Madill Motor Group at Noosa have always fostered a feeling of community amongst their staff.
With a focus on clubs within the local community and an importance on family, lots of their staff are long-term team members who have been employed for a number of years.
One of these long-term team members is Murray Sharpe, who has been a yard hand and car detailer with Madill Motor Group for 12 years.
Murray was connected with EPIC Assist (EPIC) before he started his role at Madill Motor Group.
“EPIC have been there to support me over the years, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to do it yourself. But if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
Sales Manager for Madill Motor Group, Ricky Carvolth, says Murray presents a lot of value to the company.
“He is a valued employee, a hard worker, honest and loyal; you couldn’t ask for a better staff member. Everyone likes and gets on with Murray. He has a ‘can-do’ attitude, whether it be the boring, exciting or frustrating jobs, Murray’s always there to give it his best,” Ricky said.
A few months ago, EPIC Employment Advisor Mel approached Ricky regarding a position advertised for a yard hand. The job seeker she had in mind, Harley, had a passion for cars, and she knew he would thrive in the right environment.
Madill Motor Group’s positive experience with Murray meant Ricky was excited to give another EPIC job seeker the opportunity to become part of the team.
“Harley has been working for around 3 months and it’s been fantastic. He’s exceeding my expectations and fitting into the team quite well,” Ricky said.
“When Harley started, he was a little bit shy and nervous, but once he soon figured out that we are a big team, and we all like to work together, he opened up and vastly moved forward. He’s here on time, he does everything that we ask of him, and he’s always looking for new and exciting things to do.”
Harley says the team at Madill Motor Group are really friendly, kind, and polite.
“I like coming to work because it gives me something to do. It’s made me more comfortable around people I haven’t met before which is really good,” Harley said.
Ricky believes giving someone with disability the opportunity to find meaningful employment creates stability, independence, and a happier person.
“The opportunity to be a person with a job, being needed and wanted, can create a person that is stable, and feel as if they’re worth something.”
Murray sees his future at Madill Motor Group, jokingly saying he will probably still be working there until he’s 80.
“He’s definitely an asset to the team and we look forward to many more years of Murray working with the company,” Ricky said.
As his role as sales manager can be hectic, Ricky says having EPIC’s support through the recruitment process and beyond has been fantastic.
“Working with (EPIC Employment Advisor) Mel, she understands and helps me out from time to time with reminders and checking in on Harley,” Ricky said.
“Harley knows that if he has any concerns that he can’t speak to me about, he can go back to EPIC and they can then see me. In saying that, we haven’t had any issues.”
Murray’s can-do approach to life has made him a highly valuable and respected employee.
“I will say this about disability. Whatever it is, physical or mental, it’s not a problem unless you make it a problem. I have a mental illness, but I don’t use it as an excuse not to work. If you do that, you go nowhere. Sometimes you have to take a chance in life,” Murray said.
“The more you worry about negativity in life, the less likely you’re going to do something about it. It’s about attitude. You can’t sit there and do nothing, because nothing will change.”
Ricky says Madill Motor Group employ people with disability because they believe in giving everyone the opportunity to prove themselves.
However, he warns that matching the right person to the right role is imperative to a long-lasting employer-employee relationship.
“There’s no point in hiring a person with disability to do a job because you think you’re helping someone out, if they don’t have the ability to do so,” Ricky said.
“Make sure you’re hiring the right person for the right job. Someone with a disability can struggle with different things, so making sure you have the right fit for that person is very important.”
If your business could benefit from hiring passionate, hard working employees like Murray and Harley, contact EPIC to learn more.