WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Jane Anderson, Project Director Midwest Institute for Telecommuting Education, Mpls MN Project STRIDE Strategic Telework Research for Innovative Disability Employment Preliminary Findings from National and Demo Inquiry

Identify and describe the key elements of telework via a national inquiry and case studies Articulate these elements in the context of effective and innovative telework strategies through two demonstration sites WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Research Goals (slide master A)

General Telework Employees with Disabilities Newly Hired Teleworkers with Disabilities Types of job tasks and telework jobs available for existing and newly hired employees WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Areas of Interest

Telework: To work at home or a at remote location during normal hours or shift, anywhere from one to five days per week, excluding occasional or after hours telework, sales forces, and mobile work. Teleworker: A contractor or employee of an organization who works at home or at a remote llocation during “normal hours or shift” anywhere from one to five days per week. WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Definitions

Employee with a Disability: A person who has a permanent or chronic physical, mental health or sensory condition that poses a barrier to employment. Teleworker with a Disability: –1. An employee with a disability who has transitioned into telework from an existing in-hour job or; –2. An individual with a disability who has been newly hired to perform telework with no prior work experience with that organization. WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Definitions

WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Telework Respondents by Industry

Workforce Size Percent employees26 20 or fewer employees 20 1,000-9,999 employees 19 10,000 or more employees employees employees 8 WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Work Force Size Sample

Pre-screening questionnaires to 15,782 human resource professionals and managers in the government, for- profit, and non-profit sectors 463 employers qualified and 235 of those completed the full questionnaire WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Summary of Findings

For-profit and non-profit (non-government) sectors offer more telework in general Employers that reported having teleworkers: –76% of non-government respondents (54 of 71) –60% of federal, state, and local government respondents (81 of 136) Excluding new hires, larger employers (+500) overall provide more general telework opportunities for persons with and without disabilities. WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Summary of Findings

More opportunities available for newly hired teleworkers with disabilities at employers with less than 500 employees. –11% (14 of 129) at companies smaller than 500 employees –7% (7 of 95) at companies larger than 500 employees WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today However…

Telework helps respond to specific employee needs and retain employees Also cited by respondents: –Increased productivity –cost savings –reduced operations costs WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Employer Benefits

Trust and accountability Monitoring of a new teleworker’s performance Teleworker skill levels and work habits are “unknown” (lack of physical proximity to the supervisor) WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Employer Barriers

Job readiness training for teleworkers –Focus on and development of employee skills Fit the job to telework and fully explain job carving/job restructuring WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Employer Practices - Teleworkers with Disabilities

Minnesota Resource Center (Twin Cities) Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute (University of Wisconsin) Hubert Humphrey Public Affairs Goal: Place 40 teleworkers in MN and WI. WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Demonstration Sites – 2 yrs.

Conduct pre and post surveys and focus groups with –Teleworkers (paper surveys) –Co-workers (online surveys) –Supervisors (online surveys) Telework Coordinators will complete surveys, but won’t participate in focus groups. Surveying for job satisfaction, productivity, career development/advancement, quality of home life, quality of employer support services, and incentives to stay on public financial assistance WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Evaluation

42 candidates with disabilities recruited 28 interested in pursuing telework 6 veterans, 3 work compensation 19 with chronic disabilities 16 completed telework training WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Current Status

11 placed Wages: $9 - $13/hr 70% job retention (3 months) 90% are contractors 4 still seeking jobs WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Current Status

Reasons for participant program drop: 9 No follow through 4 Medical reasons 2 Not interested in customer service 3 Didn’t like the job WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Observations

Participant Mix: 80% Multiple physical disabilities 50% Also have mental health disabilities 25% Coping with surgeries, med. procedures. unexpected symptoms WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Observations

--Recruitment through VA, WFCs, Vocational Rehabilitation --Telework not viewed as a priority, makes teleworker recruitment more difficult --Much more job and support training and 1:1 coaching needed for participants Lack of previous employment Limited job options -- WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Observations

Most available telework jobs have been in customer service industry Other sectors more resistant to telework –Health field (medical care and insurance providers) difficult due to federal HIPAA restrictions WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Observations

Virtual call center trend is on increase. Teleworker training offered quarterly (6 wks minimum) Refine training with employer collaboration Looking for telework opportunities in other job tasks such as data entry. WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Next Steps

WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Project STRIDE Jane Anderson, Project Director