Opening doors to the workplace for people with disabilities: The business case of PT Dewhirst Indonesia

Realizing the potentials of people with disabilities to companies, PT Dewhirst Menswear Indonesia, a leading garment company in the country, has been providing an equal job opportunity for job-seekers with disabilities since 2001. With a total of 2,700 workers, the company has employed 29 workers with disabilities.

“We actually want to hire more people with disabilities as we see their potentials as skillful and productive workers, and this has been the commitment from the management. However, it is not easy to find workers with disabilities. Although we always clearly notify in our job vacancies that the job opportunities are equally opened for people with disabilities, only a few or even none job applicants from them,” said Hayati, HR and Recruitment Manager of PT Dewhirst, sharing the company’s inclusive employment programme at the Disability Business Forum held by the ILO in Jakarta in March 2016.

We had been thinking how we could hire workers with disabilities who have the required skills and competencies. We believe that people with disabilities have the same potentials, if not more, as other workers."

Hayati, HR and Recruitment Manager of PT Dewhirst

The Forum is dedicated for the Indonesian employers to discuss and share experience on tapping the market and talent pool of persons with disabilities. Therefore, the Forum is aimed to increase awareness and understanding of state-owned and private enterprises on benefits of hiring and employing people with disabilities.

Hayati, HR and Recruitment Manager of PT Dewhirst To solve the lack of job-seekers with disabilities, Hayati said that the company attempted to find strategic solutions that, in turn, would be beneficial for the company’s recruitment and hiring processes. “We had been thinking how we could hire workers with disabilities who have the required skills and competencies. We believe that people with disabilities have the same potentials, if not more, as other workers,” she added.

In order to get more job applicants from people with disabilities, PT Dewhirst has developed a pro-active strategy by providing training providers and vocational schools with improved vocational curriculums, particularly for skills/vocational training for persons with disabilities. The curriculums have been designed to provide an opportunity for persons with disabilities to showcase their talents and skills related to the garment sector.

Not only improving the curriculums, the company also provides garment machineries to training providers and vocational schools. These machineries are used for practical trainings of the trainees/students so that they can learn how to use the equipment properly before entering the real world of work, specifically for those who are deaf and with speech disability.

“Through this strategy, we can get competent workers who are matched with the needs and requirements of the company. We can also get skillful trainees/students with disabilities who can be absorbed and hired by the company when they graduate,” said Hayati, explaining the benefits gained by the company.

The percentage of performance result of persons with disabilities is as equal as those with no disability. We use colour codes for working performance. Red is for performance under 50 percent, yellow is between 50 and 75 percent and green is above 75 percent. Our disabled colleagues always receive green, especially those who are deaf and with speech disability."

Hayati

In addition, according to Hayati, PT Dewhirst opens an apprenticeship opportunity for these trainees/students, including those with disabilities. It is hoped that through the apprenticeship programme, they can further learn about their tasks and responsibilities, manage their workload and be familiar with the working conditions.

“It is part of our effort to smooth the transition from school/training-to-work, particularly for workers with disabilities,” she said.

For PT Dewhirst, stated Hayati, employing people with disabilities is not a matter of charity. It is a matter of cost and benefit for the company. “We have positive experiences employing people with disabilities. They have good working performance, they are eager to learn and they are loyal. To date, we have workers with disabilities at supervisory and managerial levels,” Hayati said.

PT Dewhirst also conducts a monitoring and control system on the product made. “The percentage of performance result of persons with disabilities is as equal as those with no disability. We use colour codes for working performance. Red is for performance under 50 percent, yellow is between 50 and 75 percent and green is above 75 percent. Our disabled colleagues always receive green, especially those who are deaf and with speech disability,” she said proudly.

The Forum is organized by the ILO through its Promoting Rights and Opportunities for People with Disabilities in Employment through Legislation (PROPEL) Project. Funded by Irish Aid, the Project is aimed to promote better work and employment opportunities created for men and women with disabilities, through the creation of an enabling legal and policy environment, the promotion of skills development opportunities and measures to eliminate discrimination.