We are thrilled to announce the success of the WorkFit team and our partner employer, GXO, at the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) Awards 2023. The BASE awards are an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful work that takes place across the Supported Employment community.
WorkFit won the Small Supported Employment Team of the Year Award. It recognised them as a small but highly effective team, who have no limits to their ambition to deliver inclusive recruitment in their areas.
‘The DSA provides support to people who have Down’s syndrome throughout their lives, from birth and into old age. Work is such a huge part of a person’s life experience, and it’s vital that anyone who has Down’s syndrome that wants to work should be supported to do so. We are delighted that the excellent work of our WorkFit team has been recognised by BASE with this wonderful award.’ Carol Boys, Chief Executive at the Down’s Syndrome Association.
GXO, the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider, won the Large Employer Award, recognising the company’s commitment to embedding disability inclusion into their policies, recruitment processes and training. GXO has been working in partnership with WorkFit since 2018, providing meaningful employment opportunities to our candidates in a range of roles nationally, including warehousing, HR, retail and site support.
‘We are thrilled to have won the BASE Large Employer of the Year Award for 2023 through our commitment to the Down’s Syndrome Association WorkFit programme. As a result of the success of this programme GXO is now the largest single employer of adults with Down’s syndrome in the UK. We are incredibly proud of this, and the work that our teams do every day with the Down’s Syndrome Association to support people with learning disabilities entering the workplace and achieving paid, meaningful employment.’ Cathy Balding, Head of Diversity Inclusion & Belonging GXO UK and Ireland
Congratulations also to Hilton for being named the No.1 World’s Best Workplace by Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine! Hilton is a valued partner of our WorkFit programme, having supported candidates into a variety of meaningful roles within hotels across the country. They have a genuine commitment to inclusion throughout the organisation and thoroughly deserve this wonderful recognition.
WorkFit were pleased to be invited to take part in the recent Breaking Barriers event at the Hilton London Metropole. This Breaking Barriers with Hilton video was shown at the event and we’re very grateful that Hilton has allowed us to share it. The film features Hilton employees talking about their jobs and how a more inclusive workplace benefits everyone.
We have recently launched a new WorkFit video featuring Daniel, who works at the Bridge Theatre in London. Watch the video here: Daniel at the Bridge Theatre
This is a great example of a supportive employer working in partnership with WorkFit to provide a role which enables Daniel to thrive. Daniel loves his job and enjoys being part of the team!
Victoria who works at XPO in Darlington as a Customer Service Administrator, and WorkFit Manager Alison had a lovely time on the set of Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4. They were interviewed by Steph McGovern who was shining a spotlight on the barriers faced by people who have disabilities who want to work. Victoria talked about her job and support from WorkFit. Click here to watch the interview.
WorkFit Manager Alison and WorkFit Officers Lydia and Adriana had wonderful evening at Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s reception for Disability History Month. Sir Lindsay Hoyle is Speaker of UK House of Commons. It was a hugely memorable event, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to attend.
WorkFit candidates Amy, Safiya, Robert, Beth, James and Jessica were also in attendance, and will be starting new roles at UK Parliament soon. James gave a speech at the reception, alongside Mr Speaker, Robert Halfon MP and Marsha de Cordova MP. Thank you to everyone involved, particularly Wes Auvache OBE and all his team.
Finally, we would like to share our congratulations to Finlay at GXO Doncaster, and Harry at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, who are both celebrating their one year work anniversaries! Well done and keep up the great work!
Thank you to all of our employers for their continued support of our WorkFit programme, and good luck to everyone starting new roles this month.
To find out more about WorkFit and how we support people who have Down’s syndrome to access meaningful work opportunities that can benefit the rest of their lives, 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