“Even before we considered recruitment, we had identified the numerous repetitive tasks in the production line. These tasks took up a lot of our experts’ time, and they would rather be doing something more in line with their qualifications. We needed someone to take over these tasks for four to five hours a day, a few days a week.”

“Having lived in another country, I noticed that people with disabilities were working as shop assistants. I have never received such good, cheerful service as from these cashiers. That’s why I started looking for ways to implement this in our company here in Finland. Initially, I found it difficult to find the right contacts. Once I found this service provider, however, everything went smoothly.”

“I contacted the city’s employment service. They helped me find the right person for the tasks that needed doing. This was the first time they had helped someone find paid employment. As far as I know, the local job coach supports disabled people, but had never found a paid job for their clients before.”

“One of their job coaches came to visit us and asked us all sorts of questions about the tasks involved and our company culture. She wanted a clear idea of what would be expected of the future employee. I also had to rewrite the job description, as it contained too much irrelevant information and not enough detail about the specific tasks and the necessary skills. It was a valuable lesson for us. Then, two candidates were introduced to us. Both were guided by a job coach during the interview. We chose Pekka. He started with an internship. It was important for us to ascertain whether he could work safely and independently. He could carry out his tasks independently, so that was fine. His job coach supported him in learning his new role, and this worked well. It soon became clear that he was suitable for the role. He also discovered that he really enjoyed the job. We therefore hired him to work six hours per day, three days per week.”

“We receive a wage subsidy for Pekka. We didn’t know this was possible, but the job coach advised us on the matter. She gave us the name of a contact person at Employment Services. She had already contacted them and ensured that the officials were up to date. The process of deciding whether to award the subsidy went smoothly.”

“Pekka is responsible for welding and stamping products. He is conscientious and does a good job. He does not require any adaptations. He has a mentor who he can approach at any time during the working day with any issues he may have. Initially, he needed extra support, but he no longer does. Now, he knows that someone is available if needed. We regularly ask him if he is enjoying the work and if he would like to change his tasks. He could request a change of duties if he wanted to. For now, there is no need to change anything.”

“Pekka has settled well into the working community. He felt welcome. He told me that he feels like he’s part of the team. His colleagues think he is a nice, decent guy. They are very pleased with him. He really loves coming to work. As I always say, ‘everyone has something to give’. The important thing is to keep an open mind. Our organisation has an open mind and is committed to making this a success. Without this commitment, we wouldn’t have got started. I have now changed roles and there is a new manager in my place who is also motivated and committed to moving things forward.”

“We were very happy with the support provided by the job coach. She helped us define the job profile, search for candidates, and complete the paperwork. She also helped Pekka settle into the workplace and working life in general. Initially, she was heavily involved and present. Once Pekka was coping well with his duties and the tasks were running smoothly, she moved more into the background. She is easily accessible when we need help. This doesn’t happen often, though — sometimes she has to remind us of her existence!”

“Pekka carries out support tasks for our highly qualified professionals. This allows them to focus on their core tasks, which is cost-effective for us. As an internationally recognised brand, we also wanted to demonstrate our social responsibility by helping Finnish society and employing people who find it more difficult to find work. Work plays a significant role in our sense of self, so when it is taken away from anyone, it is a big deal. Feeling part of something is important for everyone, especially people with disabilities. We want to offer meaningful employment to everyone.”