As I did my PTS at an Austrian online job board
(careesma.at) in Spain, I would like to shortly present a very interesting
initiative operated by this job board: CareerMoves.
I worked a lot with the team of CareerMoves, wherefore my
interest in this topic increased day by day. CareerMoves is an online job
platform for people with or without disabilities. The website is connected to
the online job board Careesma, where Austrian companies can put job ads in
order to find new staff. Careesma offers the possibility to implement the CareerMoves
icon in a job ad to specifically address people with disabilities. Every
company which decides to use these icons can then also find its job ads on
careermoves.at.
People with (any kind of) disabilities are asked to openly
communicate their qualifications and limitations. The main idea is to
facilitate the entry into the Austrian job market, as people with disabilities
still face many problems.
Today, already more than 50 companies participate in this
project, among others, Baumax, ÖBB, Thalia, Ikea or Mc Donald´s.
What do you think about this initiative? Would you recommend
HR managers to implement the icon on job ads? Do you think the job board will
further grow in the next years?
If you want to have a look at the homepage or at which jobs
are offered, here is the link to the website: www.careermoves.at
As I am really convinced by this project I am looking
forward to your comments on this topic!
I think this is a very good project!!
AntwortenLöschenIn my opinion it is still very hard for people with disabilites to find a job. Many feel ashamed of their disability or simply don't feel capable or "worth" a job offered online or in a newspaper.
On the other hand if they apply for a job offer and the HR Manager for example sees that the person is disabled, he might find another reason for not hiring him.
This is strongly discouraging. And just because you have any kind of disability it doesn't mean that you're worth less!
Therefore I think this opportunity facilitates the job search for people with disabilites as they see that they actually could be capable of fulfilling the tasks required. It just makes the job search much easier.
Furthermore through this platform the people can connect with each other which can also be a good experience.
But still, it also helps the reputation of the company. They are perceived as "socially responsible".
In my opinion more companies should be encouraged to participate in this project!
Hi Silvia,
AntwortenLöschenI think this is a very good discussion topic. On the one hand I am really glad about this initiative and strongly support it, but on the other hand there are also disadvantages.
Starting with why I support it: I know someone who is disabled (wheel-chair) and because of that it is really really really hard for that person to find a job. And if there is a job that person is bullied a lot by "colleagues" and also the boss. Therefore I think an initiative like this is really good, as employers are encouraged to employ disabled people and give them a fair chance of showing what they are capable of doing.
On the other hand I feel that this can also lead to some problems. Let's for example take "affirmative action". People are hired because they are disabled. And because of that one other person might not get the job, eventhough he/she might be better capable of doing the job. This is what many disabled people do not want. They want to be hired because of their skills and not because they are disabled. Furthermore, most of the time companies which hire disabled people get many subsides for that. This is encouraging them to only employ the disabled person because they get some money extra from it. They do not have further interest in this person and her/his developement.
Although in the end I think such an initiative is a positive thing. It's sad that we need it and that it is such a big issue, but it might be a step to a world of work which is a little bit more fair.
Hi there,
AntwortenLöschenI think it is a good idea to encourage people with disabilities to openly talk about what they are able to do or which activities cause problems. However, as Lisa mentioned, I think it is very important to mainly consider their qualifications. Moreover, companies receive subsidies for hiring people with a handicap. Even though I believe that it is a good thing to enable disabled people to get a job easier, I think government aid does not always help their career.
Overall it is clear that this is a very controversial topic. I think that in Austria any initiative for better integration into working life for people with disabilities is a step forward. There is still a lot to be done with regards to equal opportunities!
I read now - finally - through this thread, and must say very interesting thoughts and comments! I only can agree with all of you, at the end it is a very controversial and individual topic. There was just one more thing which crossed my - maybe wicked - mind: do people with disabilities want to have these publically presented? Many disabilities are invisible, but by sharing it on an info board it is public. Could that not also limit their options?
AntwortenLöschen