Inclusion in the workplace: Enki and the opportunities for people with disabilities

Inclusion in the workplace: Enki and the opportunities for people with disabilities

More and more companies in Austria are actively committed to employing people with disabilities. This is reflected not only in the legal obligation to employ a certain number of those affected in the company, but also in the curiosity and commitment of company bosses to promote diversity and inclusion. According to Austrian law, employers are obliged to employ at least one person with a disability for every 25 employees in larger companies. Otherwise, they face monthly penalties of up to 500 euros.

A clear example is the record manufacturer Enki in Adnet, where two deaf people work. Josef, an employee, describes his positive experiences: "I really like it in the Enki company. I have the feeling that communication with the foreman works well. The work processes are then discussed with gestures. That works great." Manfred Peer, the founder of Enki, also comments on the topic: "It works better than expected. Every employee is treated equally here, regardless of any impairment."

Integration through community

In order to promote the integration of people with disabilities, the Public Employment Service (AMS) offers a specially organized job exchange. Silvia Kemperling, who works in the network for professional assistance, explains: "People are still struggling with stigmatization. We want to help ensure that impairments no longer have to be hidden in times like these." Numerous people with disabilities and interested companies have already met under the name “Meet and Match”. This means that 85 people have already been made aware of twelve companies.

An example of the commitment is the young applicant Marlies Gnida from the city of Salzburg. She is training to become a teaching assistant and is also looking for a job. Tobias Polreich is also actively looking for an apprenticeship and is interested in the areas of office and shipping clerk or furnishing consulting. “I have very good spatial thinking skills,” he says.

Another representative of the company landscape is Arno Meiswinkel, who works in human resources management at the IKEA branch in Salzburg. There are promising applicants here too: "We have already met many interesting applicants. We will definitely move on to the next round with two or three."

The positive response to previous events has encouraged the organizers to plan another job fair for next year. This not only increases awareness of the potential of people with disabilities, but also increases the chance of equal participation in working life. This is important, not only for the companies themselves, but also for society as a whole, which can benefit from a diverse and inclusive world of work.

For further information about the development and the current job exchanges, see the current reporting on salzburg.orf.at.