Behind every successful Supported Employee is a dedicated team of professionals. This article provides a glimpse into the daily life of an Employment Support Worker at Help and highlights the positive impact of our supported employment program on employees with a disability at Help’s social enterprise businesses.

A Brief Introduction to the Employment Support Worker Role

As part of Help’s ongoing commitment to evolve with our community and provide support where needed, we’ve introduced a new structured support system offering a high level of person-centred support to our employees with disability. To achieve this, we established the role of Employment Support Worker who works closely with Supported Employees to maximise achievements in their independence, skills development and integration in the workplace.

When Help announced this new structure, in January 2024, we brought on board Employment Support Workers across our four Supply Chain sites: Eagle Farm, Acacia Ridge, Sunnybank, and Ipswich.

Employment Support Workers work collaboratively with Employment Coaches who are responsible for discussing and setting NDIS goals with Supported Employees and their advocates.

Meet Kelepi, Employment Support Worker at Help

To help us dive deep into the details of the role, we’d like to introduce you to Kelepi, an Employment Support Worker at our Acacia Ridge site. Kelepi came to Help in the first group of Employment Support Workers that started in early 2024. “I instantly loved the job! It’s encouraging and fulfilling to support people with disability in their job to achieve their goals and progress in their lives,” said Kelepi.

As an Employment Support Worker, Kelepi’s main responsibilities include:

• Providing on the job support to our Supported Employees.

• Developing strategies to assist them in enhancing their general wellbeing.

• Providing support to assist them in achieving their NDIS goals.
• Providing training when required, and much more.

For Kelepi, his day at work starts at 7.30am when he gets to our Acacia Ridge site for an 8am start. “The first thing we do is have a team meeting that includes us, the Employment Support Workers, as well as our Employment Coaches and Production Team Leaders,” explained Kelepi.

During these meetings, they discuss each Supported Employee’s goals and how to organise the activities of the day around them, considering production KPIs and service delivery for the site too – both overseen by the Production Team Leaders. The idea is to match the needs of Help’s commercial clients to the abilities and goals of Supported Employees in a safe environment where they know they are assisted.

“We have production KPIs we need to meet, but supporting our employees is our priority. We’ve learned that when they’re happy, they work better and production improves,” said Kelepi.

As the workday unfolds and jobs are assigned, Kelepi provides on-the-job guidance to Supported Employees, checking on them, talking about the job and helping them fulfil their duties. In addition, this provides a natural opportunity to see if anyone in his care needs further assistance or guidance beyond work.

During these interactions, Kelepi takes notes about each Supported Employee’s behaviour, engagement with tasks, challenges or concerns, and how they are progressing towards or achieving their goals. In the afternoon, he records these observations so the team, both coaches and support workers, can align their strategies to give Supported Employees more choice and control over their activities and progress towards their NDIS goals.

Daniel Young is an Employment Coach who works closely with Kelepi and shared that having him on the team made a big difference to both the atmosphere and the progress of Supported Employees. “Kelepi’s passion for employment support and his dedication to helping our Supported Employees reach their fullest potential is truly admirable. Additionally, the drive and enthusiasm he brings to the site each day is contagious,” said Daniel.

Flexible and Collaborative Work are Key to Success

As a team, Employment Coaches and Employment Support Workers act together to adjust tasks when required and maintain a flexible working environment, open to the unique needs of Supported Employees.

When Supported Employee Deborah injured her hand, Kelepi adapted her duties and, drawing on conversations with her about previous interests in administrative work, offered her the task of sorting documents in the office. This flexibility allowed Deborah to continue working without injuring her hand further. “Kelepi really helped me, making sure I didn’t do the wrong thing with my hand and hurt it more. It would have been hard without his support,” said Deborah.

For Kelepi, supporting Deborah in a different job not only prevented further injury but also enhanced her confidence and ability to perform diverse work activities. “This was a big step for her to build up her confidence and to step outside of her comfort zone,” said Kelepi.

Kelepi has also worked closely with Kevin, a Supported Employee who is visually impaired, to safely introduce him to operating the gluing machine on a conveyor belt, as he’d requested. By ensuring all machines were off during training and allowing Kevin to familiarise himself with the equipment, Kelepi created a safe learning environment.

“I couldn’t have done it without Kelepi’s help. He’s a really good support worker and helps me feel comfortable at work,” Kevin shared. For Kelepi, this is one of his sweetest memories at work. “Seeing how ecstatic Kevin was after accomplishing this task reassured me that I was doing the right thing by him and that I really love doing this job,” said Kelepi.

Being open and flexible is an instrumental part of Kelepi’s daily work and that doesn’t go unnoticed. “Kelepi strikes the perfect balance between creating a productive work environment that offers genuine real-world experience and fostering a space where employees can enjoy themselves and look forward to coming to work each day,” said Daniel.

Flexible and Collaborative Work are Key to Success

Another important aspect of Kelepi’s daily life at work is adjusting his interactions to meet different ways of communicating. For instance, in Acacia Ridge there are a number of Supported Employees who are nonverbal and others who have hearing impairment. “In those cases, it’s crucial to either use their familiar ways of communicating or prompt them and use their cues to effectively communicate and assist them,” explained Kelepi.

It’s also Kelepi’s responsibility to assist Supported Employees to maintain healthy social interactions with one another, de-escalating any issues or challenges and regrouping the team in a healthy and positive way.

“I love my overall interactions with our employees, and I learn a lot from them. De-escalating conflicts and helping them communicate among themselves in a friendly manner can be challenging, but it’s a rewarding part of the job seeing the positive impacts of our efforts,” said Kelepi.

The dedication and expertise of Employment Support Workers like Kelepi are instrumental in assisting Supported Employees to achieve their full potential. They offer meaningful support in helping individuals adapt to the workplace and improve their communication skills.

If this sounds like someone who you know or care for, let them know about the positive impact it can have. Contact us today to explore how we can support you or your loved ones.