Successful inclusion project in Germany

POLYGONVATRO in the German city of Oberhausen has started a collaboration with Lebenshilfe, an organization that supports disabled people and their families in everyday life. Thanks to the collaboration, 25-year-old Daniel from Oberhausen has now got a long-awaited job - and POLYGONVATRO an employee who has enriched the workplace in more ways than one.

Finding a permanent job is never easy, if you also have some form of disability, it is often even more difficult. To help more disabled people enter the labor market, Lebenshilfe has started collaborations with a number of German companies. When POLYGONVATRO's Branch Manager Christoph Kisters was asked, he did not hesitate for a second.

25-year-old Daniel from Oberhausen initially got an internship as a warehouse keeper at POLYGONVATRO. After a very successful trial period, he was then offered a one-year contract. Today Daniel works with accepting, packing, cleaning and sorting goods at the warehouse.

- We call Daniel “the good soul of the warehouse”, says Christoph Kisters.

Daniel’s dream is to evolve within the company and the company tries everything to support him. He is much appreciated by his colleagues, both for his hard work and for his warm personality.

- We have no official inclusion program, but at POLYGONVATRO we’re living the spirit of our CEO Andreas Weber. We try to preserve the feeling and also the values of a family business. This includes to have respect, to be helpful, to be supportive and also to include everybody regardless their background, says Hans Weijers, POLYGONVATRO’s Head of Logistic Center.

The organization Lebenshilfe has announced that they are very happy and pleased that POLYGONVATRO so successfully has integrated Daniel into the working world. And speaking of inclusion, Hans Weijers has a few words to add:

- For us as company inclusion means to lead by example. We want to show that inclusion is challenging, but at the end it’s worth it. If you support someone, they will give you everything back a thousand times more. Inclusion brings so much more than a working employer: it also brings joy to the team. And you get employees who are grateful and committed to your company until the end.

- We are spreading these successful examples within our company to show our branches the great outcome. The project in Oberhausen shows how good inclusion can be and how much our company can profit by it.

Picture of Daniel ©Lebenshilfe