#DEAM – Behind the Scenes with Farm Credit Canada and SaskTel
By Nicole Linzmeyer, SARC Communications Officer
If you’ve tuned in to CTV, Rogers, or CBC, since October 1st you may have seen one of the commercials featuring either Farm Credit Canada (FCC) or SaskTel – two champion employers in the province.
This year for Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM), we wanted to reach new audiences across the province, and highlight the business case for inclusive employment to employers who may be unaware of the benefits of hiring people experiencing disability. What better way than broadcasting a commercial?
We were fortunate to partner with Farm Credit Canada and SaskTel on this project. Both businesses are stellar examples of what an inclusive workplace truly is and you can see how their inclusive hiring practices have really made an impact on their corporate culture.
It was a blast to film at Farm Credit Canada (also this year’s Employer of Excellence Award recipient). We had the pleasure of meeting the five employees they have hired. Their employees are spread out across various departments from marketing to compliance and accounts payable to human resources! All of their employees have an important role that is incredibly valued by the whole team.
We interviewed Michael Hoffort, President & CEO of Farm Credit Canada. Michael sees the real value of hiring employees experiencing disability and this enthusiasm was key in getting the buy-in from the entire organization. From there the Human Resources department has done a fantastic job in seeing the vision come to life. Donna Flaman-Johnson, Senior Workforce Planning Manager told us that this initiative “has been the highlight of her career” and that shows through all of the employees thriving in their roles and being a part of the FCC community. Thank you to Farm Credit Canada for partnering with us on this project!
SaskTel was also fabulous to partner with on this project. Not only have they been the recipient of the Employer of Excellence Award in the past, they have also seen an employee receive an Al McGuire Transition to Employment Award. What we love about SaskTel is that they have employees that work in so many different roles within their store, office, and warehouse. The variety of roles that SaskTel has hired really demonstrates to other employers that you can hire any person experiencing disability for any role, the key is finding the right fit with the right employee.
They have been hiring people experiencing disability for many years, and their program continues to grow. We interviewed Acting President and CEO, Doug Burnett who see their employees as a valuable part of their workforce. Thank you SaskTel for your partnership!
This project has been very exciting to spread awareness of the economic and social impact that inclusive employment has to a broader audience. It is our goal to have more employers become interested in learning more about getting started after hearing the perspectives from these two business leaders in our province.
For any employers that are interested in getting started with supported employment, you can visit the EmployLink website and look in the Member Directory to find a community-based organization near you, that can assist you in finding the right candidate for your business.
Farm Credit Canada and Sasktel experienced the benefits of working with a community-based organization and so can you!
