Local F&B group grows its team by creating space for diverse abilities
Mr Cowen See, who has mild autism, has been working as a service staff at Astons Group since July 2024. PHOTO: THARM SOOK WAI
BRANDED CONTENT Local F&B group grows its team by creating space for diverse abilities It's helping more differently-abled employees thrive at work, with support from one bank's inclusive employment initiative
It's lunch time. A queue of hungry diners stretches outside homegrown steakhouse Astons Specialities at Punggol Coast Mall.
In the kitchen, chefs race to plate up meals. Service staff weave through the packed dining area to deliver the orders.
Every table needs something. And still, the orders keep coming.
For most food and beverage (F&B) staff, this is just another busy shift. But for Mr Cowen See, who is 22 and has mild autism, it can feel like a sensory overload.
People with autism may have heightened sensitivities to noise, stress and other stimuli.
Mr See started working as a service staff at Astons Group in July 2024. His responsibilities include making drinks and getting food from the kitchen onto diners' tables.
This is his first job after graduating from APSN Delta Senior School in April 2024.
His manager, Mr Charles Liong, 51, has learnt to watch Mr See's expression for signs of feeling overwhelmed.
When that happens, Mr Liong and the team would offer support, by helping him handle some of the customer requests. They would leave about 10 orders for Mr See to complete on his own, Mr Liong explains.
With support and encouragement from his colleagues, Mr See says he is able to focus on completing each order with accuracy and care.
PHOTO: THARM SOOK WAI
Mr See is one of nine new differently-abled hires at Astons after the company joined UOB's inclusive employment initiative, called The Unlimited, in 2022.
Astons Group is one of the companies participating in The Unlimited.
Jointly launched by UOB, SG Enable, Autism Resource Centre (ARC), Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (Minds) and SPD, the initiative aims to promote inclusive employment as a sustainable business solution.
The Unlimited is the first inclusive employment collaboration among the public, private and people sectors in Singapore. Since 2019, it has created 77 jobs for persons with disabilities across various industries.
The catalyst
In Singapore, the employment rate among persons with disabilities aged 15 to 64 years has increased from 28.2 per cent in 2019 to 33.6 per cent in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Manpower.
Under the Enabling Masterplan, Singapore aims to increase the figure to 40 per cent by 2030.
But challenges remain, says Mr Edward Chew, director of Employment and Employability at SG Enable, the focal agency for disability and inclusion in Singapore.
He points to two major barriers: lingering misconceptions about the abilities of differently-abled individuals, and a lack of knowledge among employers on how to support differently-abled staff in the workplace.
UOB is one organisation working to bridge these gaps through The Unlimited.
Drawing from its own experience, UOB launched the initiative in 2019 to introduce small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the benefits of inclusive employment.
The bank's journey with inclusive employment began in 2013, when it started hiring persons with autism at UOB Scan Hub – its nerve centre for checking, digitising and archiving customer documents.
Ms Gan Ai Im, who heads UOB's The Unlimited, explains that the move was initially a response to a shortage of workers with specific skillsets. These include attention to detail, high levels of focus and a commitment to accuracy.
Today, differently-abled employees make up 36 per cent of the workforce at UOB Scan Hub.
'(We've seen) productivity increase by over 100 per cent, and 50 per cent lower attrition rate within 1.5 years of onboarding differently abled colleagues to the department,' says Ms Gan.
Building on this success, UOB created The Unlimited in an effort to become a 'private sector catalyst' in inclusive employment. The bank's main role is to connect SMEs to the broader ecosystem of support and resources available for inclusive employment.
For SMEs grappling with manpower shortages, inclusive employment offers a win-win opportunity: alleviating labour pressures while making a positive social impact, Ms Gan points out.
Since piloting the programme in 2019, the bank has engaged over 220 corporate clients through networking and sharing sessions, spotlighting the tangible benefits of forming an inclusive workforce.
'(We also) partnered clients across various industries to (help them) become successful inclusive employers,' Ms Gan says.
The spark
Astons' inclusive hiring journey began after an introductory session organised by UOB's The Unlimited in June 2022.
It was here that Mr Aston Soon, chief executive officer of Astons Group, heard firsthand about the experiences of Thong Siek Food Industry, one of The Unlimited's pilot clients.
Thong Siek employs persons with disabilities at its seafood product manufacturing facilities.
Inspired by Thong Siek's vision and long-term commitment to inclusive employment, Mr Soon's takeaway was that businesses keen to hire persons with disabilities can rely on a variety of support.
Motivated, Astons signed up for The Unlimited. With the programme's help, it identified roles across production, administration and service that could be suitable for differently-abled workers.
The company's management team attended a training course at SG Enable to learn how to integrate differently-abled persons into the workplace.
By early 2023, says Mr Soon, Astons had onboarded nine differently-abled employees across roles like service staff member, admin assistants and a production floor worker.
'The Unlimited helped us to identify and match suitable talents that will complement our business needs, and provided step-by-step guidance on the inclusive employment journey,' he adds.
'We were also given advisory support on financial grants and schemes, and information on how to simplify our workplace and processes where required, benefitting both employees with and without disabilities.'
Astons' decision to formalise its inclusive hiring strategy through The Unlimited enhanced a culture that was already taking root within the company, which runs 14 outlets under the Astons Specialities brand.
Even before this, Astons had been hiring differently-abled over the years. Currently, it employs around 20 differently-abled staff, mostly in service, production and administrative roles.
Beyond serving food, Mr See also prepares drinks at Astons Specialities at Punggol Coast Mall.
PHOTO: THARM SOOK WAI
The ecosystem
Through The Unlimited, UOB connects their corporate clients with SG Enable, the charity and focal agency for disability and inclusion in Singapore. It was set up by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in 2013.
Together, UOB and SG Enable then work with ARC, Minds and SPD to identify suitable candidates for the job roles.
SG Enable also provides employer advisory, training and funding support for companies hiring persons with disabilities, says Mr Edward Chew, director of Employment and Employability, SG Enable.
One key initiative is the Open Door Programme (ODP) that encourages employers to hire, train and integrate persons with disabilities.
ODP was launched in 2007 by MSF and Workforce Singapore, a statutory board under the Ministry of Manpower.
Under ODP, employers can apply for course fee support and grants to redesign job roles, buy equipment and modify their workplace to accommodate persons with disabilities. People with disabilities can receive up to one year of job matching and employment support from trained job coaches.
Another scheme, the Enabling Employment Credit, launched in 2020, provides wage offsets to companies that employ those with disabilities.
'These efforts help employers build more inclusive workplaces while unlocking a broader talent pool,' Mr Chew says.
For employees like Mr See, the impact goes beyond securing a job. He has found a sense of belonging.
'I feel happy working at Astons as my manager and staff support me very closely, and I am able to ask for help when I need it,' he shares.
Even during busy periods, the encouragement and trust he receives keep him motivated.
'My manager said that I complete orders very well,' says Mr See. 'I do this at my own pace but more importantly, always accurately.'
This is the fifth of a six-part series titled 'Right by you', in partnership with
'Right by you' is a series that explores how organisations drive meaningful impact for communities, customers and employees.
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