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Save the Date: 2009 Conference Preview
Working Together is joining with the Diversity Hiring Coalition to bring you a full-day conference, Expanding Our Workforce: Capitalizing on Maine's Changing Demographics on November 4, in Portland.
The program includes topics such as:
- Who will comprise Maine's workforce in the future;
- The importance of diversity in a global economy;
- How a diverse workforce expands your market share;
- How diversity reduces legal liability.
At the conference you will acquire the tools you need to transform your own workforce and expand your bottom line. Check our website for program and registration updates.
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2009 Conference Sponsors
We are proud to announce 2009 conference media sponsors: Mainebiz and HRTimes. Working Together business partner, Custom Disability Solutions, has signed on as our first corporate sponsor. Thanks to these companies for taking a leadership role in supporting this conference.
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Contact Merritt Carey at merritt@expandingmainesworkforce.com or 207.828.4882.
Do More with Less: Marketing Social Responsibility
Best Practices from Merritt Carey, Esq., Business Partner Liaison
In today's dreary economic climate, when consumers are distrustful of corporate America and are spending less money, marketing your corporate social responsibility is a way to rebuild trust, keep your customers, and do more with less.
Corporate social responsibility is more than just trendy business jargon. This is a real concept that involves how companies manage their business functions to produce an overall positive impact on society, and increase profitability. Examples might include: fair treatment of employees, diversity hiring initiatives and other progressive HR policies, as well as community involvement, ethical business practices, etc.
Of all these examples, marketing studies show that consumers care the most about how a company treats its employees. In fact, 83 percent of consumers maintain that this type of corporate social responsibility is more important than charitable contributions or support for causes.
So, if consumers believe that the most important behavior for a business is how it values its employees, you need to include your human resources policies in your overall marketing strategy and develop policies that will help you capitalize on these consumer preferences.
Increasing diversity and finding ways to communicate your diverse workplace are great ways to start. In employment practices, diversifying means taking extra steps to recruit and retain otherwise qualified employees who might belong to groups that face discrimination or other barriers to employment. Examples include workers who are older, economically disadvantaged, or those with disabilities.
With this definition in mind, consider recent data from the Minding Maine's Business Survey (see Survey Results) which show that only 10 percent of small businesses in Maine employ someone with a disability. Creating policies that result in hiring people with disabilities makes your company stand out and creates competitive edge in the marketplace.
Once you have socially responsible human resources policies in place, you can start to build an employment brand and embed it in your overall corporate culture and marketing platform. Then, as you refine your messages and develop your policies you can watch as your company's overall brand image and market share increase.
The best part of expanding your overall brand to include your socially responsible employment practices is that it does not cost your company any money-this is a great way to do more with less.
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Maine Business Survey Results
Working Together is continually interested in understanding how to reach more Maine businesses about the benefits of employing people with disabilities.
To that end, Working Together, in collaboration with The Muskie School of Public Service, purchased four questions on disability and human resources issues as part of the larger Minding Maine's Business Survey.1 The survey is a joint venture of Critical Insights and Pierce Atwood Consulting and surveys 400 Maine business decision-makers across the state.
Following are some of the survey findings of interest to Working Together.
- 20% of business decision-makers surveyed said they employed someone with a physical or mental disability. This shows that Maine businesses are employing people with disabilities at the national rate.1 However, response rates varied significantly according to the size of the business. For example, only 10 percent of small businesses (five or less employees) reported employing someone with a disability, while more than 75 percent of the largest companies (more than 100 employees) did. These variations are also consistent with national rates.
- 74% of companies that employ a person with a disability report they do so because the employee was the best available person for the job. Other common reasons cited include: social responsibility, having family or friends with disabilities, and bettering public image.
- 35% of respondents said it would be helpful to be part of a business network that would share information regarding the employment of people with disabilities. Among large companies, however, 70 percent said that such a network would be helpful.
These results confirm that we need to intensify our efforts to reach small businesses and make the case for employing people with disabilities. We will use these data and those from national surveys to hone our outreach strategies and bring more Maine businesses into the Working Together network.
1Domzal, C., Houtenville, A., and Sharma, R. (2008). Survey of Employer Perspectives on the Employment of People with Disabilities: Technical Report. (Prepared under contract to the Office of Disability and Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor). McLean, VA: CESSI.
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Business Events of Interest
Plan on attending the following events for Maine businesses.
Talk to Lawyers and HR Specialists: A conversation about diversity in the workforce & employing people with disabilities
June 24, 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, Lewiston
In partnership with the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, Working Together will host this interactive seminar for businesses. Meet and talk to employment lawyer Rebecca Webber of Linnell, Choate & Webber, LLP who will discuss the legal ins and outs of diversifying your workforce. Merritt Carey, Working Together's business partner liaison (and an employment lawyer) will also be there to discuss the business case for diversifying your workforce and how to make diversity work for your business. This session is intended to be completely interactive, so bring your concerns and questions, as well as information to share!
MEBSR Annual Conference: People, Profit and Planet in the New Economy
May 7, 7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
USM, Abromson Center, Portland
Join Maine Businesses for Social Responsibility for their annual conference on how socially responsible business practices can provide opportunities for prosperity even in an uncertain and challenging economic climate. Conference sessions are designed to be pragmatic, giving attendees concrete and practical information. In addition, expect to look ahead at what's in the pipeline, examining such issues as carbon labeling, how the stimulus package may help Maine create new green jobs and business opportunities, and how to manage escalating healthcare costs.
While you are there, stop by the Working Together exhibit booth!
For detailed program information and registration go to: this link
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FYI: Karen Gordon Mills Confirmed
On April 3, the U.S. Senate confirmed Karen Gordon Mills as President Obama's new chief of the Small Business Administration. As Administrator of the SBA, Mills will direct a federal agency with more than 2,000 full-time employees, with a leading role in helping small business owners and entrepreneurs secure financing, technical assistance and training, and federal contracts. SBA also plays a leading role in disaster recovery by making low interest loans.
During her confirmation hearings, Ms. Mills indicated three issues she plans to tackle first: implement the small-business provisions in the stimulus package and get capital flowing to core SBA loan programs; hire staff and buy technology that will help the agency; and be an active liaison among other agencies, such as Commerce, Labor and Energy, whose programs affect small business.
More specifically, Mills told the Senate that the SBA is already enacting provisions of the president's Recovery Act plan, such as the 90 percent guarantee on SBA loans and reduced fees. Since March 16, according to Mills, the SBA has already made $1.4 billion in loans under the revised program.
Ms. Mills is a founding partner of Solera Capital in New York, and president of MMP Groups in Brunswick. In addition, she was an economic advisor to Governor Baldacci and the chairperson of Maine's Council on Competitiveness and the Economy. Her husband, Barry Mills, is president of Bowdoin College.
Read Ms. Mills statement to the Senate: download the pdf.
Learn more about the SBA: www.sba.gov
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