How we helped Cindy return to retail work

Cindy was a lone parent and had been out of work for a number of years as she was raising her children. Prior to having children, she worked in retail but left as she had a car accident and suffered with back problems and had limited mobility in particular using stairs. Cindy joined our Work and Health programme to support her on her journey back into employment.

She was keen to get back into retail work on a part time basis and we supported her to update her CV and make the most of her skills. Cindy was successful at getting an interview with B&M stores. We advised the employer in advance that due to her mobility she would not be able to climb stairs so the employer arranged to interview her downstairs on the shop floor after the store had closed.
As part of the interview she was able to discuss her limitations and the only issue would be accessing the staff canteen on the upper floor. The employer could see the skills and experience that she could bring to the team.
She was offered the role and the employer agreed to add an additional 10 mins onto her lunch break so she could manage the stairs in her own time.  This simple adjustment meant she was confident to accept the role and sustain work.