MOOSE JAW — One Moose Jaw employer was surprised when a representative of Partners in Employment visited his shop to recommend a client after he published a job posting around five weeks ago.
“We were running an ad for a cabinet maker and we were approached by Partners in Employment to see if we’d be interested in interviewing someone they had been working with and we did,” recalled Jason Cushway, the owner of Hanover Cabinets alongside his brother Joe Cushway.
“The interview went great and we ended up hiring her. Now she works full time for us.”
The reason for a screening visit, he explained, was because many employers are reluctant to hire persons with disabilities. Either way, his view was that anyone willing to work and learn, able to do the required job, and who took the effort to hand in a resume was deserving of a chance.
“I said, ‘If you think she can do the job that I’m asking for, then I have no problem phoning her for an interview.’” His attitude is the same for anyone interested in a job. “Anyone that walked in with a resume, as long as it wasn’t way overqualified, I phoned them all back the next day and we set up interviews.”
Cushway said he wasn’t sure what to expect and was told the young woman was quite shy. “But she was everything but shy — she was very open, ready for an interview, answered all the questions, and yeah, that surprised me. Most people are pretty nervous.”
He said she showed interest in woodworking so she was assigned to build cabinets on a full-time basis.
“She had to learn (everything) from the start, but she’s already picked it up… Anything she doesn’t understand she asks questions right away,” he said. “That’s what struck me during the interview — I knew she’d have no problem catching on because she’s young and eager.
“I don’t know what the disability is and I don’t care because it’s working out perfect,” he added.
Around five weeks into the job, Autumn is becoming a great team member, Cushway said. “More (so) than somebody I’ve had here for a year.”
Cushway said his job posting was up for around four weeks before Autumn was hired and he only received five other applications — but none of them were interested in careers.
“Put it this way, I’ve got two guys here that have been here for more than 10 years. Then… the rest of them seem to stick around for a year, two, three, and then they’re gone. That’s my problem — holding onto those career people. (Autumn) will be a career person.”
In a show of appreciation, SaskAbilities — who oversees the Partners in Employment program — featured Hanover Cabinets on its social media platform during Disability Employment Awareness Month in October. They’ve also invited the owners and Autumn to a luncheon as a way to say thank you.
In his own show of appreciation, Cushway offered some advice to other employers considering whether they should hire persons with disabilities. He said SaskAbilities does a great job of screening for job compatibility and hires local workers who are eager to work.
“If there’s someone who fits the bill… I’m not the only one struggling to find people,” he said, recommending that other employers consider Partners in Employment. “If I was too scared to do it, I would have missed this whole opportunity, right?”
When asked if he’d consider hiring from SaskAbilities again, Cushway’s answer was affirmative. “If I have a job available and they approached me again, yeah. I would do this all over again in a heartbeat.”
Hanover Cabinets has been a part of the community for over 30 years and the family-run company believes in giving back through various sponsorships including local youth sports and has even donated a kitchen to Hunger in Moose Jaw. The company services kitchens, bathrooms, renovations, and new construction projects from start to finish in and around Moose Jaw.
Hanover Cabinets is located at 63 Highland Road and can be reached at 306-631-8727 or HanoverCabinets.ca.
To learn more about SaskAbilities and Partners in Employment visit SaskAbilities.ca.
