Alan Bennett – Transport Manager

“Working got me back into society. I wasn’t stuck at home anymore – there’s only so much of daytime TV you can take.  I’m really enjoying my job. I like the industry and I like the people I work with.”

Alan must have seemed the most unlikely candidate for the role of Transport Manager at Hopley’s S&H as he doesn’t drive. However, four years down the line, Alan Bennett is making a success of the job and enjoying every minute of it.

Alan doesn’t drive because he has epilepsy and has periodic epileptic fits. However, this didn’t put him off applying for the vacancy at Hopley’s S&H of Sheffield and he was recruited because of his ‘impressive geographical knowledge and wealth of transport experience.

Although Alan mentioned his epilepsy when he was interviewed, this didn’t ruin his chances of being employed because he had the right skills for the role. According to his manager Mike Hopley, Alan is also a dedicated employee and is able to remain calm in a job that can at times be very stressful.

Employer's story

As a manager and company owner, Mike is committed to employing people who have the right skills and abilities regardless of their gender, age or whether or not they have a disability. For example, he also employs a female lorry driver, which is rare in the transport industry.

Gold Award for Employment

In 2007 Hopley’s won a ‘Gold Award for Employment’ award from the charity Epilepsy Action in recognition of its good practice as an employer. This seal of recognition confirmed Hopley’s commitment to being an inclusive employer.

“We employ people because they can do the job.” In Alan’s case, Mike says that he performed very well at his interview, answered the questions well and was a credible candidate for the job.

Although Mike wasn’t discouraged from employing him, he needed to know how his epilepsy would affect him at work. He says “When Alan explained his disability, I knew it wouldn’t be a problem because of the way we work. There’s always at least two people in the office so if he did have a fit, Alan would never be in the office on his own.”

Flexible arrangements

lan has had fits at work but Mike has learned how to respond. Flexible work arrangements at Hopley’s allow employees to focus on getting the job done rather than working to a strict timetable. As an employee, Alan is not expected to have perfect health but is expected to do his job well.

Employee's story

As a Transport Manager Alan has to manage the transport of goods across the country by organising drivers, planning routes for them and ensuring goods are delivered and collected on time.

Alan takes pride in his work. He enjoys the sense of achievement of getting jobs done. He also enjoys working full time again after going through a period of unemployment. “I felt I needed to be working for my own peace of mind. I didn’t feel right claming benefits because I knew I could work” he says.

Epilepsy affects people in different ways and in Alan’s case, if he has a fit, he just needs to be left alone until he recovers which can sometimes take less than half an hour. All his colleagues are aware that he has epilepsy and work around the situation if he does have a fit and Mike doesn’t treat Alan as a special case because of this.

“Most of the time, I just get on with the job. I only take time off sick if it’s really necessary, such as for a hospital appointment” says Alan.

Alan believes that in the past, being honest about his health has sometimes cost him the chance of a job. However, he has found an employer who values him for what he has to offer and now nothing can hold him back.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•