Diversity Champion: ServiceMaster Clean

Aligning Core Values with Talent Needs
One in six Albertans has a disability. This enormous talent pool is largely untapped.

When our team at Champions approaches local employers, this is one of the first things we share with them. We know firsthand how hard it can be for employers in Calgary to find and keep the talent they need.  We believe they might be overlooking a pool of talented individuals who can help them meet their recruitment needs.

So when Susan Basudde, one of our Employment Retention Specialists at Champions, contacted ServiceMaster Clean about matching one of our clients with an available position in their company, a new relationship was born.

ServiceMaster Clean is one of the leading cleaning companies in Calgary. They provide janitorial services to commercial buildings, creating better, cleaner environments for employees and visitors of the facilities they service.

“One of our industry’s biggest challenges is employee retention,” says Jennifer Ashley, Director of Business Services at ServiceMaster Clean, “This is a tough job and it takes work to keep people happy and understanding. Cleaning an entire commercial building is a demanding task.”

To meet this challenge, ServiceMaster Clean looks to their core values for keeping their current employees and also to bring in new talent when needed. Central to achieving these goals is their commitment to diversity.

“We believe in diversity. We have associates from very different backgrounds and we know firsthand how a diverse team improves our thinking, makes us more creative, and helps us achieve our collective goals,” explains Jennifer.

ServiceMaster Clean’s commitment to diversity has been an ideal match for working with the team at Champions. In a short period of time we have been able to provide them with several candidates to fill open positions in their company. The variety of positions they have in their organization, and the various work environments that are available, means there is a lot of space to make different accommodations for employees, something ServiceMaster is happy to do.

“The whole team at ServiceMaster Clean is open to new ideas, they want people to work hard and they accommodate them to help make them successful in their role,” says Susan, “They really go above and beyond for their employees.”

We are proud to have ServiceMaster Clean as our Diversity Champion for this month, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them into the future. When we talk to the team at ServiceMaster Clean, we know we are dealing with leaders in their industry and in their commitment to inclusion.

“We care about people, we value teamwork, we do the right thing and we do what we say,” says Jennifer. “We believe in giving everyone an opportunity to work and make a difference in society.”

Shifting Perceptions: Accommodations Aren't Always Expensive

At Champions, we are often solicited by employers who would like more information about hiring and retaining persons with disabilities in their respective workplaces. When working with various employers we generally like to start by addressing many misconceptions that exist about persons with disabilities. Education and awareness can often go a long way to removing stigma and discrimination and can be part of promoting greater participation of persons with with disabilities in the workplace.

This article is part of an ongoing series of posts on this blog titled Shifting Perceptions. In these posts we will discuss many of the myths and misconceptions which exist and hopefully paint a truer picture of the reality of including persons with disabilities in the workplace.

Today's Myth: Hiring or retaining an employee with a disability will involve considerable expenses for accommodations.

Fact: Most job accommodations are simple and inexpensive.

The reality is that most persons with disabilities don't need accommodations as they know how to self-accommodate. They know how to be work with their disability and have strategies in place to be successful in the workplace. However, in some instances accommodations may be required.

Numerous studies have been done which show that accommodations for persons with disabilities usually do not involve a lot of expense. The most frequently cited study comes from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN, 1990:2000), who found that 80% of accommodations cost less than $500.

Follow up studies from JAN have painted an even clearer picture of the costs involved with accommodations. In 2006, employers who were interviewed said slightly over half (50.5%) of the accommodations they implemented had been at no cost. For those employers who did experience some cost, the median dollar value was $600 - with almost all of these accommodations being a one time cost. The most common accommodation? A change in work schedule, which is an accommodation often extended to every employee.

And the cost for providing accommodations to existing employees? It is almost far less than the costs associated with bringing on new hires. In 1996, researchers found the average administrative cost of hiring and training a new Sears employee ranged between $1,800 to $2,400, as compared to an average cost of $45 for accommodating an existing employee (Blanck, 1996).

In the rare cases where the cost associated with accommodations becomes prohibitive, there are often funding sources from the government which can help cover the costs. For example, in Alberta we have Disability Related Employment Supports (DRES) funding, which covers everything from on the job supports, worksite modifications, vehicle modifications, to assistive technology.

However, there is still plenty of room for more research in this area. Currently, almost all of the research is focused on the cost of retaining current employees. Obviously an employer has more of an imperative to try and keep a current employee - as they already have an investment in them and are also aware of their experience and contributions to the company. They may also be compelled legally to retain their current employees.

For new hires, breaking down these misconceptions about accommodations is huge. But the burden of education comes from both parties in the hiring process. Employers need to be open to the unfamiliar and avoid making judgement calls regarding disabilities, and recruits need to know how to present themselves in a way that allows an employer to focus on their abilities.