, I always ask colleagues to do so.

Then I thought it was getting better and I tried to send Jelle to yards on his own. This appeared not to be a good idea, after two days he dropped out for 1.5 weeks. I guess it was because of me sending him alone, but Jelle hasn’t confirmed this yet. I now know I should not try such things anymore, it only causes delay in action, and a loss of return.

I do not want to treat Jelle different compared to others. Everyone has difficulties and things that he does not like to do, and as an employer I have to take that into account. With Jelle, however, the impact is greater. Where someone else just once ‘curses’ and then continues again, it takes much more time for Jelle to accept things. Although, I must say, this is now less present than in the beginning. And, all colleagues are aware of the situation, there is a great understanding in the workplace. I really appreciate that. His colleagues often take care of the communication with me, for example they tell me he needs new work shoes. They take this role since they know Jelle has troubles communicating with me because he is afraid to do something wrong. For example, he once damaged the van, and I tried to discharge this with humour, but I quickly found out, this does not work with Jelle. That means I have to be very aware of my own communication, I practice!

Subsidies and tools of the government are something I find it very difficult to make use of them. For example, during his internship, it took much time to receive this wage cost subsidy. Then, his internship hours were used up and Jelle could no longer continue, I could no longer use his services. It was only through the intervention of the service provider that I received this subsidy. And I still need support of the service provider when I have to complete applications and other administrative papers related to Jelle. It would be much more logical if this could be done automatically.

One good thing is my way of communicating assignments to everyone; I use photos in Whatsapp. This works very well for everyone, and at the same time it fits in with Jelle’s needs, it makes him be treated in the same way as his colleagues. I experience now, adjustments are less necessary. Probably this is because they are now so ingrained in the working method of all of us that it seems that they are no longer needed. What is also interesting is the fact that one of the regular suppliers also adjusted his working method, when they work with Jelle. Where others have a chat in the store and have to check the order form and delivery, Jelle will walk in and pick up the order and leave. This particular supplier knows this and adjusts his working method. In fact, this is even a win for me, because it takes less time if Jelle picks up the order.

Still, at other times, it costs extra effort and money to employ Jelle because he always has to work flanked with a colleague. On site, but also for practical things like getting new working shoes. If I give the order to get new ones, not only will Jelle go there, but a colleague must come along, and then I have two fewer employees on site. At the same time, I would do it again, absolutely! Jelle, like everyone else, has his strengths. Especially his loyalty catches my eye. I can always call on him for an extra job if necessary. Due to Jelle’s passion and interest, I can accept special requests. And he is punctual and precise. When Jelle bites into something, he keeps trying to find a solution. Sometimes he shows even more technical detail knowledge than I have. I advise my fellow employers to look further than the usual candidates. Creativity can solve a lot!