To mark Youth Employment Week, one of our Future Voices Ambassadors, Saffron, reflects on her experience working for Argos and how her team’s person-centred approach left a lasting impact
Finding a workplace that genuinely understands and supports your unique needs is really rare. Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and having fluctuating physical health had historically made my education and employment journey very difficult, but my first full-time position, at a local Argos, was also my first really positive experience of work, and had a huge impact on me and my confidence to pursue university and a career.
Following my A levels I chose to take a gap year, due to my poor health, but also to reassess my future long-term goals and exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I had lost a lot of confidence because my disabilities meant I had been in and out of school and had to self-teach a lot, and I also struggled socially.
I didn’t feel prepared for the world of work and was very unsure of myself and my abilities. I applied for numerous positions, and following an in-person, fairly informal group interview, I was offered a job at Argos as a customer assistant. Previously I had briefly worked over a Christmas period at a supermarket, where I had, much like at school, struggled socially, and felt very under pressure and uncomfortable.
As a result, I was really nervous about beginning work at Argos, and I actually emailed my manager the day before my first shift to say I had changed my mind, because I was so anxious and felt so out of my depth. To my surprise, I received an email the next day asking if I would be willing to phone or come in for a chat. I felt even more nervous, and ignored the email, but the manager actually then went one step further and phoned me, again to no avail, and then my mum.
She explained she thought I had come across really well in the interview and that they really would like to help if they could, to support me to work. She wanted to know what was wrong and why I had decided to not take up the job so suddenly. This went over and above what anyone might expect – she took a personal approach. And this feeling of…individualisation, of treating people as people, really sums up my time at Argos, and is what made them a genuinely inclusive employer.
Argos made several accommodations for my ASD from the very beginning, even though I did not disclose my autism during the interview. These didn’t just have a positive impact – they enabled me to work. They assigned a personal mentor – a more experienced employee not too much older, who was very friendly and approachable – to have regular check ins with me, worked out a regular routine for shifts and breaktimes that suited me, and simply got to know me and my tics and differences that I was so panicked about potentially being noticed. Having a mentor/buddy was particularly important for me, and really helped to support my mental state.
My fluctuating physical health was another challenge, but Argos handled it with remarkable flexibility. On days when I wasn’t feeling well, I could adjust my hours, and they were very adaptable in terms of the tasks I would do during my shift. They made sure I was communicating and being open about how I was and were always supportive. They also always encouraged me to take up more training for different roles and tasks, even if this meant having to adjust the training in some way, rather than limiting my responsibilities.
I think the most impressive things about Argos was their proactive approach to creating a supportive environment, how their values were embedded within every team member, and how they seemed to really care about me as a person. Working there massively increased my confidence in myself, and I became a much chattier, louder person. I ended up really developing my interpersonal skills and was a better worker than I would’ve been! It made me realise I actually am able to work and succeed, and that made me realise the range of possible careers I could pursue and that I was able to work, when accommodations were made, and people cared.
It led me to study accounting and statistics at university, and to my next full-time position, which was post-university, as an accountant in audit.
Working at Argos has been a life-changing experience. The accommodations they made weren’t just about ticking boxes; they genuinely wanted to create a place where I could grow and develop as a person. To me, they are a perfect example of what it really means to be inclusive in the workplace, and I think my experience with them shows how big a difference being supported at work can make on a person.
Meaningful employment allowed me to develop a range of skills and personal qualities that previously had been dimmed and muted and gave me the drive to succeed. By making workplaces more inclusive, we give individuals the ability to use their skills, and we make our society a more diverse place with even more potential.
The Future Voices Group puts youth voice at the heart of our organisation. Collectively these twenty young people feed into our vision and strategy and act as our ambassadors and advocates for young people across England on the issue of employment.
Youth Employment Week is an annual event which aims to connect young people to the jobs, training and insight they need to grow their careers.
