Transcript Document

Employer-Led, Value-Driven
Partnerships
Sara Murphy
TransCen, Inc.
September 23, 2010
Session Objectives
• Review current approaches to employment
for people with disabilities
• Learn to utilize person-centered plans to
target employers
• Learn to identify business needs and present
candidates in a positive, value-added way
• Discuss additional ways to improve
employment outcomes for people with
disabilities
Unemployment Rates 2009
People without disabilities
People with disabilities
35.5%
80.5%
US Department of Labor
We have spent Billions on:
• Raising awareness & advocacy
• Policy initiatives
• Support services
Yet, people with disabilities are still
under-represented in the workforce
What are we doing wrong?
“Successful Employment” is a
mutually beneficial relationship.
It’s a two-way street.
Not charity.
Help Wanted:
Company looking for individual with
Autism, Cerebral Palsy or extensive
history of hospitalization.
Inappropriate or delusional behavior
is OK. Supportive coworkers.
Call for an application.
Service Providers must reframe how we see job seekers
and how we approach and
partner with businesses .
Value driven for all involved.
Need to see “Disability” as
“Human Variance”
Not aberrant or broken
Skills vs. Deficits
• Person-centered planning with a purpose
• Focus on preferences and what a person
can do
• Shifts emphasis to adding value
• Targets businesses where job seeker’s
unique characteristics and skills will be
assets
Here’s Andrew
Andrew’s Profile
What his “file” said…
What we said…
• Autism
• Significant verbal
processing delay
• 22yrs. old, just completed
high school
• Worked in a voc. sites:
stocking and cleaning
• 6th grade reading & 8th
grade math skills
• Impulsive and inflexible
• Inappropriate behaviors
(acts in an aggressive
manner and/or violates
personal space)
• Passion is Music
• Plays the piano and saxophone
• Good clerical and computer
skills- fast typist
• Loves gardening and lifting
weights
• Needs verbal information
presented slowly
• Likes clean, organized
environments- hates noisy,
chaotic places
• Likes structured, consistent
tasks
• Hates to be interrupted
Use Profile to Target
Employment Settings.
Any ideas for Andrew?
Where will Andrew’s unique
characteristics add value?
(i.e. increase productivity, decrease expenses,
improve customer service or solve a problem)
Andrew’s VENN Diagram
Used to target
employment settings
Routine tasks,
No customer
service
Archiving
skills
Andrew’s Job Development Plan
Something in the “Music Industry”
• An administrative or cataloging position
• Customer service would not be ideal, no
loud, rowdy environments, something
slightly conservative
• Consistent job tasks or structure is
important
• Possible placements: Duplication houses,
Music schools, Sheet Music stores or such
Lots of Options for Andrew
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SheetMusicPlus.com
The Conservatory
ROCK RIVER
Blue Bear Music school
SF Symphony or Opera
Mixonic
American Guild of Musical Artists, BMI
Gracenote.com
People with disabilities have the right to
choose a path toward education and
employment. However, while freedom of
choice is given, the right to work is
earned. Earning the right to work is
dependent upon a student's preparation.
Stephen Simon, ADA Quarterly, Fall 1998.
What Employers Say:
Macworld Magazine
“Don’t approach employers with a
charitable appeal. In the end what we
need are people who can do the job.”
--Shelly Ginenthal
Former VP of Human Resources
The Employer’s Side
of the Equation
What do Employers Value?
• Motivated employees who are excited
about their work.
• Candidates with skills sets that can add
value to their workforce.
• Business solutions that improve the
company’s productivity and/or
workflow.
What Employers Say:
AMB Real Estate
“…treat this like any other business
decision. You do it for economic reasons
and it’s a great way to access good
productive employees.”
-- Christine Schadich, AMB
No more “Deficit Marketing”
• “Untapped labor pool”
• Focus on skills sets, not tax credits
Stigmatizes your candidates
Jobs
Prospects
Contacts
Focus on Building Long Term
Relationships with Employers
• Info interviews--listen and look
• Establish a solid understanding of
processes, essential skills and workplace
culture
• Build trust
• Determine if there is a way to solve
problems or add value
Always Use Positive Language
and Business Terminology
• Candidates vs. clients/consumers
• “systematic , routine tasks”, “entry level” vs.
