Clean Force, Author at Cleanforce

Team Stories: Lilith Slater

Team stories featuring graphics of animated people standing in a line behind bubbles blue

Today we caught up with our newest recruit, Lilith Slater, who is the Employee Support Officer at our Clean Force Preston office. Lilith spoke to us about her experience with the NDIS and her plans for her new role. Read more below.

Tell us a little bit about your background working with the NDIS.

Before my role at Clean Force, I was a Disability Support Officer/Program Facilitator with two different organisations over the past three years. During this time, I learned so much about the NDIS and Not-for-profit organisations. I have also supported family members with understanding and joining the NDIS.

What are you excited about for your new role?

In my new role as Employee Support Officer, I am looking forward to gaining a better understanding of how the NDIS works regarding supported employment and the behind-the-scenes work that is necessary to make it happen. I am also eager to highlight the importance of employment for people with disability and how it increases their quality of life, self-esteem and self-satisfaction. I have already learned so much about the employees I support, and I cannot wait to provide them with the support they need.

What kind of things will you be working on with the team?

Some of my main projects will be; bringing on new employees to join Clean Force’s already amazing ‘Supported Employee’ crew, networking further between WISE Employment, Clean Force and other service providers to provide employment for people with disability, and ensuring that our supported employees get the high-quality support that they need.

What is the best advice you’ve received?

The best advice I have received would be to take a chance. If you think you may be able to do something but you aren’t 100% sure you are capable, reach out and give it a shot. The chances are that you are your own limitation and don’t see yourself in the same brilliant way that others see you.

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Five years of service at Clean Force in Bendigo

Bendigo team including Richard, Michael, Rory, and Simon all huddled together smiling at the camera

The team at Clean Force would like to extend a huge congratulations to our Bendigo team: Simon, Rory, Richard and Michael for completing five years of service with the company.

Simon, Rory, Richard, and Michael joined the Bendigo team in 2016 when Clean Force won a commercial contract with Telstra. The team was initially responsible for gardening and cleaning Telstra regional sites across Bendigo, Shepparton, and Kerang. Since then, the team in Bendigo has doubled in size, while continuing to provide exceptional service across construction sites, government, and private offices.

We asked the team about their highlights while working at Clean Force over the last five years, here’s what they had to say:

Michael

After losing my old job, I was very thankful to work with Clean Force. Because of Clean Force supporting me, I have found other work I can do. I was also able to save and purchase a property near Bendigo – I now have around 50 sheep on it. I would never have been able to buy this property without Clean Force and the knowledge of farming and responsibility Richard has taught me.

Simon

Without Clean Force, I would be sitting at home seven days per week. The social contacts are priceless, my confidence has improved, and I can now have regular conversations with others and not just my family.

Rory

I work on an independent site two days per week. I can have chats with others at work, and I have my own money to buy things, including getting a coffee down the street. It’s given me the independence I thought I could never have. Thanks, Clean Force.

Richard (Team Leader)

When another company made us redundant, my first concern was my team and not knowing what would happen. When we contacted Clean Force, they said they wanted to take my whole team – it was a sense of relief. I have seen the Bendigo team double in size in the last five years. Clean Force and its management team have supported people in our area to work and give us a chance to contribute to the community. The Bendigo team all live with disability or illness in one form or another, but each one of them has shown themselves to be an integral part of our team. My biggest highlight is knowing our team has thrived and has changed so many lives for the better – not just our Clean Force staff but their families as well.

Four men standing in front of a van. One man is holding a certificate. — Bendigo Team: Michael, Simon, Rory, and Richard

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A Force for Impact

A Social Investment Report of Clean Force Property Services – an award-winning commercial cleaning not-for-profit driving social change – has reconfirmed its impressive contribution to the community.

As a WISE social enterprise providing employment opportunities for people living with disability, mental illness and other disadvantage, Clean Force offers quality commercial cleaning services for a broad range of large corporates and medium-sized businesses, and infrastructure projects as well as grounds maintenance.

The report by Social Ventures Australia explored what socio-economic return Clean Force’s Victorian and New South Wales divisions have had across its employees, customers and the government from July 2015 to June 2020. And the results were overwhelmingly positive.

Demonstrating the shared value of engaging Clean Force for commercial cleaning services, the study confirmed an outstanding $6.10 of social benefit to the community for every $1 invested. Furthermore, Clean Force contributed the equivalent of $26.6m of social outcomes with an investment of $3.8m from Government, WISE and Customers.

Over the last five years, in addition to hiring employees with disabilities, there has been a focus on hiring individuals experiencing disadvantage, including single parents, migrants and Indigenous Australians. This report aimed to capture the impact of those changes on social and economic outcomes created by Clean Force, highlighting what an important role the social enterprise plays in our communities.

The report found retention of its staff has been very high compared to cleaning industry retention rates. Clean Force supported 70% of its employees for more than five years and 39% for more than 10 years. More specifically, it supported 230 employees in FY20, an increase of 70% since FY16.

The mental health and wellbeing of all employees has improved substantially since joining Clean Force, as well as their workplace skills, confidence, quality of life and feelings of connectedness.

Clean Force employee Aaron Robinson, lives with Schizophrenia and has been with the company for more than eight years. Due to challenges with his mental illness, he struggled for many years to find employment and shudders to think where he’d be without the support and opportunity Clean Force provided.

“If it wasn’t for Clean Force, I genuinely don’t know where I’d be. I’ve paid off my house, I have a car, I have a wife and two beautiful children. I just love my life and will be forever indebted to my employer.”

“Clean Force has given me purpose, a new found motivation and focus. It’s so comforting being part of a company who understand and champion people living with mental illness.”

WISE Social Enterprise Manager, Jim Dinuccio, who co-founded the business in 2001, says he is absolutely delighted with the report outcomes, although admittedly not surprised.

“We already knew what a profound impact we’ve had across the last 5 years, not just to our employees but to the Australian community at large. And now we’re proud that these impressive results can quantify and back up the work we’ve been doing,” he says.

This is the second report of its kind to be commissioned by Clean Force, with the first completed in 2012. Since then, Clean Force has grown substantially, expanding operations to NSW while competing for higher value contracts that have seen the number and make up of its employees change.

For those interested in reading the full report, please request by emailing us here.