When Christopher Olsen became Site Director at Getinge, he brought more than his experience. He brought a connection to Eden’s Supported Employment Program.
Having previously seen two Eden participants successfully join his former company’s supply chain team, Christopher knew they would be a perfect fit for his new company.
“I was fortunate to be able to be part of this program before. I was able to see the impact of the program, so I knew that it would work here,” said Christopher. He pitched the idea to his team, who eagerly gave him the green light to implement the program.
In July, two Eden participants began working at Getinge three days a week. They package goods and prepare and build shipping boxes for the outbound team. The program has been so successful that they hope to eventually bring in additional Eden participants to work Monday through Friday.
“The one thing I really like about the Eden program is that before anyone was assigned to this work, Brooks Sanders, [Eden’s Manager of Employment Services,] came in and looked at what we are trying to do and went back to his team and picked the right people for the job,” said Christopher.
Eden takes a person-centered approach to identifying the right individuals for the right job, as well as ensuring proper support systems are in place to help the individual complete their job. Many of Eden’s participants work alongside an Eden Community Job Coach, who provides extra assistance. “The strong support system we have in place helps us obtain opportunities like this one,” said Brooks.
Before Eden’s participants began working, job coaches visited the site to learn how to do the job. That was a big plus for Getinge because on their first day, the Eden team already knew what to do without needing supervision. “I know that repetitiveness is something that participants do very well, and what they do here is the same motion all the time. Both the coaches and the participants know exactly what they’re going to be doing,” said Christopher.
Getinge is a full circle moment for Eden’s Supported Employment Program. “We created something eight years ago, and Christopher is still thinking about us eight years later at a new company,” said Brooks.
Christopher’s advice to other employers or companies looking to get started with hiring individuals with disabilities is don’t be afraid. “Give people an opportunity,” he said. “Don’t look at people because they have some type of difference from you and go, ‘yeah, we don’t want that here.’ Everybody’s equal. In our own way, every last one of us needs support and opportunity.”
“Christopher is somebody who understands what inclusion is supposed to look like,” said Brooks. “It’s a productive partnership between two organizations that share a culture and mission to offer equal opportunity employment for all.”