“easy, menial jobs” or “repetitive work”
• Recruit and screen candidates vs. job
development
• Orientation and training vs. job coaching
• Tools vs. accommodations
Benefits for Employers
• Productive, dependable employees
• Reduces recruitment and training costs
for support positions
• Frees staff to concentrate on key aspects
of their positions
• Diversifies the workforce
• Leverages resources of employment
service to assist with orientation and
training.
Research Employment
Settings & Build a
Professional Network
Customized Employment: It Works!
Research: The Initial Conversations
• Focus on the Business (not the job
seeker)
– What is the product or service?
– What is valued?
– What are the trends?
– What are the challenges?
Building Relationships
• Participate in professional events/activities
• Act as a resource for business
– Resource for employees who are injured
– Disability awareness
• Engage business in “small ways”
– Mock interviews for job seekers
– Critique resumes and evaluate skills
• Acknowledge an employer’s efforts and
successes
Informational Interviews:
Eyes wide open!
Identify ways to benefit and
add value to the business.
Improve workflow and reduce “waste”
Ways to improve processes
and “workflow”
What is the product (or service)?
–Are there ways to make “product” faster?
• More goods = more money
–Are there ways to make product cheaper?
• Efficiency = bigger profits
–Are there ways to increase the number of
customers served or improve customer
service?
• Loyal customers = repeat business
Ways to “Eliminate Waste”
– Wasted Talent
• Are highly paid (or income-generating) employees
doing entry-level/administrative tasks?
– Wasted Time
• “Value Stream” (product to the customer)
• Would hiring your jobseeker reduce staff turnover?
– Wasted Resources
• Need 50 packets- so we ordered 1,000 so they are
available…now they are obsolete.
• Is the employer using temporary workers? Paying
overtime?
Look for Problems:
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Customer /employee complaints
Log jams/backlogs/ long lead times
Unassigned, but critical tasks
Burn-out or high turnover
Managers or key staff pulled away from core
tasks
• Workload fluctuations
– Rush times, crunch times, seasonal
fluctuations, sporadic- but important- tasks
Getting from “Contact” to “Job”
• Know how a business works and more
importantly, how it doesn’t
• Build a relationship with the employer and
determine if your job seeker can help improve
an employer’s ability to do business
(“Prospect”)
• “It’s the perfect place!” -present ideas and
your candidate
Customized Employment: It Works!
A Visit to Rock River
• Business is growing in leaps and bounds
• Used interns from Recording school- not very
reliable, don’t want to do the things they need done
• “The library is a mess- we pull things and never get
them back in the right spot– or even in the room.”
• “Categorize CD’s by genre- but knowing label would
help.”
• Business Development does large promotional
mailings– whole team is pulled to stuff packets.
• Just developed an on-line song catalog- need to upload songs.
Framing Your Ideas and
Presenting a Candidate
Present Your Solutions
to an Employer
Using a Potential Task List
Potential Task Lists…
• Translates a candidate’s Features into
Benefits
• Are based on targeted employer’s needs
and a specific job seeker’s skills
• Demonstrates how a job seeker with
more limited skill sets can be a valuable
addition to an employer’s workforce
Effective Tasks Lists
• Speak the employer’s language
– Use employer’s jargon and organizational
terms
• List specific job tasks
– not general ideas like “file”, “copy”
• List most important tasks (needs) first
– Which tasks will have the greatest impact?
• Gets the employer thinking- and better
yet- talking
Andrew an employee at
Rock River Communications
• Organizes and maintains
CD library
• Stickers CD’s by genre and
label
• Downloads songs into
database
• Files prospecting letters
and collates mailings for
Business Devo.
Not a good “prospect”
for your candidate
• Continue to build a relationship with
this employer by:
– Staying in contact
– Have them engage with your organization
in small ways:
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Business Advisory Council
Talk at Job Clubs
Critique resumes
Mock interviews
Customized Employment:
a Business-Centered Approach
• Must approach as an employment service,
not social service
• Must understand how a business works,
what they value and the challenges they face
• Must talk their language
• Must offer employers something they value
Implications for Change Agents
• Teach person-centered and value-added job
development to direct service staff
• Encourage programs that start early and provide
community-based, realistic work experiences
• Support transition- collaborative programs
• Reduce funding for shelter based, day program services,
create flexible, “menus” of services that foster
independence and the use of community resources
• Federal entitlement to adult services, long term support
for Rehab. clients with Dev. Dis. (e.g. IDEIA)
• Simplify SSI & Medicare
For More Information:
• Sara Murphy
TransCen, Inc./WorkLink
785 Market Street, Suite 670
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 979-9520
[email protected]