WISE Employment - Job Network

Supporting people with a disability into employment…

For many men, the image of the traditional male provider is still very much part of their identity. In our culture, men are still mostly valued for their function or role in society. How many times when you first meet someone do you get asked, ‘What do you do?’ Imagine if that image of yourself was somehow altered through illness or a disability – and what if it impacted on your ability to work or to provide for your family?

For Alan, this was very much part of his reality. He was born with a form of cerebral palsy. Although he received a lot of physiotherapy as a child, he still has some difficulty performing some physical tasks.

“Initially, I had problems accepting that,” Alan said.

“I wanted to be as well as the next person.”

Alan had been unemployed for several years before he started working for Clean Force Property Services at Dallas Brooks Hall.

Clean Force, a division of WISE Employment, is a contracting and sub-contracting business that secures regular and occasional cleaning contracts from a variety sources including community organisations like the Freemasons Victoria. Most of Clean Force’s employees are people with a disability who may require long-term intensive and individualised employment support.

Alan has been cleaning function rooms and the auditorium at Dallas Brooks Hall for the last 18 months. He has welcomed the opportunity to work and to be a part of the community again.

“My work at Dallas Brooks Hall gives me an opportunity to be a part of something – to be employed – to be out in the community,” he said.

“When I first started there, I felt ‘I could do this’.” Clean Force employees are taken through intensive training before they start a cleaning job. Clean Force Property Services Manager, Jim Dinuccio, believes this training is a crucial part of reintroducing his employees to the workforce. “Bringing these life skills back into our employees’ lives is a slow process,” Jim said. “When they start they may spend anything from a week to a month with one of the supervisors training one on one and just slowly learning one skill at a time and eventually putting all those skills together.” Alan admits that he initially found it difficult to complete his tasks in the set timeframe. Clean Force may be about helping people in the community, but it is still a highly competitive and professional cleaning business. “At Clean Force we need to perform our tasks in a set timeframe,” Alan said.

“I’ve improved a lot with the help of my trainers and by persevering.” The work at Dallas Brooks Hall has provided Clean Force’s employees with valuable work experience and a work routine. Clean Force Property Services Manager, Jim Dinuccio, believes the success of Clean Force has been in the way the business has been structured and by focussing primarily on commercial cleaning contracts. “The environment at Dallas Brooks Hall or in an office is a more stable environment…our employees know they need to go to one place three, four or five times a week on an ongoing basis,” he said. “They can build a routine and become more confident in that routine.” Once an employee has demonstrated an ability to maintain employment independently they may move to another employment program to maintain their current work or to look for further employment.

Geoff Lambe, from Freemasons Victoria, believes the success of the initiative has been because of the ongoing support from the Clean Force support supervisors.

“The Clean Force team always work diligently and unobtrusively,” Geoff said.

“If there are any problems, we would speak to Norm who is always on site – the relationship between us is really good.”

The success at Dallas Brooks Hall has meant that Clean Force has secured contracts at several other organisations around Melbourne providing work for many people with a disability. Most recently, Clean Force was awarded the contract to provide cleaning services at the Richmond Football Club’s facilities at Punt Road and the Wantirna Club.

For Alan, it has helped him to change his life.

“Working has really helped my self-esteem,” Alan said.

“I really didn’t think much of myself for a while because I didn’t feel like I was contributing to society.”

“But since working with Clean Force at Dallas Brooks Hall, I’ve started to build up that part of my life.”

Alan is now the lead singer a band called the Deep End. They cover old rock songs and have performed at gigs around Melbourne. They have also put together a CD. Alan had always been interested in music and jumped at the opportunity to pursue his passion.

“It’s always been a big interest of mine, and personally, being able to do something like that, really helps with your self-esteem.”

“Being employed has helped me focus on other areas of my life.”

“I’ve realised that I don’t have to be the best – I can just be the best I can be.”

The main element that made this initiative effective was good relationships – Clean Force’s relationships with their employees and their relationship with the team at Dallas Brooks Hall.

The relationship works because Clean Force provides a quality cleaning service at a competitive price, but it also works because it supports the Freemasons’ values.

Freemasons officer, Geoff Lambe, believes in supporting diversity in the workplace.

“It is a nice feeling that we may be in some way helping someone to support themselves and manage their disability,” he said.

“We are proud to be working with Clean Force.”

For more information about Clean Force Property Services, please contact Jim Dinnucio on 03 9486 8517.