Compassion and Empathy Leads Matthew To His Dream Job

When looking for work, people with disability just want to be given a fair go. However, for many, especially those with mental health conditions, there is a stigma around their disabilities that affects their employment prospects.  

This rings especially true for those living with Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a complex brain disorder, which affects about one in a 100 or between 150,000 and 200,000 Australians. Although important members of our society, schizophrenic people face strong barriers to employment as their condition is often misunderstood.  

Meet Matthew, who was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia after years of not having a diagnosis. After a tenure in the Australian Defense Force, he decided that it was time to set off to find his purpose. He had maintained employment at a local health insurance business since, but found his role unfulfilling.  

Matthew was drawn to AimBig Employment after seeing local Inala job coach Sarah post on her social media about her love for helping others pursue their dreams. Matthew and Sarah chatted, and Matthew was commenced with AimBig Employment and paired with Sarah as his job coach to lead his job seeking journey.  

Matthew expressed to Sarah that he wanted to find an employer who was understanding and compassionate, who would focus on everything he can do, rather than what he can’t. He had also flagged that his passion was for helping people and feeling valued by others, which helped Sarah discover his suitability for a customer-centric role.  

Sarah reached out to his current employer to discuss internal roles he could transfer to, where the idea was floated that he could work in the company call centre. The role would involve assisting people in need to find suitable health insurance for the best price possible. Matthew was over the moon at the thought of supporting people to make the best choice for big decisions, and decided to take a chance on the role.  

Now, Matthew spends majority of his day talking to people from all different walks of life, hearing about their lives and understanding their health and financial challenges. With this information, he is able to put together a range of services and products best suited to the individual to ensure a cost effective yet personalised approach to their new health fund. 

We spoke to Sarah about Matthew’s journey to finding a job he loves. 

“Matthew feels confident in his role, knowing that his disability is now being seen as an ability and doesn’t influence the perception on how he can perform in a role. He loves that he can help others and uses compassion to understand people and their circumstances. His employer has commented that his positive energy is infectious, always turning up with a smile and a can-do attitude. His employer is so grateful to have him, and values him as an important member of their staff.” 

Overcoming barriers is one of the best parts about finding people with disability meaningful employment. We are able to help Australians with a variety of disabilities, health conditions and injuries find a job they love.