Worcester Business Journal

16 Worcester Business Journal | May 15, 2017 | wbjournal.com nonprofit that pro- vides employment training for people with disabilities, and the parent of an autistic child, Biagiotti-Bridges is an apt person to lead the effort at Dell EMC, a mul- tinational tech giant with about 9,000 local employees. Biagiotti-Bridges is chair of the employee resources group at Dell EMC's Hopkinton headquarters. The group has been working with Dell EMC's talent acquisition group on plans for a program that is based on the model put forth by German multina- tional SAP, she said. "Our plan is to try to have something in place by the end of the year," Biagiotti-Bridges said. Autism spectrum disorder is a name for a group of development disorders that affect communication and social interaction. Impairment varies widely; some people on the spectrum have only minor challenges, while others are severely impaired. Biagiotti-Bridges said those who can be functional in a professional setting often have strengths that typical employ- ees don't have, particularly when it comes to jobs that involve intense focus, such as debugging and testing software. "Their accuracy on finding that information is greater than you or I, because they are so focused on what they do," Biagiotti-Bridges said. The idea behind the Dell EMC hiring program is to provide an alternative path to employment for people on the spectrum, since interviewing may be difficult for them. Instead, candidates would be asked to work on site for a few weeks, giving them an opportunity to showcase their skills. Ultimately, this alternative path may be extended to candidates with other disabilities when appropriate, Biagiotti-Bridges said. More than just one barrier Facing the interview process can be Did you know our lists are available for download? Our lists can be your lists! • Choose the format that best meets your needs – PDF or Excel • Download any individual list or a combination of lists • Get extended lists not available anywhere else Our Lists are the only comprehensive source for information on the region's companies, executives and industries that drive Central Massachusetts' economy and market. Worcester Business Journal WBJ Questions? Want to be included on a List? Contact Stephanie R. Meagher at smeagher@nebusinessmedia.com. ACCESS THE LISTS TODAY! Order now at wbjournal.com/datacenter Information is POWER! Kristine Biagiotti- Bridges Dell EMC leads autism employee outreach M ajor companies in the past few years have launched hiring initia- tives aimed at recruit- ing people with autism spectrum disorder, adapting the interview process and work envi- ronments to meet their needs. It's a push that's meant to make com- panies – such as Microsoft, SAP and Hewlett-Packard – more inclusive, while leveraging the talents of capable employees who may need only minor adjustments to be successful at work. In Central Massachusetts, where employers lament a shortage of qualified workers to fill jobs, a similar program is in the works. Dell EMC is on the verge of launching its own autism hiring initia- tive, said Kristine Biagiotti-Bridges, a senior advisor in IT business consulting at the Hopkinton-based company. A business imperative "We're looking at it as a business imperative, to tap a pool of resources that we haven't tapped before," Biagiotti-Bridges said. As a board member at Horace Mann Educational Associates (HMEA), a local Hiring across the spectrum BY EMILY MICUCCI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer Karole O'Leary of Horace Mann Educational Associates pro- vides employment training to John Loughlin, who is on the autism spectrum. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y

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