L to R: David Dwyer, Kayleigh Francis, Dayna Sharon
(Worcester, MA) Kayleigh Francis, a Career Resource Specialist on the Worcester Team, was presented a Success at Work award by David Dwyer during a team meeting. She was nominated for the award by Director Dayna Sharon. Since the award’s inception in 2000, Work Opportunities Unlimited (WOU) has presented the Success at Work award to honor and recognize team members who have delivered outstanding service consistent with the company’s core values.
Shortly after joining WOU in April 2024, Kayleigh immediately began making a positive impact on her coworkers and the clients she supports, securing 14 paid placements in her first year alone. She is always willing to offer advice to her teammates and seeking opportunities to learn and grow, so when the team’s former Subject Matter Expert left WOU, Kayleigh jumped at the chance to take on this role and now attends monthly SME meetings so she can pass new information to the team. Her encouraging and tactful demeanor, person-centered approach, and focus on setting achievable goals all help her clients feel engaged and motivated at work. She takes the time to get to know each client so that she can identify their strengths as well as any issues that need to be addressed before they’re able to successfully maintain a job. For example, one individual had never held a paying job before starting support services with WOU but refused to apply for entry-level roles, instead desiring a full-time office job. Kayleigh talked with the individual and was able to figure out that he sought “professional level” positions because of internalized cultural pressures. He needed more time to process information, so over the course of a month, Kayleigh consistently reminded him that professionals like doctors and lawyers in his family and community also start out with entry-level positions for their first jobs. He accepted a retail role, understanding that it would help him build a foundation for future employment, and thrived working independently.
Dayna nominated Kayleigh for her “belief in WOU’s core values, specifically her belief in individual initiative and dignity and her belief that all people can work, with the right support. She consistently embodies WOU’s mission to create new opportunities for success in the workplace, every day, through the respect, understanding and collaboration she shows to all stakeholders involved in supporting her clients.”
