model employer informational session we are shaping an inclusive workforce the commonwealth: working...
TRANSCRIPT
Model Employer Informational Session
We are shaping an inclusive workforce
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 1
Agenda Introductions Background on Model Employer Initiative
Goals/Objectives Our starting point – Where we are now?
What are the numbers? Have we made progress? What does success look like?
Connecting to the Stakeholders Focus Group Feedback Common Themes and Responses
Self-Identification – feedback & response “We Are” “I Am” Education and Training
Reasonable accommodation – feedback & response Educational effort RACRA
Recruitment, Hiring and Promoting Employees with Disabilities – feedback & action response
Acknowledgements and Questions
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 2
BackgroundExecutive Order 478
Signed by Governor Patrick, January 2007
Employment Guidelines for Executive Branch Updated November 2007
The Disability Task Force on Employment Formed May of 2008, to:
Examine Executive Branch’s policies & practices, and
Research best practices in the public and private sector as they pertain to attracting, hiring, promoting, and retaining people with disabilities.
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 3
Background Cont.
Task Force goal: Make the Executive Branch a model
employer Develop Strategic Plan implementing
policies and practices that welcome people with disabilities of all ages as valuable contributors to the workforce.
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 4
Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives
• Seek to increase the number of people with disabilities employed by the Executive Branch.
• Explore methods to ensure the successful retention and promotion of state workers with disabilities and older workers who age into disability.
• Foster an environment and a workforce able to support and facilitate the employment of people with disabilities.
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 5
Our starting point – Where we are now?
As of Quarter One FY10 the Executive Branch of the Commonwealth employed 1092 (2.4%) self-identified persons with disabilities.
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 6
3/31/20079/26/2009
0.0%
0.5%
1.0%
1.5%
2.0%
2.5%
3.0%
3.5%
Total W/F Total Mgmt.
Manager Representation
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
Mgrs.
Overall W/F Disability W/F
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 7
Persons with Disabilities represent 3.1% of the overall managers in the executive branch workforce.
11.4% of the workforce with disabilities are managers.
Professional Representation
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
Professionals
Overall W/F Disabled W/F
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 8
Persons with disabilities represent 3.1% of the professionals overall in the executive branch workforce.
60.4% of the workforce with disabilities are professionals.
Technicians
0.0%
0.5%
1.0%
1.5%
2.0%
2.5%
3.0%
3.5%
4.0%
Technicians
Overall W/F Disability W/F
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 9
Persons with Disabilities represent 2.2% of the technicians in the overall executive branch workforce.
3.8% of the workforce with disabilities are technicians.
Office Clerical Representation
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 10
Persons with Disabilities represent 4.1% of the overall Office Clerical workforce in the Executive Branch.
12.5% of the workforce with disabilities are in Office Clerical positions.
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
14.0%
Office/Clerical
Overall W/F Disability W/F
Service Maintenance
0.0%
0.5%
1.0%
1.5%
2.0%
2.5%
3.0%
ServiceMaintenance
Overall W/F Diability W/F
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 11
Persons with disabilities represent 2.2% of service maintenance in the overall executive branch workforce.
2.7% of the workforce with disabilities are in the service maintenance positions.
Connecting to Stakeholders-- How it was organized Commissioned Independent
Facilitator University of Massachusetts Medical
School Sought feedback from three key
stakeholder groups Employees Hiring Managers ADA Coordinators
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 12
Connecting to the Stakeholders
Asked participants to share experiences and perceptions regarding: Self-identification of disability; Disclosure and reasonable
accommodation; Recruiting, hiring, promoting and
retaining employees with disabilities; How agency culture affects on such
experiences
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 13
Self-Identification Feedback: In general, employees with
disabilities: Lack awareness that self-identification is a
distinct and separate process from disclosure & the request for reasonable accommodation
Are unaware of whom to contact to self-identify Are unaware of how to request accommodation
Response: We Are / I am campaign Training
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 14
Reasonable Accommodation
Feedback: In general, ADA Coordinators and hiring managers agree: Agencies have the capacity to provide basic
reasonable accommodations to the physical work place and equipment,
Providing other types of accommodations are often challenging.
Funding for accommodations can be a problem.
Response: Reasonable Accommodation Capital Reserve
Account (RACRA) Training/education
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 16
Reasonable Accommodation Capital Reserve Account (RACRA)
RACRA is a back stop when an agency finds that it cannot meet the costs of providing reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities.
Note: The RACRA Fund is intended to supplement agency resources to respond to reasonable accommodation requests, but not to supplant them.
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 17
Goals and Objectives of RACRA
Five-year goals Provide some financial relief to agencies
that are successful in hiring and retaining employees with disabilities
Determine long-term funding needs for this activity
Begin to establish a centralized structure for addressing reasonable accommodation and related issues in the workforce.
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 18
Process Agency:
Assesses accommodation request Establishes Cost(s)
If over $2500, may apply to the Reserve Account
If spending on RA so far in the Fiscal Year is over 0.5% of Agency Budget, may apply to the Reserve Account
Completes and transmits application or asks questions to Barbara Lybarger at MOD [email protected]
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 19
Recruiting, Hiring and Promoting Employees with Disabilities
Feedback: All focus groups expressed: A lack of awareness of systemic
recruitment and hiring efforts for people with disabilities.
Response: Campaign to heighten awareness Training
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 20
AcknowledgementsTaskforce Principals
Paul Dietl, Chief Human Resources Officer
Myra Berloff, Director - MOD Ronald Marlow, Assistant Secretary
for Access and Opportunity, ANF Jean McGuire, Assistant Secretary for
Disability Policies and Programs, EOHHS
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 21
AcknowledgmentsTaskforce Members -
Sandra Borders, Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity Charles Carr, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission Dean Denniston, Executive Office of Health and Human
Services Stan Eichner, Executive Office of Health and Human
Services Irma Gutierrez, Executive Office of Public Safety and
Security Michele Heffernan, Human Resources Division Barbara Lybarger, Massachusetts Office on Disability Jeff McCue, Executive Office of Health and Human Services Valian Norris, Executive Office of Education Dan Shannon, Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities
Council
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 22
AcknowledgementsTechnical Assistance
From Massachusetts Medicaid Infrastructure and Comprehensive Employment Opportunities (MA MI-CEO), under a grant to the Center for Health Policy and Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (CFDA #93-768).
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 23
What’s Ahead?
Phase II Training Additional
Resources Build on
what we have begun
The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 24