Meaningful Impact on 6,300 Square Meters

wienwork, founded in 1981 as an integrative company, demonstrates just how many pillars a single location can develop. With around 800 employees, it is now the largest employer in Seestadt. What makes it special: integrative companies must employ at least 60 percent staff with disabilities who cannot find work in the conventional labor market.

Since the 1980s, the Disability Employment Act has provided the framework for establishing integrative companies. Employers still need to be convinced to hire people with disabilities. Because this happens too rarely, companies pay a compensatory levy if they do not meet their quota of employees with disabilities. This levy funds integrative companies that hire people officially recognized as having a disability.

A tour of the company grounds shows that wienwork operates like a conventional business, with the key difference that 70 percent of its employees have disabilities. Parak: “The central mission as an integrative company is to employ people with disabilities and enable their participation in society. To do this, we pay fair wages and salaries to ensure their livelihood.” Parak himself worked in labor market policy until two and a half years ago and headed an umbrella organization. He is therefore familiar with the general challenges and was able to get an idea of the specific challenges at wienwork in advance.

In the construction workshop, apprentices have been learning the masonry trade from Manfred Binder for seven years, with the special feature that, interestingly, no cement is used when building a wall. “Because the mortar doesn’t set, we can scrape off the material and reuse it again and again,” explains Binder.

In the long building on the opposite side, you’ll find the textile cleaning, ironing, and sewing service. Employees of the integrative company and apprentices from the training team led by Elisabeth Böhm work here together in bright white workwear, providing hygienically clean laundry for hotels or rescue organizations, for example. After successfully completing their apprenticeship exams, wienwork graduates are usually placed in external jobs. A multidisciplinary team, including special education, social work, and psychological counseling, is committed to ensuring their success.

In terms of size and diversity, wienwork is unique among the eight integrative companies in Austria. The others are heavily industry-oriented and offer training and jobs in electrical engineering, metal, or wood production. wienwork is more active in the service sector. “In job management, we are currently involved in seven projects that are 100 percent funded,” reports Parak. “Five of these consulting projects are tailored to a young target group, for example, to advise young people in the 21st and 22nd districts and help them find career prospects. Here, we work with schools and parents because there is a compulsory education requirement up to the age of 18.”

wienwork is now an indispensable part of Seestadt. Parak: “For example, we operate a postal partner branch. As the largest employer on site, we also support the development of Seestadt. We are pleased, for instance, when the pharmaceutical company Takeda establishes a research facility for rare diseases here, and the long-established company Hoerbiger is now considering employing more people with disabilities.” In this way, wienwork fulfills a pioneering role for the public sector.