#StealOurStaff: Soap company encourages employers to poach disabled staff

A soap company in east London is encouraging employers to steal their staff, in a bid to encourage other employers to hire people with disabilities.

The campaign by Beco, launched this week, puts a twist on traditional recruitment ads by showing off their employees on their soap packaging with an appeal for other companies to headhunt them.

The campaign challenges employers’ attitudes towards people with disabilities.

At Beco, 80% of employees are disabled, and they are encouraging other companies to #StealOurStaff to help more people get into work. View this post on Instagram

At BECO. 80% of our employees are disabled but over 1,000,000 disabled people in the UK are still unemployed. We believe other employers can hire like us. That’s why we’re inviting you to #StealOurStaff. ? Click the link in our bio for more info!

A post shared by BECO. (@beco.uk) on Sep 3, 2019 at 12:06am PDT

A spokesman for Beco and founding charity Clarity said: “We think we’ve got some of the best soap-makers on the planet, but we’re not naive enough to think they always dreamed of making soap.”

Disability charity Scope estimates that more than a million people with disabilities in the UK are unable to find work, with an unemployment gap of 30%.

The campaign highlights staff like Stephen, who joined in 1985 and works as a receptionist. A sci-fi fanatic, Stephen said: “My dream job would be to work for Big Finish Productions as a producer, making podcasts.”

Another staff member waiting to be stolen is Michael, who works with his guide dog Hermes as a team leader at Beco.

Michael said: “Some people might think I should be satisfied because I’ve got a job, but I’ve got ambitions like everyone else. I reckon I could give the board at a certain Claret and Blue football club a run for their money.” View this post on Instagram

We don’t want to lose our resident soap guru, Ozzie but he’s destined for brighter things, and that would mean we could give another talented person with disabilities a chance. To find out more, see Mini Ozzie with his CV on BeCo handwash and soap packs.? Check link in bio for more info!

A post shared by BECO. (@beco.uk) on Sep 5, 2019 at 4:29am PDT

Co-founder of Beco, Camilla Marcus-Dew, told the PA news agency: “It’s a transformative campaign. We are trying to tell a really strong story.

“We really do want employers to steal our staff. We employ about a hundred people here – to help those people out there who want a job but don’t have one get into work, we need to create more jobs here.

“We can do that by selling more product to create more jobs, or if staff move onwards and create openings here.

“I will be gutted for staff members to leave, but they will move onwards if it’s the right thing for them.”