Perception of Disability Employment Services

The Personnel Group has consistently delivered high-quality service for nearly 40 years.

Firstly – A huge Merry Christmas and Happy Festive Season to all the valued clients and customers of The Personnel Group.

I hope everyone enjoys a few days off and a chance to recharge the batteries heading into 2023.

Secondly – I want to use my final blog of 2022 to comment a little on the way Disability Employment has been spoken about by Government, the media and key advocacy bodies during the year that has been.

I have deep care for the Disability Employment Service (DES) program.

I have personally worked through five different program variations, and The Personnel Group has delivered the program through every iteration since this service came into being following the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability in 1986.

I have seen countless examples of where the program has transformed its clients’ lives using the powerful open employment vehicle.

I am, therefore, more than a little distressed about the constant negativity projected on the broader disability employment sector in recent times.

While there has rightly been attention on the poor practices of some providers, there is nowhere near enough acknowledgement of the program’s success, or enough deep diving into services that are doing a great job.

The Personnel Group has consistently delivered high-quality service for nearly 40 years.

We ask for and receive excellent customer feedback and are integral to the communities we serve.

We support thousands of people every year to experience the dignity and equality that having a job brings.

We don’t profess to be perfect – we constantly strive to be better and find better ways. Still, we find it unfair to be constantly referenced as part of an industry that lacks performance, quality, or ethics.

Commentary about DES is rarely fair, balanced, or reflective of the program’s successes.

At a time when the disability sector is struggling to attract and retain its workforce, it frustrates me that our team need to constantly read articles that denigrate DES Providers and the work they do.

DES Consultants already have a tough job but continue to do this work because of the benefits to their clients and community.

They don’t deserve the negativity that is often presented.