Zivan and Jadranka, Ikarus Cleaning
Creating meaningful connections with migrant and refugee employees
Originating from Serbia and Macedonia, Zivan and Jadranka migrated to Australia and established their family-owned cleaning business, Ikarus, over 25 years ago in Adelaide.
Zivan and Jadranka include migrants and refugees within the Ikarus workforce because they understand how a crucial first chance can impact someone who has little connections in a new country. Jadranka acknowledges, “if it were not for someone else giving us a chance when we migrated to Australia, then we would not be in the position we are today.”
Today, Ikarus is run by Zivan and Jadranka’s sons, Stevan and George and together with their combined experiences, the family are thrilled to be able to develop meaningful connections with their migrant and refugee employees.
Zivan sees the same qualities in his migrant staff that were instilled in him when he first arrived in Australia in 1965. These individuals are not only strong-willed but also enthusiastic about learning new skills, even during the initial stages where communication can be a challenge.
“Language barriers are always challenging to overcome at first when migrating to a new country, however we don’t let this stop us from giving people an opportunity.”
Since connecting with Sonder’s Employment Solutions program, the family have been successful in finding employees that match the hard working and dedicated ethos at Ikarus.
We have worked with a lot of recruitment agencies in the past and we have never come across a recruitment agency as effective and reliable as Sonder. Before we started working with Sonder, we faced a lot of issues finding reliable and honest staff. Sonder has provided us with many effective employment solutions.
If your organisation would like to get involved in this program, get in touch.
One of our friendly team members can arrange a convenient time to meet and learn more about your organisation and your hiring preferences so that we can match an appropriate client to your business needs.