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As the Okanagan gets ready for a busy summer, the Ready, Willing and Able program wants to remind employers of the benefits of hiring individuals on the autism spectrum for seasonal work.

Individuals on the autism spectrum are looking for work, and seasonal employment is a great way for them to get started while hiring them also happens to be a great way for employers to find quality employees.

"You could say it's a good way for individuals on the autism spectrum to dip their toes into the employment market," labour market facilitator for Ready, Willing and Able Susan Noble says.

"They are capable workers just as much as anyone else who is looking for seasonal work and they are available so providing them with an opportunity to work seasonally, while also helping an employer, is great and ultimately it's important for them to have the same opportunities as anyone else."

Seasonal work is important for individuals on the spectrum because it can serve as a starting point for those wanting to integrate into the workforce and gain experience.

"Having an opportunity to work seasonally, especially for younger workers and those with less experience, is great. To learn about what are the responsibilities of a job, the requirements an employer would have for you, being on time, working hard, learning to follow directions, and, of course, making money is always nice too," Noble says.

Employers might wonder why it could be beneficial to hire someone on the spectrum, but the real question they should be asking themselves is why not?

Individuals on the spectrum can be just as good as any other employee whether on the spectrum or not, and, actually, while it is a spectrum, certain defining qualities have been observed in employees on the spectrum that make them great workers.

"Essentially, you're getting a hard-working staff, who want to work, who are capable of doing the work and can do a variety of different kind of things that can be done; there are lots of seasonal roles to be filled and people on the spectrum are capable of doing any of them," Noble says.

"Generally speaking, people on the spectrum are often very good at work that requires structured task work, they're very good at anything that is visual and individuals on the spectrum are also very intelligent, so they can do things like research or that kind of thing."

Showing inclusivity in the workplace can also be good for business.

"In many cases, customers will frequent or return to a business where they've seen inclusion so that can be another positive for an employer," Noble says.

Kelowna Bike Rentals is one of many local businesses that has worked with Ready, Willing and Able to find employees and had an amazing experience.

Tyler Spence hired Levi through the program to work at a bike rental booth and, on a slow day, found him reading a bike manual while two other staff had decided to pass the time scrolling on their phones. Levi's interest in the bike manual is something that Spence noticed and decided to approach Levi about.

"I pulled him aside and asked him if he was interested in this stuff and had him work with my bike mechanic who then said that he was doing really well and was really interested, so we had him doing that for the rest of the year," Spence says.

"So, we decided we wanted to keep him employed through the year which allowed me time to figure out how to get Levi some training which we have since secured and when he comes back he'll be my head mechanic."

Spence says hiring individuals through programs like Ready, Willing and Able is rewarding, both on an emotional and business level and is just like hiring anybody else, except in this case, where he ended up finding a new bike mechanic.

"Every person I've ever employed has something going on in their life whether it's emotional, physical, permanent or temporary," he says.

"A lot of times, fully abled people try to hide those things while other people, with autism or Down syndrome or whatever it might be, can't necessarily hide it, but it's almost easier to work with someone on the spectrum because I can know more easily where the difficulties lie and I can know what to adjust in the work environment to make sure they are productive workers and the environment is good for them.

"I would encourage all employers to seriously consider the positive effect that it can have on somebody who struggles to find gainful employment just because of the way they look or act. We say disability but it's really not, it's just different and, really, everyone is different."

To find out more about Ready, Willing and Able and inclusive employment opportunities, visit the program's website here. 

To contact a reporter for this story, email Gabrielle Adams or call (438) 830-1211 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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