When taking on a new employee, it’s so important to make sure that, not only do they have the ability to do the job but that they fit in with everyone in the team as well, especially when it’s quite a small team. We’ve been really lucky so far with all of our staff and fortunately, our luck hasn’t run out yet!
It’s been clear for a little while that we needed some extra help so we’ve been delighted with the addition of nineteen-year-old Lewis to our little family. A Newcastle fan who loves playing on his Xbox, walking his two dogs and watching F1, Lewis is learning all about the ins and outs of This is Me and loving every minute of it. He also happens to have DiGeorge Syndrome but that doesn’t seem to be slowing him down at all.
DiGeorge Syndrome (also known as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome) occurs when part of the 22nd chromosome is missing. This means that some of the genetic information found in that particular chromosome isn’t there, which can cause a few problems to people who have it. Issues such as learning disabilities, heart problems, speech difficulties, cleft palate and hearing and vision difficulties are all quite common in people with DiGeorge Syndrome but none of these mean that they are any less employable than those without the condition.
Having been with the team for a couple of months now, Lewis is definitely taking it all in his stride and is really loving all of the new challenges the job is bringing him. With an official job title of Junior Administrator, his duties so far have included maintaining spreadsheets, writing emails, filing and scanning paperwork, filling out forms, recording outgoing and incoming post, shredding documents, and of course making the tea and coffee and tidying up at the end of the day. Someone’s got to do it after all!
Most importantly, the best thing about Lewis is his willingness to learn all the skills needed to do the job and push himself out of his comfort zone. He does have some anxiety when asked to do things he’s not familiar with (as many people can do) but with a little bit of determination, he’s able to throw himself in the deep end and get stuck in. For some people, repetition is needed when learning new tasks and Lewis is no different in that regard, but once he’s confident with what he’s doing, no more instruction is necessary.
We’re really looking forward to seeing what Lewis can achieve in the future and are thrilled to have him as part of the team!
