Diversity and inclusion

Glenda on inclusive hiring

January 11, 2022

Glenda stands in her store with the stocked aisles behind her.

Glenda Hubley believes in the importance of hiring inclusivity. As the store manager of a Real Atlantic Superstore® in Kingston, N.S., she’s worked in the past with organizations in the province to hire people with disabilities.

So when she learned that her store would be participating in a pilot project with Ready, Willing and Able (RWA), a national program that helps recruit people with intellectual disabilities or autism for specific jobs, she was thrilled. Our partnership with RWA was formed through our Able colleague resource group, which is a group of colleagues who advocate for the inclusion of persons with disabilities.

“I think everybody deserves a chance,” says Glenda. “It can be really hard for people to find a job sometimes, especially if they have a disability.”

RWA is an initiative of Inclusion Canada and the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance that aims to help people get involved in the labour force. Nationwide, there are roughly 400,000 people who have either an intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder who can work, but don’t have access to meaningful employment.

The pilot has been running in 70 stores across Canada for the past four months. There are plans to roll out the partnership nationally this year.

Glenda says the process of working with RWA has been simple. She first supplied a list of the store’s hiring needs to a program recruiter, then the recruiter worked with local groups, including Autism Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Works. Interested candidates then came in for a job interview.

The journey has been easier and smoother than when she liaised with these organizations herself in the past, Glenda says.

Through the pilot, she hired Darcy Hiltz, a man with autism and anxiety who works as a part-time cashier.

“He always comes to work with a smile on his face,” says Glenda. “I’ve seen how much his confidence has grown. He’s doing really well, and the customers and staff just love him.”

Darcy started off working with a support person, but now he works independently.

“I really felt like it was an easy process and that this is just the perfect fit,” says Darcy Hiltz. "I’m glad that I was able to get a permanent position as I had been volunteering with other organizations and never had the opportunity to test out the front-end cash position. It works great for me and I’m just excited to hear customers tell me how quick I am.”

In addition to the recruiting role, RWA will also provide additional support or assistance to new colleagues and employees if needed.

“It’s a great program,” says Glenda. “My advice to other stores is to try it out and give it a chance. Everybody brings something different to the team, and I think it’s really important to have a diverse staff.”

Darcy will stay on permanently at the store once the pilot ends. “We’ve been so lucky to have him,” Glenda says. “I don’t know if we would have found him without RWA, so I’m really glad that we did.”