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April Clark from Manpower emcees the Symposium
Symposium Wrap-Up
Thank you to those who attended our 2nd Annual Working Together Symposium in October.
The half day of interactive panel discussions, information exchange, awards, and networking was a terrific success. We hope you went back to work with the tools and resources you need to make diversity in your workplace a reality. Go here to view our Business Award winners and pictures from the symposium. And, thank you to Bangor Hydro and the Employment Times who made the symposium possible!
Stay tuned for information on the 2009 Symposium which will be held in partnership with the Diversity Hiring Coalition of Maine.
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Capitalize on Your Employees' Strengths
These days, most of us are holding our breath and waiting for the economic recovery to begin. As you balance all of the day-to-day concerns of merely staying in business with planning for when business picks up again, make sure you use this time wisely and discover the full extent of your employees' talents - strengths that may have been previously unknown to you.
Here are four ways you can use your employees' diverse backgrounds and life experiences to improve productivity and prepare for a robust and dynamic future.
- Process Evaluation: People with disabilities may be very good at finding new ways to do things. Put this flexibility and out-of-the-box thinking to work by asking your employees to review how your business conducts both essential and non-essential functions. They might find ways to streamline processes and procedures and make the most of company resources.
- Technology Survey: People with disabilities may be ahead of the technology curve as their daily personal and professional routines are often aided by advanced or novel devices and software. Use this knowledge of and comfort with technology to review your company's technological profile and find ways to increase productivity or make a wish list for when your cash flow improves.
- Marketing Ideas: Ask your employees who have self-reported disabilities to help you brainstorm ways your company could reach out to people with disabilities and their families. Companies that take the time adapt their products and services or their marketing strategies for people with disabilities may be able to penetrate this market segment that wields significant spending power.
- Community Outreach: If your employees do not have enough to do, encourage them to lend their expertise to a non-profit cause that fits with your overall brand. This is a great way for employees to develop leadership and other skills while creating good networking and business development opportunities for your company – something that will benefit your bottom line now and in the recovery.
Frank O'Hara
Hiring During a Recession
Business Member Perspective by Frank O'Hara, Planning Decisions, Inc.
"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." That's what Rahm Emanuel, President-elect Obama's new chief of staff, said in November. He went on to explain why - because a crisis represents "an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."
In addition to exploring how your employees' life experiences and diversity can help you (see "Capitalize on Your Employees' Strengths"), times of crisis present an opportunity to selectively recruit for certain positions and provide training to your personnel.
If you are hiring during 2009, consider this an opportunity to hire and train people with disabilities. Because there are federal and state incentives for hiring such employees, and because there is often free training available, the initial costs for bringing such employees on board and getting them up to speed is relatively low.
Once workers with disabilities are in place, most employers find that they have greater loyalty, lower turnover, and equal productivity to anyone in the workforce. In other words, these employees will stick with your company and perform at a high level no matter what the economic conditions.
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Make the Most of Tough Employment Decisions
Best Practices from Merritt Carey, Esq., Working Together Business Partner Liaison
Many businesses may not be in a position to hire while the economy is in turmoil and some may even be forced to reduce their payroll expenses. Staffing is one of the most critical and fraught decisions during times of slow business - no one wants to cut hard-working, loyal employees who have valuable company knowledge.
If you must lay off some of your staff, including employees with disabilities, first recognize that it is just as important to treat your employees with respect and dignity as it is to follow the "letter of the law." While your business is probably suffering if you must let people go, that suffering seems obtuse to those who have just found out they will no longer have a paycheck.
Here are some practical steps you can take to ease the transition for your employees and minimize your legal liability.
- Be as generous as you can with both your time and money. If you can afford it, give some type of stipend to your employees. Even if it is a small amount, the message you send is one of compassion and understanding. And if you are doing this, you can ask your departing employees to sign a release, which from a legal perspective is advisable, but from a psychological and morale standpoint may not be.
- Be available to answer questions and talk to your employees. Provide them with all the relevant information you can: contact information for unemployment benefits, information about COBRA, and job training opportunities or other state/federal programs.
- Be aware of "disparate impact" (i.e., having a discriminatory effect when you are laying off employees). If you are laying off a group of employees, make sure that the result is not affecting a "protected class" more than those in an unprotected class.
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FYI: Business Surveys, ADA Rulemaking, Obama Appointees
The Department of Labor's Office on Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has just released findings from the Survey of Employer Perspectives on the Employment of People with Disabilities. The first survey of this magnitude, the ODEP received more than 2.4 million responses from companies nationwide.
According to the ODEP, the findings indicate "that a majority of large businesses hiring people with disabilities are discovering that costs for accommodations differ very little from those of the general employee population." In addition, "the survey show[s] that once an employer hires someone with a disability, they are much more likely to hire other people with disabilities." For more: http://www.dol.gov/odep/index.htm
Also just released from the ODEP is a newly revised Business Case for Hiring People with Disabilities. The revised version includes returning disabled veterans, features video clips, research, and anecdotal information from businesses and industry leaders on how hiring people with disabilities improves an organization's bottom line across six themes: Return on Investment, Human Capital, Innovation, Marketing, Diversity, and Social Responsibility.
In our ongoing effort to better understand how to reach more Maine businesses, Working Together is participating in the Minding Maine's Business Survey. The survey is a joint venture of Critical Insights and Pierce Atwood Consulting and surveys 400 business decision-makers across the state. The survey contains a combination of general interest questions on a wide range of business climate topics and proprietary questions. The Muskie School of Public Service, in collaboration with Working Together, purchased four questions on disability and human resources issues. In the spring, we will report on the findings and how we intend to use the data to bring in new business partners.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was amended by Congress and approved by the President in 2008. On January 1, 2009, the amendments took effect. However, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC), the agency that enforces the law, has not yet finalized interpretative regulations to guide implementation. Once draft regulations are made, the Commission will issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that will allow for public comment during a 60 day period. For more information on the proposed rules: http://www.eeoc.gov/ada/amendments_notice.html.
Karen Gordon Mills at the Symposium
President-elect Obama nominated Karen Gordon Mills to head the Small Business Administration. Karen attended the Working Together symposium in Freeport in October where she presented the Business Awards. She is a member of Obama's transition team, a founding partner of Solera Capital in New York, and president of MMP Groups in Brunswick. In addition, Karen is 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.
Mr. Obama also nominated retired Army General Eric Shinseki to head the Department of Veterans Affairs. General Shinseki is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, recipient of two Purple Hearts and a veteran with a disability, having lost part of his foot during the Vietnam War. If confirmed, the general will return to government service after retiring in 2003 as the Army's chief of staff, and take over one of the biggest government agencies. As part of the community interested in bringing talented returning veterans to the civilian workforce, we will be watching to see how the new administration will improve benefits and services for veterans with disabilities.
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General Eric Shinseki (at podium)