The Heart of Positive Change: Staffing Your Business with WACOSA

WACOSA is a non-profit organization that was initially started by parents to support their children. Today, WACOSA serves over 575 adults with disabilities in central MN. Our mission is to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to work and live in their community.

Since we began our work, we have noticed that some businesses can be reluctant to hire people with disabilities. Some may be worried about changes and liabilities that they think will come with hiring a person with disabilities. These worries are usually rooted in inexperience—hiring a person with disabilities is not unlike hiring any new employee. There will be an adjustment period, but it doesn’t last long.  

Some common concerns businesses have about hiring employees with disabilities (and reasons why hiring them is beneficial) are listed below:

Concern: My insurance rates will go up.

Many businesses have concerns that if they hire someone with a disability their insurance costs will go up. A survey of human resource managers by Cornell University has proven that companies’ health, life, and disability insurance costs actually rarely go up as a result of hiring people with disabilities.

Concern: How will hiring an employee with disabilities affect other employees?

Hiring a new employee and wondering if they will fit in or get along with the others is always a concern. It might be uncomfortable at first depending upon your current workers’ experience in socializing with people with disabilities, but it usually doesn’t last very long.  It actually has been reported that current employees work harder and are more productive after having people with disabilities in their work environment. There really is no difference in how you would communicate with a person with a disability. The reality is that the person with a disability wants to have the same conversations and be treated the same as every other employee.

Concern: What if it doesn’t work out?

It is never easy to terminate an employee, especially if the employee has a disability. If a person with a disability starts to experience problems down the road, an employer shouldn’t fear termination. If the employee isn’t able to do the work or make corrections to their performance, it is within your rights to terminate the employee, just as you would with anyone else.

Conclusion: Be the heart of positive change

Companies can make a real difference in the lives of others simply by giving them the chance to work. Be the leader who sincerely makes an effort to help a person with a disability. By doing so, you are not only assisting them in creating a better life, but you are also instigating change.

If you are interested in making a positive change in your workforce, WACOSA offers a great program called Staffing Your Business. We work with our clients and your business to find the best match for your job opening. We are committed to the highest standards in job training, coaching, and support for the individuals we train, providing a workforce you can truly rely on.  Take theses concerns and tips into consideration during your next hiring process and be the heart of positive change.

Spotlight on Sauk Centre

Providing individuals with disabilities the opportunity to work and live in their community is exactly what WACOSA’s mission is all about. WACOSA has two locations - one in Waite Park and one in Sauk Centre. Our Sauk Centre location provides many services to the community, including contract packaging and assembly work, “Can-do” Crews, and business staffing.

The first Business Solution offered at WACOSA’s Sauk Centre location is contract packaging and assembly work. Our sales and production staff strive to have a complete understanding of your project, whatever you needs happen to be. Some services include inventory control, pre-operational checklists and training, re-work, and quality checking. Outsourcing to WACOSA can benefit your company in many ways; cutting your costs, boosting your revenue, easing labour shortages and much more.

Our “Can Do” Crews are another option to help your local businesses. Our crews consist of five to seven people and we offer cleaning services, product tear-down, assembly, packaging, labelling, and quality checking and re-work. With a 97% satisfaction rating, it’s easy to see why our “Can Do” Crews are so popular around the St. Cloud region.

Staffing your business is another service of WACOSA’s Sauk Centre location. When set to staff your business, we are committed to the highest standards in job training, coaching, and support. We work diligently with each client to get teams trained until they feel comfortable to produce their own work. We also find it important to have follow-ups with our staffing clients to keep in touch and ensure success within their business.

Although Sauk Centre does not have a thrift store, we do still accept donations at the location. Docu-Shred is also only available at the Waite Park Location, but the Waite Park location works with customers at Sauk Centre to shred their documents.

Our vision at WACOSA is that individuals of all abilities are empowered to reach their full potential. Our vision is made possible through the array of services we offer the community. To get updates about WACOSA, like us on Facebook.