Singapore — More than one-third of the workers at the Scan Hub of the United Overseas Bank have autism, and the company says they’re thriving at their jobs.
The company hired the workers as part of their partnership with the Autism Resource Center, and it looks like they were surprised at how well the workers with autism are at doing their jobs.
United Overseas Bank officials praised its non-traditional workers for their extraordinary commitment to their jobs and their exceptional punctuality.
The company’s non-traditional workers are tasked to do repetitive jobs which require them to review, scan, and then archive customers’ documents, including credit card applications— a job that also requires utmost accuracy.
United Overseas Bank Technology and Operations Head Susan Hwee said that at first, the workers’ training took a little longer than expected, but added that after training, they are 30 to 40 percent more productive. Susan Hwee further added that their, “abilities are really, really well-suited for this work.”
The company also provided its treasured non-traditional workers an in-house job coach from the Autism Resource Center, who is on-site daily to help and assist them in any way he can. According to Autism Resource Center President Denise Phua:
“This is really not a ‘pity me’ project. It meets the need of the national employment landscape. Manpower is tighter and there is a need to tap on the non-traditional workforce.”
United Overseas Bank’s partnership with the Autism Resource Center started a couple of years ago, and its officials say the initiative benefitted the company’s managers as much as it did its non-traditional workers. According to Ms. Hwee, they need very clear instructions and a clear schedule of the day, in order for them to plan their work defectively.
Source: Workers with autism thrive at UOB Scan Hub