#MyVoiceMyCommunity
WorkFit West Midlands has recently been working with Baxi to offer permanent paid work to WorkFit candidate, Sally.
Sally is very happy with her job at Baxi…
“I love coming to work. Nikki is amazing and I have lots of new friends. My brother and sister are so happy for me. I bought myself a new watch when I got my first pay. I took my parents out for afternoon tea.”
Sally began her role in November 2016 and works 8 hours a week over 2 shifts. Sally works as an Administration Assistant in the Customer Service Team and her role includes working on data, collecting and delivering post and supporting mailings for other teams.
Her manager Nikki Justice, (Field Logistics Coordinator, Baxi Customer Support) has been very impressed with how well Sally has learned the job.
“Sally has picked up the work really quickly. She takes a lot of pride in her work and shows a lot of initiative. Sally quickly picked up our Unix based database system, “Movex”, even though she hadn’t used anything similar in the past. She just comes in and gets on with it and is happy to seek help if she needs it.”
Nikki also commented on the overwhelmingly positive impact that Sally has had on the team and how well she has fit in:
“Sally brings out the best in people and I’ve noticed a renewed sense of purpose in her colleagues in the team who are keen to support her. Having Sally here has made a huge difference to the level of engagement.”
Staff at Baxi have shown great enthusiasm for the WorkFit programme and members of staff from the department attended the WorkFit training to find out about the condition and how to support someone with Down’s syndrome in the workplace.
Feedback from the training was extremely positive:
“I have been pleasantly surprised with the information provided today. Makes me want to make a difference to an individual and help someone achieve something amazing and have independence.”
“The training made me think about my own preconceptions/ prejudices etc. and how to overcome them.”
Sally has adapted well to a busy and demanding customer service environment and is able to enter data accurately and quickly. She is an established member of the team and enjoys all aspects of her work including socialising at lunchtime with her friends. Nikki is keen to expand Sally’s role and offer opportunities in other parts of the organisation.
Sally works closely with colleagues Danielle and Anthony (pictured below) who are her work mentors. Sally is helping Anthony with an initiative to streamline some processes and she has been very helpful in bringing a new perspective to the way work is carried out and how instructions are communicated. This will support the updating of the departments Standard Operating procedures. Anthony says “Sally is a superstar. She brings such a positive energy and a great work ethic.”
Sally has had fantastic support from colleagues at Baxi who have been enthusiastic and committed to supporting the WorkFit programme. She is thrilled to be working there – “I love doing data entry and giving out the post.”
Sally’s mum Cathy says “Sally tells everyone about her job and is very proud of herself. I just can’t believe how well she’s doing; it’s amazing to see her in her job and enjoying it so much.”
WorkFit supports people with Down’s syndrome to access meaningful work opportunities that can benefit the rest of their lives. For more information about WorkFit please contact the team on 0333 12 12 300 or email us on dsworkfit@downs-syndrome.org.uk
For more information visit the WorkFit website: www.dsworkfit.org.uk