BEATING ANXIETY TO THRIVE

RETAIL JOB IS RIGHT FIT FOR LACHLAN

KMART sales assistant Lachlan Grindrod, 20, was diagnosed with autism as a young child but he has not let it keep him from finding work he enjoys.

He was initially nervous about meeting new people and confused by different sections of the store but has learnt to control his stress.

“I am very happy right now and I plan to keep working on my skills at Kmart over the next few years,” he says. Grindrod found his job through disability employment services provider Mylestones Employment and studying a Certificate II in Retail Service.

Mylestones program co-ordinator Chris Bingham is now helping Grindrod integrate into the team environment.

“The ultimate (goal) is for his manager to come to me and say ‘we want to see more of Lachlan’ and not because it’s a nice thing to do, but because they really enjoy and value him in the team,” he says.