What makes a good employer

In February I went to a joint meeting on employment for young people with disability.

The Australian Public Service Commission and the Australian Human Rights Commission ran this.

The Disability Discrimination Commissioner Ben Gauntlett was there.

I said hello to Ben and spoke with him.

I told him my ideas about what makes a good workplace.

This is what I like in a workplace.

I really like a welcoming workplace.

It makes me feel confident when a workplace is friendly, respectful, and polite and says thank you when I do a good job.

It makes me feel like a valued member of the team.

I like it when staff ask me if I need help or not. They should not assume that I know everything.

Encouragement

It is important to encourage me and to check in on me to see if I am doing ok and not making mistakes.

It is good to have this support to make sure I do my job well.

It gives me confidence.

Modelling tasks

I like it when someone models a task so I can get the job done.

Watching someone do the job first helps me know how to do it well.

I like extra time to get a task done after someone explains it to me.

I feel good when I know how to do the task.

Once I learn how to do this I improve in my work.

I am then ready to learn more.

This can then build my skills and confidence.

Safety

I like it when a workplace gives me information about work, health and safety so I can understand how to be safe at work.

By Laura Naing

Laura’s top tips for a good workplace

• Spend time to get to know me
• Listen to me when I talk
• Communicate clearly and respectfully
• Give me time to respond when you ask me a question
• Create a schedule of daily tasks to be completed
• Check back to see if there is anything I need help with