Real work spells equality

6th June 2012

Real work spells equality

Tane Griffin loves going to work. It’s an opportunity for him to be independent, contribute to society and he is proud of his job. It’s not an opportunity that has always been available to everyone with a disability. It makes him “feel good to have a job and be able to work hard”. It has helped him mature and gain skills that he can transfer into his personal life. He now manages his own finances and has learned to trust. His position at Altus Enterprises gives him a lot of responsibility.

Working conditions for people with disabilities have come a long way from the “sheltered workshop” which Altus started as in 1963. These did little to further the employment options of people with disabilities. Society as a whole perceived these environments to be a segregated option where “real work” did not actually take place. The long-awaited and welcome repeal of the Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act in 2007 required sheltered workshop providers to truly reflect on what it is they are offering to people with disabilities.

Now in their 50th year of providing service to people with disabilities in the greater Auckland region, one of New Zealand’s biggest social enterprises, Workforce Industries, has rebranded as Altus Enterprises. Now all of Altus’ employees are on individual employment contracts and are rightly afforded the same employment rights as the rest of the workforce. Furthermore, Altus compete for, and win, work on equal basis as their commercial competition.

Employing total of 240 people – 210 of whom have a disability, the Altus team undertake a variety of light manufacturing, labeling, assembly, office services, shrink wrapping, food handling and bottling across two sites in Mangere Bridge and Henderson.

They count some of New Zealand’s biggest organisations amongst their customers. Customers like Air New Zealand who have outsourced the refurbishing and repackaging of approximately 12,000 headsets per day to Altus. They also work with SME’s such as Oakdale Organics, who produce organically certified seedlings. Altus employees fill their seedling trays and do other production work for them. Both of these companies understand the benefits of partnering with an organisation like Altus, outsourcing their non-core operations – allowing them to focus on their competitive advantage and what is going to take their business to the next level. Of course the additional benefit of working with Altus is the fact that these organisations are assisting people with disabilities to enjoy the benefits of work.

There is currently a huge focus on corporate social responsibility, triple bottom line reporting, and the need for business to engage with their communities. Altus’s customers know that by using them they are fulfilling their need to connect with communities. Altus employs a team of 210 people with disabilities – people who are incredibly proud to work there and are absolutely committed to doing the best for their customers. Altus manager Paul Stoneman says, “ the great thing about using Altus is that our customers can fulfill their organisations commitment to giving back to the to the community but at the same time get the work that they need doing done on time, to the right quality and at the right price. It’s a win –win.”

ENDS

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