Written by James Burwood, one of our rockstar team members.
Beacon Laundry is one of the fastest growing businesses in the Byron Shire. In just one year of operation we have created more than 100 new jobs for people with complex barriers to work, captured almost half of the commercial laundry market in Byron Bay and surrounds, and hosted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
But this barely scratches the surface of what makes our social enterprise so special. From our radical hiring process to our unique use of the ‘open employment’ business model, here are five things about us that might surprise you.
1) No job interviews
A job with no interview might sound like a dream, but at Beacon it’s our reality. We do not conduct job interviews for our laundry attendants. Nor do we ask for resumes. If you’re a good human with a willingness to work and a desire to transition into another role one day, the job is essentially yours.
At Beacon we understand that people with disabilities or other complex barriers to work (such as a history with the criminal justice system, or mental health challenges) often lack the work experience and qualifications employers traditionally require. But the cruel irony is, these same complex barriers prevent them from getting the work experience and qualifications they need.
By scrapping the traditional hiring process, we hire people who are more than capable of working but have previously been shut out from the workforce. In return, we help them build the experience, qualifications, and self-determination they need to transition into the role of their dreams. Read on to see how.
2) We’ll help you write a resume and ace your job interview
We employ a small army of support workers as part of our ‘People and Pathways’ team. Be it organising wellness check-ins, delivering groceries, organising means of commuting to work, no ask is too great and no need is too small for our amazing team..
Our versatile People and Pathways team also assist employees with writing resumes and conducting job interviews. This could include rehearsing a ‘mock’ interview with one of our support workers playing the interviewer, or joining a transitioning employee for their interview. They also connect employees with employers in whatever industry they are interested in. The author can personally attest to this, having recently landed an opportunity to intern at a local newspaper (thanks Ali!).
3) We help develop skills to cope with work stress
At Beacon, we understand that working at a commercial laundry has its stressors. From the constant whirr and beeping of machines to the never-ending flow of linen through our laundry, we have come to see that life has three certainties: death, taxes, and laundry.
Fortunately, we provide several resources for promoting self-care and managing stress in the workplace. This includes our regular ‘toolbox’ meetings, where we inform employees of changes in operations while giving them a platform to voice their feedback. We also run workshops on meditation and breathing techniques for reducing stress and promote bodily awareness during shifts. And plastered across all our machines are little signs to remind us to take a moment to stretch. See below!
Not only does this help our team cope with our bustling workplace, these are skills our transitioning employees can use to build resilience and self-belief as they open new chapters in their lives. Even our very own founder, Luke Terry can attest to the importance of self care.
“I was caught by surprise by the toll that building White Box took on me. In the early days, I got tired easily, I’d get frustrated over that and I was struggling with how I communicated. It wasn’t until I started taking better care of myself that things shifted. Now I meditate at the beginning and end of every day and pay more attention to exercise and healthy eating.”
4) Our leaders are trained trauma experts
In our most recent forward-thinking initiative to build our collective capacity for work, our People and Pathways team has introduced a trauma workshop. This workshop examines how trauma impacts cognitive functioning in the workplace. Delivered exclusively to our team leaders and supervisors, we believe this workshop will foster a trauma-informed approach to leadership.
“Having trauma-informed leaders and supervisors in all workplaces, and specifically workforces that involve labour and open employment, is essential for creating safe, supportive, and productive environments” says Ali, a qualified trauma expert and member of our People and Pathways team.
“Many individuals in these settings may carry past experiences of trauma that can impact how they respond to stress, feedback, and workplace dynamics. Trauma-informed leadership recognises these realities and prioritises empathy, psychological safety, and clear communication.” said Ali.
As an employee I’ve already begun to see the fruits of this approach, especially amongst our cheekier supervisors.. While the newfound efforts to check-in with how we are feeling have been wobbly to start with, I believe in time they will strengthen the qualities of kindness, empathy and self-determination that already exist in our workplace.
5) We have an open-employment model
At Beacon we have an “Open Employment” business model. This means people with and without disabilities work together in the same roles.
While open employment has been implemented overseas and to a lesser extent in Australia, we believe open employment is well suited to our unique workplace culture. Each of us goes to work knowing we’ve all had personal struggles, that each of us has done it tough or is going through hard times. We also know that each of us is capable of working and developing skills, and we can support each other as we achieve our respective goals. And have some fun while doing it.
So it’s not uncommon to find people with disability or complex barriers transitioning into other roles or even moving up the ladder within the laundry. It is truly inspiring to see our people build up their capacity and achieve their goals.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning some surprising new facts about Beacon. Follow us on social media for more regular updates or subscribe to our newsletter.
